ST. LOUIS (AP) - Mike Leake took the blame Saturday night, even though there was plenty to go around.
A blown assignment on a squeeze play ignited a four-run third inning for Los Angeles and a sixth-inning error led to another run as the St. Louis Cardinals fell to the Dodgers 7-2 on Saturday. The loss ended the Cardinals' five-game winning streak.
Leake (7-8) allowed all seven runs - six earned - in six innings.
"I wasn't hitting my spots as well tonight," Leake said. "They were ready for mistakes. I think they had a pretty good approach tonight and they were jumping on me early. I just wasn't placing the ball exactly where I wanted it."
Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda attempted to lay down a safety squeeze with two on, no out in the third. Leake fielded the ball, but second baseman Greg Garcia failed to cover first behind the charging Matt Adams, allowing the game's first run to score.
Red-hot Justin Turner made the Cardinals pay for the miscue with a two-run double three batters later.
"Just miscommunication in the middle and a little bit of a fake steal," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "Pitch by pitch they're going to change whose going to be covering, but whenever there's a bunt situation it's the second baseman's responsibility to be over there."
Leake admitted the miscue changed the inning but still took responsibility.
"It's not getting an out, but other than that I think it's still my job to get us out of that jam," Leake said.
Adams homered for the second consecutive game. His blast to left in the fourth extended the Cardinals' streak of home runs to 14 straight games.
Aledmys Diaz reached safely for the 26th straight game with a first-inning single. Diaz's streak is the second-longest by a Cardinals rookie since Albert Pujols had streaks of 30 and 48 games in 2001.
The loss dropped St. Louis' home record to 25-29.
Turner went 2 for 5, and the double in the third proved to be the winning RBI. He has 14 RBIs since the All-Star break.
Adrian Gonzalez hit his eighth home run - a 429-foot solo blast to center - to spark a three-run sixth that was aided by Adams' throwing error.
Maeda (9-7) rebounded from a poor outing against Arizona on July 17, giving up two runs over 5 2/3 innings. Only one of the Cardinals' first 15 batters was able to hit the ball out of the infield against the Japanese right-hander.
Andrew Toles went 3 for 4 and scored once for the Dodgers. He has reached safely in nine of 10 games since being called up from the minors.
After going just 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position in Friday's 16-inning loss, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was happy with the offensive production.
"I think that offensively as a team we're trending in the right direction," Roberts said. "It's about knowing you can win baseball games when you're not playing your best. I think our focus has been much better on just the day-to-day and I think if we can continue that we'll be OK."
ANOTHER FRESH FACE
The Dodgers recalled RHP Ross Stripling and optioned LHP Grant Dayton to Triple-A Oklahoma City after Friday's game created a need for a fresh arm in the bullpen.
TRAINING ROOM
Dodgers: OF Yasiel Puig (hamstring) did plyometrics and sprint work. Roberts did not rule out a start Sunday.
Cardinals: IF Matt Carpenter (right oblique) took swings, but there is no timetable for his return.
UP NEXT:
Dodgers: LHP Scott Kazmir (8-3, 4.30 ERA) allowed one run in seven innings against Washington in his last start on July 19. He is 2-0 with a 3.20 ERA in three career starts against St. Louis.
Cardinals: RHP Mike Mayers will make his major league debut in primetime after going 3-3 with a 2.94 ERA in nine starts at Triple-A Memphis. With Mayers' start, St. Louis will become the last team in the majors to use a starter outside of the starting five that opened the season.
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