Did you know? NLCS Game 4: STL 4, LAD 2
A look at some notable facts and figures from the St. Louis Cardinals' 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday.
• The Dodgers will face elimination for the first time this postseason Wednesday in Game 5, whereas the Cardinals have already extended their season with elimination-game victories twice this postseason in Games 4 and 5 over the Pirates in the Division Series.
• With a 6-for-31 night on Tuesday, the Cardinals slightly raised their NLCS batting average to .148 (19-for-128). In Games 1, 2 and 3, St. Louis' posted a .134 average, which was the lowest mark by any club after three LCS games. The lowest mark by an LCS winner was .183 set by Oakland in 1974.
• After a homerless three games to start the NLCS, the Cardinals went deep twice Tuesday for the first and second home runs of the series. Matt Holliday blasted his second long ball this postseason into the Dodgers 'pen in the third, and pinch-hitter Shane Robinson followed with a solo shot in the seventh. It was Robinson's first career postseason homer and his third overall this year.
• Lance Lynn led the National League in run support at 5.2 runs per game in the regular season. The Cardinals' four runs Tuesday were enough to make him the first pitcher in franchise history to win three career NLCS games.
• Though Zack Greinke held the Cardinals to two earned runs on four hits and a walk in Game 1, the Dodgers' right-hander hasn't faired as well when facing a team in back-to-back starts. He is 4-4 with a 5.81 ERA in 10 regular-season starts when pitching against a team for the second consecutive time.
• David Freese grounded into a double play in the top of the sixth. He grounded into 25 double plays in the regular season, tying Paul Goldschmidt for fourth most in the Majors. His teammate, Holliday, led all hitters with 31.
• Though they attended different high schools, both the Dodgers' Ricky Nolasco, who started Tuesday, and the Cardinals' Joe Kelly, scheduled to start Game 5, are from Corona, Calif. Kelly went to Corona High School, while Nolasco went to Rialto High School.
• Lynn lasted 5 1/3 innings Tuesday, marking his longest October outing. In his previous three postseason starts, he had never gone longer than 4 1/3 innings.
• From June 1 to the end of the regular season, Kelly posted a 1.97 ERA, which was third among all big league pitchers, trailing only the Marlins' Jose Fernandez (1.50) and the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw (1.82). In that span, Kelly won eight straight games -- the longest such streak for any Cardinals pitcher this season -- and had a stretch of 19 2/3 scoreless innings.
• Yadier Molina tied Jim Edmonds on Tuesday for second in Cardinals history in career NLCS games at 30. He can tie Albert Pujols for a franchise-most NLCS games played on Wednesday if he makes his 31st appearance.
• Nolasco, who took a loss Tuesday, made his first appearance of the postseason. He hadn't pitched since Sept. 29, a scoreless inning of relief against the Rockies. His last start was Sept. 25 at San Francisco, when he allowed six runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings.