A.J. Ellis drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 6-5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the opening game of their weekend series at Dodger Stadium. The win was the second straight for the Dodgers, who own the best record in baseball (26-13) and are an astonishing 17-4 at home this season.
Ellis was just part of a great night of production from the bottom of the order for the Dodgers. Adam Kennedy, James Loney, Ellis, and Tony Gwynn Jr., who batted fifth through eighth for the Dodgers on Friday, combined for 10 hits, three walks, and drove in all six Dodgers runs on the night.
The Dodgers held a 5-4 lead with two outs in the ninth inning, but Lance Berkman crushed a ball well into the pavilion in right center field to tie the game off Kenley Jansen, who suffered his second blown save of the season. In both of his blown saved, Jansen got the win thanks to a walk-off walk by the Dodgers.
"For us to have comeback twice, it shows our team and our character," Ellis said after the game. "It's just guys having good at-bats throughout the lineup."
Ted Lilly pitched seven strong innings, allowing four hits and no walks while striking out six. He did allow four unearned runs in the third inning, including a two-run home run by Matt Holliday, who hit his ninth long ball of the season.
Dodgers second baseman Mark Ellis left the game after the seventh inning when he was slid into by Tyler Greene at second base. Ellis suffered a lower left leg injury and was sore after the game, but x-rays showed nothing was broken. His status will be updated on Saturday.
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