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Daily Dose: In the Cards

Ryan Boyer
D.J. Short discusses Kolten Wong's extension and progress for Michael Brantley in Thursday's Spring Training Daily

No team in the National League hit fewer home runs than the Cardinals during the regular season. It appears that the NL Central champs are trying to make up for it during the postseason.

The white-hot Matt Carpenter got the scoring going in Monday's Game 3 of the NLDS with a longball in the third inning – his third in as many games during the NLDS – and Kolten Wong provided the dagger with a two-run shot in the seventh that put the Cards up for good. With six home runs, St. Louis has gone deep more than any other club during the playoffs.

The Cardinals certainly needed both dingers, as Hyun-Jin Ryu was terrific even though he was making his first start since September 12 due to shoulder issues. The left-hander struck out four while spinning six innings of one-run ball, with the Carpenter solo shot representing the only blemish on his line. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, their bullpen let them down again. For the third straight game, the Cardinals homered off the first Dodgers reliever they faced, with Scott Elbert serving up Wong’s two-run shot.

John Lackey was hit-or-miss down the stretch of the regular season for the Cards, but on Monday he again proved to be a bull in the postseason, tossing seven frames of one-run ball while recording eight strikeouts. Trevor Rosenthal made things interesting in the ninth inning but ultimately finished the Dodgers off.

The Dodgers will turn to Clayton Kershaw in Game 4 as they try to stay alive, as manager Don Mattingly has decided to use his ace on short rest. The skipper announced the decision prior to Monday’s game, but after the Game 3 loss, using Kershaw on Tuesday was pretty much a no-brainer. Kershaw allowed two unearned runs over six innings while pitching on short rest in the NLDS last season, though it arguably affected him in the next round when he was knocked around in his second NLCS start. St. Louis counters with Shelby Miller, who was terrific down the stretch with a 1.69 ERA over his final six starts. If the series goes to a fifth game, it would be Adam Wainwright versus Zack Greinke back in Los Angeles on Thursday.

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Nats Still Alive

The Nationals needed to beat Madison Bumgarner on Monday in Game 3 of the NLDS if they wanted to stay alive in the postseason. As it turned out, Bumgarner wound up beating himself.

Bumgarner cruised through his first six innings Monday, allowing just four singles and no walks. Then the seventh inning came and things went sour. Ian Desmond singled to start off the frame, and a Bryce Harper walk put runners at first and second with no one out. Wilson Ramos then got a bunt down to Bumgarner, who aggressively threw to third base but did so wildly. Both Desmond and Harper came around to score, and that wound up being all the runs the Nats would need.

After the game, Buster Posey copped to telling MadBum to throw to third, which was a poor decision since Desmond was going to be safe even if the throw was on target. The Nats added another run in the inning on an Asdrubal Cabrera RBI single, and Harper provided an additional insurance run with a long solo home run in the ninth. Doug Fister kept the Giants off the scoreboard with seven zeroes before Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen closed things out.

The Nationals will turn to Gio Gonzalez on Tuesday in Game 4 as they look to again stave off elimination, with the Giants countering with Ryan Vogelsong. Gonzalez had an up-and-down season but was nails down the stretch, posting a 2.48 ERA in September and striking out 12 over seven scoreless frames in his final regular season outing.

No ALCS for “Crush”

The Orioles certainly won’t take back their sweep of the Tigers, but by disposing of Detroit so quickly they’ll now be without one of their sluggers for the ALCS.

Chris Davis still has five games remaining on his 25-game suspension for amphetamines, so the anticipation is that the O’s will leave him off their ALCS roster. Davis has been playing in instructional league games in order to stay sharp and would be available to play in the World Series should Baltimore make it there.

Ryan Flaherty has been handling third base with Davis away. The Orioles like his defense at the hot corner, but he hit just .221/.288/.356 during the regular season and had only two singles in nine at-bats versus the Tigers.

Quick Hits: The Yankees reportedly are interested in re-signing Chase Headley, which would mean a move to designated hitter duty for Alex Rodriguez ... Zach Britton has left the Orioles to be present for the birth of his child but is expected to rejoin the team in time for Friday’s ALCS Game 1 ... The Cubs claimed Joseph Ortiz off waivers from the Rangers ... Pedro Alvarez will not require surgery for the stress reaction in his left foot ... The Twins have reportedly asked for and been given permission to interview Athletics bench coach Chip Hale for their managerial vacancy ... Astros prospect Carlos Correa expects to be at full strength soon after a long rehab from a fractured fibia he suffered in June ...