ST. LOUIS — Kolten Wong now has a much better postseason memory to keep him awake at night.
The St. Louis second baseman cracked a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning Monday, lifting the Cardinals to a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers and a 2-1 lead in the National League Division Series.
St. Louis would eliminate Los Angeles if it wins Game 4 on Tuesday at Busch Stadium.
John Lackey worked seven innings for the win, allowing just one run on five hits and a walk with eight strikeouts.
Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina led off the seventh by doubling to the left field corner off reliever Scott Elbert. After center fielder Jon Jay bunted Molina to third, Wong jumped on a first-pitch slider, belting a towering fly ball that traveled 407 feet into the Cardinals’ bullpen in right-center.
Wong jumped for joy rounding first, perhaps remembering that he was picked off first to end Game 4 of last year’s World Series with the potential tying run at the plate.
Trevor Rosenthal picked up his second save of the series, working around a pair of one-out singles by shortstop Hanley Ramirez and left fielder Carl Crawford.
The Dodgers’ only run came in the sixth. Center fielder Yasiel Puig led off with a triple to the right field corner and scored when Ramirez lined a double down the right field line.
Los Angeles starter Hyun-Jin Ryu pitched six solid innings in his first game since Sept. 12, yielding five hits and a run while walking one and fanning four. Ryu had been sidelined due to a sore shoulder.
St. Louis took the lead in the bottom of the third when third baseman Matt Carpenter homered for the third time in as many games, a 414-foot blast to the seats in right-center. All three homers came off left-handed pitchers after Carpenter homered just twice off lefties in the regular season.
He became just the second NL left-hander to belt long balls in three consecutive postseason games. The first was the San Francisco Giants’ Barry Bonds in 2002.
Los Angeles left second baseman Dee Gordon at third in the first inning and wasted two singles in the second. Lackey retired 10 of 11 hitters after catcher A.J. Ellis’ hit in the second.
NOTES: Los Angeles manager Don Mattingly announced before Monday night’s game that LHP Clayton Kershaw will start Game 4 on three days of rest. Kershaw did it last year in the NL Division Series against the Atlanta Braves, pitching six innings and allowing two runs, both unearned, a no-decision. … St. Louis will stick with RHP Shelby Miller for Game 4 instead of moving up RHP Adam Wainwright on short rest. It will be Miller’s first postseason start. … The Cardinals’ 67 postseason wins since 1996 are second in the majors. The New York Yankees own 97 playoff victories in that time.