Two more reasons why this season is going down the toilet

It is staggering how often this season the Dodgers have gotten a man to third with nobody out and failed to score him. It happened again in the fifth, when Nomar led off with an infield single to spoil Looper’s bid for immortality and Andre Ethier doubled. With runners on second and third, Juan Pierre opted to go after the first pitch. And while it’s fair to point out that it took a diving catch from Chris Duncan in shallow left field, right near the line, to rob Pierre of a hit, it also is fair to point out that we will never know what would have happened if Pierre had chosen to make Looper work a little bit and throw him a few pitches. Ramon Martinez then had a spirited at-bat before taking a called third strike, D-Lowe did what pitchers usually do at the plate, and another golden opportunity passed the Dodgers by. Then, in the sixth, after the Dodgers finally did get a run on a two-out single by Loney followed by a double by Gonzo. But Nomar, as he so often does, then went after Looper’s first pitch and flied weakly to center, stranding Gonzo. Boys are presently 0 for 6 w/RISP in the game. … Cardinals 5, Dodgers 1, middle 7