The Dodgers managed to cut a Marlins eight run lead to two, but they fell short in the rubber match to take the series loss.
Jason Schmidt suffered the loss, giving up five runs (four earned) on five hits before being lifted in the fourth. He allowed a run in the second and three runs in the third, and was lifted for Jeff Weaver when Schmidt gave up a leadoff homer in the fourth. Weaver didn’t fare much better, giving up three more runs in his three innings of work. Claudio Vargas and Ramon Troncoso tossed the final three innings.
Chris Volstad blanked the Dodgers until the sixth, when they began a rally for four runs, keyed by Russell Martin with a two-run shot. The Dodgers rallied again for two runs in the ninth, but fell short when Matt Kemp popped out to end the game. Hudson, Ethier, Loney, and Kemp all had multi-hit games for the Dodgers, with a combined five RBIs.
The Dodgers head to St. Louis to take on the Cardinals in a four-game series. Randy Wolf will make the start Monday, looking to pick up his sixth win. He is 3-4 with a 3.70 ERA in nine career starts against the Cards. He will face Chris Carpenter, who is 8-3 this year and has a posted a slim 1.86 ERA in his July starts.
