Kolten Wong's homer gives Cardinals 2-1 NLDS lead

The Dodgers announced yesterday that Clayton Kershaw will start Game 4 of this National League Division Series on short rest, and they hope his shot at redemption after his Game 1 implosion will save their season.

But last night, Kolten Wong got a chance to erase his own awful playoff memory, and his two-run homer in the seventh inning gave the Cardinals a 3-1 win in Game 3 and put St. Louis a win away from a trip to the National League Championship Series.

Wong, who was picked off first base by Red Sox closer Koji Uehara to end Game 4 of last year's World Series, hammered the first pitch from reliever Scott Elbert for a 407-foot home run to rightfield that broke a 1-1 tie.

"That pickoff last year definitely crushed me for a long time throughout the offseason," Wong said. "But it was something that I definitely look back and I'm not thankful for it, but I know it made me stronger as a person and as a player. Totally different emotions, but then again, you live and learn."

A few moments earlier, the crowd of 47,574 -- the largest at new Busch Stadium -- sprung to life with chants of 'Ya-di" after Yadier Molina's leadoff double. Jon Jay bunted him over and Wong made it irrelevant with a long drive that sent the towel-waving fans into a frenzy.

Matt Carpenter was serenaded by MVP chants after his third home run in as many games gave St. Louis a 1-0 lead in the third. Carpenter became only the second Cardinal to homer in three consecutive playoff games, joining Albert Pujols, who did it in 2004. But Carpenter was the first to do it in the same series.

John Lackey, acquired from the Red Sox in a deadline deal, held the Dodgers to five hits and one run in seven innings. He struck out eight and walked one.

Lackey had retired nine of 10 heading into the sixth, which is when Yasiel Puig broke his own streak of seven consecutive strikeouts with a leadoff triple into the rightfield corner. Hanley Ramirez tied the score with a two-out double, and he didn't take any chances with plate umpire Dale Scott's erratic strike zone, drilling the first pitch.

"I thought Dale was very generous," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "We had a lot of guys complaining about the strike zone. And we felt like he was really generous. And it puts you in a bind. You keep giving pitches, changing counts."

Hyun-Jin Ryu, making his first start since Sept. 12 because of shoulder issues, labored more than Lackey in the early innings as his pitch count spiked. He had good location with a low-90s fastball and a sweeping 75-mph curve, yielding only Carpenter's homer in his six innings.

Before the game, Mattingly revealed his decision to go with Kershaw on short rest for Game 4, not waiting to see what situation his team would be in after last night's result. "He's our best guy," Mattingly said.

There really was no need for further explanation. Kershaw is a slam dunk for his third Cy Young Award after finishing 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA in the regular season. But that's also what made his Game 1 meltdown so surprising. Kershaw failed to protect a 6-2 lead and was charged with six of the Cardinals' eight runs in the seventh in St. Louis' 10-9 win.

"For us, it's a matter of winning one game with Clayton Kershaw on the mound," Mattingly said. "We feel pretty good about that."

By David Lennon

dave.lennon@newsday.comDPLennon

David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.