Friday night’s game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium should be sponsored by the letter K http://www.tigersfanproshop.com/authentic-joe-jimenez-jersey , because there figures to be more than a few strikeouts.If young right-handers Walker Buehler of the Dodgers and Jack Flaherty of the Cardinals pitch on Friday as they did Aug. 22 when they faced each other at Chavez Ravine, runs and solid contact might be at a premium in a game dripping with pennant-race pressure.Buehler (6-5, 3.09 ERA) fired seven shutout innings in that game against the Cardinals last month, permitting just three hits and two walks while whiffing nine. Flaherty (8-6, 2.92) owned a no-hitter until Joc Pederson cracked a solo homer with one out in the bottom of the sixth. It was the only hit Flaherty, who walked two and fanned 10, allowed in six innings.Article continues below ...Los Angeles’ bullpen gave it up in the last two innings that night. Tyler O’Neill clouted a pinch-homer off Scott Alexander in the eighth and Paul DeJong drilled a tie-breaking two-run shot off Kenley Jansen in the ninth to give St. Louis a 3-1 win that polished off a series sweep.The Cardinals (81-66) lead the Dodgers (80-67) by one game in the race for the National League’s second wild-card spot, thanks to Los Angeles’ 9-7 win Thursday night. The Dodgers led wire-to-wire, including 8-1 at one point, yet couldn’t really exhale until Matt Adams grounded out to first as the potential tying run to end the game.Manny Machado starred for Los Angeles with three hits, including a double and his 34th homer of the year in the seventh inning.“I just tried to go up there and be myself, have quality at-bats,” Machado said to Sportsnet LA. “Every out, every pitch from now on counts. One play can turn things around, so we have to be on top of it. We did everything we needed to do today.”The Dodgers Miguel Cabrera Jersey , who at times have experienced terrible difficulties hitting with runners in scoring position over the last month, set the game’s tone with a great at-bat in that situation in the first inning. David Freese taxed rookie left-hander Austin Gomber for 14 pitches, fouling off nine of them, before lacing a two-run triple down the left-field line.Freese, who gets cheered during every at-bat in St. Louis because he was the 2011 World Series Most Valuable Player for the Cardinals, was acquired just before the Aug. 31 waiver deadline from Pittsburgh.“It’s always great coming back here and seeing the fans,” Freese said. “I’m excited to be a part of this. I’m on the back end of my career, sitting at 35 years old.”One of Freese’s former Cardinals teammates made his way back into the lineup Thursday night for this big series. All-Star catcher Yadier Molina (hamstring) missed six games, and probably isn’t 100 percent, but St. Louis wanted him back in there.The Cardinals plan for him to catch every game in the series except for Saturday, which is a 12:05 p.m. start after the Friday night game.“He’s very confident he can regulate himself in what he’s doing so not to have a setback, which we clearly don’t need,” St. Louis manager Mike Shildt said of Molina. LOS ANGELES (AP) — Late September, a crucial series, and a postseason berth on the line. Yasiel Puig thrives in big-game situations Alan Trammell Jersey , and once again he delivered.Puig didn’t start despite being on a tear at the plate. But he came off the bench to slug a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the seventh inning that sent the Los Angeles Dodgers past the Colorado Rockies 5-2 on Wednesday night to increase their NL West lead to 2½ games.“We’re going to win the West again,” Puig said. Walker Buehler struck out a career-high 12 and the Dodgers completed a three-game sweep of the second-place Rockies, giving the five-time defending NL West champions their largest division lead this season. They outscored Colorado 16-6 in the series, with homers proving to be the difference in each game.“It’s impressive,” manager Dave Roberts said of the sweep. “I believe our guys can sustain it.”The Rockies remained 1½ games behind St. Louis for the second NL wild card.“Like I’ve said all along, I think this is going to come down to the end,” manager Bud Black said. “I really do.”After falling into a 2-0 hole in a 36-pitch first inning, Buehler settled down and showed why he has become a dependable complement to Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw. The rookie right-hander allowed three hits and one walk over six innings, and neither run he gave up was earned.“I just slowed down a little bit,” Buehler said. “The later you get in the year the bigger it all feels.”Puig’s second career pinch-hit homer came off Scott Oberg (7-1) and ignited the crowd and his teammates, some of whom came out in front of the dugout to cheer. The always-excitable Puig raised both arms as he circled the bases.“I saw his first swing and I saw him hit the top half of the ball,” Oberg said. “I’m like, ‘OK, it’s probably a decent pitch to throw again.’ Sitting on it. Put a good swing on it. Over the fence. That’s it.”Puig is hitting .400 this month http://www.tigersfanproshop.com/authentic-al-kaline-jersey , with seven homers, nine runs and 14 RBIs. He hit five homers in two days recently.The Dodgers showed off their depth in the seventh. After pinch-hitter Joc Pederson fouled out, Max Muncy drew a pinch-hit walk. Yasmani Grandal doubled to deep right field, moving Muncy to third and setting up Puig.“This series was emblematic of our ballclub,” Roberts said. “How many people had their hands in to help us win three ballgames.”Caleb Ferguson (7-2) got two outs and Kenley Jansen closed for his 36th save.Buehler gave up a two-run single to Ian Desmond in the first after the pitcher made a run-saving throw to the plate when Gerardo Parra grounded into a fielder’s choice.Matt Kemp homered on the first pitch from Tyler Anderson in the second, giving the Dodgers seven players with 20 or more homers in a season for the first time in franchise history. That left them trailing 2-1. Brian Dozier’s RBI double tied the game 2-all in the fifth. Enrique Hernandez singled leading off and made a headfirst slide at the plate, with his feet barely eluding the tag of catcher Chris Iannetta.Anderson gave up two runs and three hits in six innings. He struck out four and walked two.The Dodgers went 12-7 against the Rockies this season and swept them twice. Colorado, which lost two of three at home to Los Angeles earlier this month, fell to 1-5 on its nine-game road trip.“You can see it as a tale of two teams right now with the Dodgers,” Iannetta said. “They’re getting hot over the last week and a half and we’ve been grinding a little bit the last week and a half. We’ve had moments, but we haven’t really had consistent production.”TRAINER’S ROOMRockies: SS Trevor Story is receiving treatment for right elbow inflammation in Arizona, and the team is encouraged that he could return soon. Story might participate in some baseball activities at the club’s spring training facility in Phoenix, where the Rockies are headed next to play the Diamondbacks.TROUBLE AT HOMEThings aren’t going as well for Puig at home. TMZ reported that the slugger’s home in the San Fernando Valley was broken into for the fourth time on Tuesday night when he was at the ballpark.“I (did) not sleep too much yesterday,” Puig said, without offering details about the incident.Previous break-ins occurred in March 2017 Lance Parrish Jersey , during Game 7 of last year’s World Series and then last month.DODGERS AT HOMEWith three home games left in the regular season, the Dodgers are 42-36, their worst record in LA since going 42-39 in 2011. Their latest win allowed them to clinch a 13th straight winning season at Chavez Ravine.BLACKMON’S STREAKCharlie Blackmon singled in the first, extending his hitting streak to 12 games, the longest active steak in the majors. He’s hitting .390 with nine runs, five doubles, four homers and eight RBIs since Sept. 8.UP NEXTRockies: Off on Thursday before sending RHP German Marquez (12-10, 3.96 ERA) to the mound against third-place Arizona.Dodgers: After an off day Thursday, LHP Rich Hill (9-5, 4.02) starts the opener of a three-game series against the last-place Padres.