Furcal delivers in 12th inning, helps Cardinals post 3-2 win over Dodgers

ST. LOUIS -- Rafael Furcal singled home the winning run with two outs in the 12th inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals dampened the Dodgers debut of Hanley Ramirez by beating Los Angeles 3-2 on Wednesday night.

Ramirez tripled on the first pitch he saw with his new team. The three-time All-Star infielder, who was acquired late Tuesday night from Miami, went 2 for 4 with a walk. He scored once and hit an RBI single in the sixth that made it 2-2.

Lance Berkman, who left a day earlier with a bruised right knee after being hit by a pitch, drew a one-out walk as a pinch hitter from Jamey Wright (4-3) in the 12th inning. Matt Carpenter singled with two outs, and Furcal drove home pinch-runner Joe Kelly.

Fernando Salas (1-3) pitched two scoreless innings to pick up his first victory since July 9, 2011, against Arizona.

Cardinals starter Kyle Lohse went seven innings and allowed two runs on seven hits with no walks and four strikeouts. He also drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

Cardinals shortstop Rafael Furcal (15) celebrates after driving in the winning run with a single during the bottom of the 12th inning Wednesday at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The Cardinals defeated the Dodgers 3-2 in 12 innings. (CHRIS LEE ~ St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Aaron Harang was even sharper for the Dodgers. He gave up just two hits and two runs over 7 1/3 innings.

Ramirez helped the Dodgers to a 1-0 lead in the second when he tripled off the wall in center and scored on James Loney's sacrifice fly.

After St. Louis grabbed a 2-1 advantage on Lohse's sacrifice fly in the fifth, Ramirez tied it with a two-out single in the sixth.

Ramirez played third base, the spot he moved to with the Marlins to make room for new shortstop Jose Reyes. Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said he plans to put Ramirez at shortstop when the former NL batting champion is comfortable with the switch back to his old position.

The 28-year-old Ramirez was hitting .246 with 14 home runs and 47 RBIs for the Marlins this season, far from his big season in 2009 when he hit a league-leading .342 with 24 homers and 106 RBIs.

"I am sad to go," Ramirez said. "This will always be my home, but it will just be a little different."

Ramirez has a $15 million salary this year and is owed $15.5 million next year and $16 million in 2013.

Mattingly was ejected by home plate umpire Jeff Kellogg for arguing balls and strikes while on the mound during a 10th-inning pitching change. The ejection was the fifth this season for Mattingly.

Noteworthy

* David Freese had two hits for St. Louis. He is batting .565 (13 for 23) during an eight-game hitting streak.

* Dodgers starter Chris Capuano (10-5) can match his win total for 2011 with a victory today. He'll have to reverse some history -- he is winless in five career games at Busch Stadium (0-3, 7.04 ERA).

* Lohse's quality start was the 20th in a row for the Cardinals.

* Jake Westbrook will start St. Louis today.