With Daniel Poncedeleon, Luke Weaver and opening day starter Carlos Martinez lined up like so many jets on the tarmac, the Cardinals got a total of eight sterling innings from three pitchers, all of whom have started at some point this season. Each pitcher perplexed the Dodgers in his own way — starter Poncedeleon, for example, had eight strikeouts — and sent the Cardinals toward a 5-2 victory at Dodgers Stadium. The win, given flight with home runs from Yadier Molina and Marcell Ozuna, assured the Cardinals of their eighth consecutive series victory.
They also strengthened their hold on the second wild-card berth in the National League, moved three games ahead of the host Dodgers in that race, and took a sizeable step at the Cubs in the National League Central.