A double to right field by Manny Ramirez in the eighth inning plated Rafael Furcal, giving the Dodgers all they would need in a 1-0 win over the Cardinals in front of an announced crowd of 48.056 at Dodger Stadium. Coupled with San Diego's loss to the Mets, the Dodgers are now in sole possession of first place for the first team this season.
The Dodgers tied a club record with their third 1-0 victory of the homestand. The Dodgers have had three 1-0 victories on a single homestand just one other time since moving to Los Angeles. In 2000, the Dodgers beat Arizona on September 19 and 20, and then beat the Padres on September 24.
Hiroki Kuroda and Chris Carpenter were both excellent, each tossing seven shutout innings. Carpenter allowed seven baserunners while striking out five, while Kuroda allowed five baserunners while striking out six. Hong-Chih Kuo retired the Cardinals in the eighth inning, extending his scoreless streak to 16 2/3 innings.
The ninth inning began with an epic battle between Jonathan Broxton and Albert Pujols, an 11-pitch affair that at one point featured seven straight foul balls, and ended with Pujols striking out on a check swing. On his bobblehead night, Broxton struck out two in the ninth to get his 15th save, and on the season has 42 strikeouts against just two unintentional walks.
Andre Ethier had three hits for the Dodgers, including a pair of doubles.
Not only are the Dodgers, who are 14-6 in one-run games this year, in first place, but they also now hold the best record in the National League, at 35-24.
The Dodgers, 7-2 on their current homestand and 10-5 in the first 15 of their 16 games in 16 days, go for the sweep with a rematch of Game 2 of last year's NLDS, as Clayton Kershaw faces Adam Wainwright.
WP - Hong-Chih Kuo (2-1): 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 strikeout
LP -Trever Miller (0-1): 1/3 IP, 2 hits, 1 run
Sv - Jonathan Broxton (15): 1 IP, 1 hit, 2 strikeouts