Dodgers take 2 of 3 from Redbirds

Game One: Dodgers 3, Cardinals 1

Claude Osteen improved to 3-0 spinning a nifty 6 hitter over eight innings as the Dodgers bested St. Louis and Bob Gibson 3-1 in the opener of a three-game interdivision series. Gibson surrendered only 5 hits, but three of those came back to back to back in the 8^th as Manny Mota, Davey Lopes and Willie Davis all singled, Davis’ hit driving in Mota to break a 1-1 tie, followed by Steve Garvey’s sac fly. Jim Brewer pitched a scoreless 9^th to notch his 4^th save.

Game Two: Dodgers 3, Cardinals 2

The Cardinals got a step closer in this one, but lefty Doug Rau had enough runs to work with to keep the Dodgers in it, before they rallied late from a 2-0 deficit to earn the win. Reggie Cleveland surrendered 10 hits, but his defense turned two double plays and he was able to get out of jams better than he created them.

Solo home runs by Joe Torre and Ted Simmons had given the Cardinals their lead going into the last of the seventh, when Bill Russell’s two out RBI single tied it, and then he won it in the 9^th doubling home Bill Buckner, again with 2 outs.

Game Three: Cardinals 7, Dodgers 5

The teams got some offense going in this one, and it looked like the Dodgers would sweep the three game set entering the 8^th inning with a 5-3 lead. But the Cardinals got one back in the eighth, and then Lou Brock electrified the home crowd with a three run home run in the bottom of the ninth to steal away a victory. It was one of three hits for Brock, and his first homer. The game took the thunder away from Dodger third baseman Ron Cey’s big day, as the Penguin had 3 hits himself good for 12 total bases (2 homers, a triple and a single), and drove in all 5 Dodger runs. 

--submitted by BikeMike--