Cardinals down Dodgers for fourth consecutive victory

LOS ANGELES -- Allen Craig hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning and the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the slumping Los Angeles Dodgers 9-2 on Saturday night to win their fourth in a row and sixth in seven games.

It was the seventh straight game that the Cardinals scored six or more runs and the first time in six games that they didn't put up at least 14 hits. They had 13, including five straight in the ninth off Ramon Troncoso, to win their third in a row over Los Angeles.

Kyle McClellan (2-0) allowed one run and six hits, struck out two and walked none over seven innings to earn his second major league victory as a starter in six days.

The Dodgers started ace Clayton Kershaw (2-2), but he got into bases-loaded jams in the second and third while laboring through 4 2/3 innings, his shortest outing this season. The left-hander gave up five runs and six hits, struck out a season-low five and walked a season-high five.

The offense didn't provide him much support. Juan Uribe was hitless in four at-bats as the Dodgers lost their fifth in a row and sixth in seven games.

Craig provided the Cardinals' power a night after sluggers Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman homered in consecutive at-bats. Pujols managed two singles in five at-bats and struck out twice, while Matt Holliday went 1 for 3 with two walks and an RBI.

Kershaw got out of his first bases-loaded jam in the second by striking out the final two batters. In the third, however, he walked Holliday to load the bases again, and David Freese's sacrifice fly scored the Cardinals' first run.

They took a 2-0 lead in the third on Ryan Theriot's RBI double to deep left.

The Dodgers cut their deficit to 2-1 in the fourth. Andre Ethier, who went 3 for 4, singled to extend his major league-leading hitting streak to 13 games. He scored on James Loney's grounder to first, as catcher Gerald Laird went up the third-base line to take Pujols' throw and missed the sweep tag.

In the fifth, Pujols singled and Holliday walked before Craig's first homer of the season chased Kershaw and made it 5-1. It was the first homer Kershaw has allowed to any current St. Louis hitter.