Cards have Dodgers on the brink

The Dodger bullpen, a big question mark going into the playoffs, faltered again tonight in a 3-1 loss to St. Louis that put Los Angeles on the brink of elimination going into Game Four of the NLDS tomorrow afternoon, down two games to one.

After Hyun-Jin Ryu held St. Louis to one run on five hits through six innings, Scott Elbert gave up a double down the left field line to Yadier Molina and a two-run home run to Kolton Wong that proved to be the winning margin.

Elbert joined Pedro Baez and J.P. Howell as relief pitchers that came into tight games in the series and promptly gave up the long ball. Baez came on in relief of Clayton Kershaw and gave up a three-run homer to Matt Holliday in the 10-9 loss in Game One. Howell came on for Zack Greinke in the eighth inning of Game Two and gave up the long ball to Matt Carpenter that tied the game at 2-2 before Matt Kemp hit the game-winning home run in the bottom of the eighth.

Going into the playoffs, Dodger manager Don Mattingly knew the middle of his bullpen was the team’s weak spot and his middle relievers have failed on three critical occasions.

The Dodgers will send Clayton Kershaw to the mound tomorrow afternoon on three days rest to try and force a Game Five back in Los Angeles where Grienke would get the ball.

St. Louis right-hander John Lackey, acquired in a late season trade from Boston, held the Dodgers to one run on five hits through seven innings and got strong relief performances from Pat Neshek and Trevor Rosenthal to shut down Los Angeles.

Hanley Ramirez and Carl Crawford had one-out singles in the ninth inning but Rosenthal was able to retire Juan Uribe and A.J. Ellis on fly balls to right field to end the game.

Ramirez had three hits in four trips, including a run-scoring double in the sixth inning that plated Yasiel Puig, who tripled down the right field line. Prior to his three-bagger, Puig had been fanned seven times in a row by St. Louis pitchers.