Dodgers fall to Cards 3-1

ST. LOUIS (Yonhap) ― Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers got a no-decision despite a solid outing in his first playoff start of the year on Monday in St. Louis.

The South Korean lefty pitched six solid innings against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 3 of the National League Division Series, giving up one earned run on five hits and striking out four.

Ryu threw 94 pitches, 59 of them for strikes.

Justin Turner pinch hit for Ryu in the top of the seventh with the score tied at 1-1, and Scott Elbert, also a left-hander, relieved Ryu to start the bottom of the seventh.

Elbert promptly gave up a tie-breaking two-run homer to Kolten Wong in the seventh.

Held back by feeble offense and shaky bullpen, the Dodgers lost the game 3-1.

The Cards now lead the best-of-five series two games to one.

Though he was making his first start in 24 days, Ryu showed almost no ill effects of rust.

He pumped his fastballs at 94 miles per hour from the onset and fooled hitters with breaking pitches.

Ryu’s only blemish was the solo homer he gave up to Matt Carpenter in the bottom of the third. It ended up being the only run he allowed on this night.

Ryu’s previous start had come on Sept. 12, when he lasted just one inning and got shelled for four earned runs on five hits against the San Francisco Giants.

He then missed the rest of the regular season with inflammation on his pitching shoulder.

Ryu said afterward he had no issues with his shoulder, and he felt good enough to pitch deeper into the game.

“I could have kept pitching into the seventh inning,” Ryu said. “If my manager (Don Mattingly) asked me to take the mound in the seventh, I certainly would have done that.” 


Nats stay alive on Giants’ error

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ― Doug Fister pitched seven shutout innings and the Washington Nationals took advantage of Madison Bumgarner’s one off-target throw, staving off elimination in the NL Division Series with a 4-1 win against the San Francisco Giants on Monday.

Fister dazzled again in San Francisco, helping the Nationals cut their deficit to 2-1 in the best-of-five series and ending the Giants 10-game postseason winning streak that started with Game 5 of the 2012 NL Championship Series against St. Louis.

Washington scored two runs on Bumgarner’s throwing error in the seventh inning to end the ace’s 21-inning scoreless streak. Bryce Harper punctuated the victory with a solo homer in the ninth.

Drew Storen allowed to the first two batters to reach in the bottom of the ninth but shook off his postseason struggles, allowing a run in closing it out as Washington forced a Game 4 on Tuesday night.

Now, the 96-win Nationals will send left-hander Gio Gonzalez up against San Francisco right-hander Ryan Vogelsong.

On a day Bumgarner had been nearly untouchable, his 21-inning postseason scoreless streak ended on his own miscue. Now, the Giants must wait another day to try to eliminate the Nationals, who trail 2-1 in the best-of-five series.

Bumgarner fielded Wilson Ramos’ two-strike sacrifice bunt between the mound and the first-base line and fired to third rather than going for the sure out at first.

Bumgarner’s throw sailed wide of Pablo Sandoval’s outstretched glove and bounced all the way to the tarp along the left-field wall before rolling over the bullpen mounds where two relievers were warming up.