In early June 2025, the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals squared off for a three‑game set at Busch Stadium. After dropping the first two contests, Dave Roberts’ club finally broke through on June 8 with a 7‑3 victory that felt bigger than a single win. It ended a short skid, gave veteran left‑hander Clayton Kershaw his first triumph of the season, and reminded a loud crowd of 42,255 that the Dodgers’ lineup can still explode when given a spark.

How the series unfolded

• Friday, June 6: Sonny Gray blanked the Dodgers for 6⅓ frames and St. Louis rolled 5‑0, powered by a Pedro Pagés two‑run blast. Los Angeles scattered ten hits but left every runner on base.
• Saturday, June 7: Nolan Arenado’s pinch‑hit double in the ninth pushed the Cardinals to a tight 2‑1 win. The loss wasted six shutout innings from rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
• Sunday, June 8: The Dodgers finally answered, scoring three in the second and never surrendering the lead. That is the game we will dive into today.

Dodgers draw first blood

The visitors’ big second inning started with a Will Smith single and a Max Muncy walk. Tommy Edman—playing second base in his old home park—sent a sharp single up the middle to drive in Muncy. Two pitches later, center fielder Hyo‑Soo Kim laced a triple into the right‑field corner, bringing home Smith and Edman and sending the visiting dugout into full‑voice celebration. Just like that, it was 3‑0.

Edman keeps it rolling

Edman wasn’t done. In the fourth, he rifled a line‑drive double that one‑hopped the wall in left, plating Smith again and stretching the lead to 4‑0. In the eighth, he added a sacrifice fly for his third run batted in of the afternoon. The switch‑hitter finished 2‑for‑3 with a double, a single, a sacrifice fly, and three runs driven home—a tidy display of situational hitting that tilted the contest for good.

Kershaw finds his groove

Kershaw, still working his way back from spring‑training shoulder trouble, looked far more like the three‑time Cy Young winner than the rusty arm who struggled in April. He ran his fastball to the high eighties, controlled a biting slider, and sprinkled in looping curves for seven strikeouts over five innings. The only blemish was a Masyn Winn run‑scoring double in the fifth. Kershaw’s line: 5‑innings, 6 hits, 1 run, no walks, 82 pitches—good for win number one in 2025.

Cards claw back, briefly

St. Louis did not fold. Alec Burleson lifted a sacrifice fly in the sixth, and William Contreras poked a run‑scoring single in the seventh to cut the gap to 5‑3. With the tying runs aboard, Los Angeles called on veteran right‑hander Kirby Yates, who induced a soft grounder to end the threat and pump his fist on the way off the mound.

Betts provides insurance

Top of the seventh, two outs, nobody on: Mookie Betts jumped on a 1‑1 sinker from Josh King and lofted it just over the left‑field fence—359 feet of reassurance. The solo shot halted the Cardinals’ momentum and pushed the score to 5‑2. Betts was quiet earlier in the series, yet one big swing reminded everyone why he remains a constant menace.

Late cushion and a calm bullpen

In the eighth, the Dodgers tacked on two more. Teoscar Hernández trotted home on Edman’s sacrifice fly, and pinch‑hitter Enrique Hernández coaxed a bases‑loaded walk that forced in Muncy. From there, Tanner Scott and Michael Kopech combined for two scoreless frames—one inning apiece, one strikeout between them, no serious stress.

Quick‑look player lines

(Simple stat lines from the June 8 finale.)

Dodgers hitters

• Tommy Edman: 2‑for‑3, double, single, three runs batted in, sacrifice fly
• Hyo‑Soo Kim: 1‑for‑2, triple, two runs batted in
• Mookie Betts: 1‑for‑5, solo home run
• Will Smith: 2‑for‑5, triple, two runs scored
• Max Muncy: 2‑for‑4, two runs, walk
• Shohei Ohtani: 1‑for‑4, double
  (The club finished 10‑for‑36 with one homer and went 3‑for‑14 with runners in scoring position.)

Cardinals hitters

• William Contreras: 2‑for‑4, double, one run batted in
• Alec Burleson: 2‑for‑3, sacrifice fly, one run batted in
• Brendan Donovan: 2‑for‑5, double
• Masyn Winn: 1‑for‑5, run‑scoring double
• Ryan Vilade (pinch‑hitter): single and run in lone plate appearance
  (St. Louis totaled 11 hits but stranded nine men.)

Dodgers pitching

• Clayton Kershaw: 5 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K
• Lou Trivino & Jharel Dreyer: combined 1⅔ IP, 2 R, kept damage minimal
• Kirby Yates, Tanner Scott, Michael Kopech: 2⅓ IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K
  The bullpen’s zero‑walk, two‑strikeout finish sealed the win.

Cardinals pitching

• Michael McGreevy: 6 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 5 K (took the loss)
• Josh King: 1 IP, solo homer allowed to Betts
• Mitch Svanson: 2 IP, 2 R, but also drilled Shohei Ohtani and Mike Conforto with pitches, adding traffic the Cardinals could not erase.

Key Storylines

1. Edman’s homecoming heroics – The former Cardinal reminded his old fans what they once enjoyed: short strokes, line drives, and clever base running. Three of the Dodgers’ seven runs came off his bat.
2. Kershaw milestone – It had been almost ten months since the future Hall of Famer last tallied a regular‑season victory. The smile on his face walking off after five crisp innings said as much as the box score.
3. Middle‑inning surge – By striking early, Los Angeles forced St. Louis to lean on its bullpen. The Cardinals’ relievers threw 61 pitches across three innings, which may affect their availability in the next series.
4. Stranded traffic – The Cardinals went 3‑for‑10 with men on second or third and left the bases loaded in the seventh. One timely extra‑base knock could have flipped the script.
5. Standings check – Even after taking two of three, St. Louis sits eight‑and‑a‑half back of first‑place Milwaukee, while the Dodgers remain locked in a tight National League West race with San Diego and San Francisco.

Why the finale mattered

A single June game rarely defines a season, yet certain afternoons feel heavier. For St. Louis, it was a chance to sweep a perennial contender and gain ground in the Central. For Los Angeles, it was about stopping a slide and proving their depth can cover for occasional off days from the heart of the order. The Dodgers accomplished their mission, thanks largely to contributions from the bottom third of the lineup and a polished start from their oldest pitcher.

Looking ahead

The Dodgers fly home to host Arizona, hoping Ohtani’s bat heats up after a bruising hit‑by‑pitch late Sunday. The Cardinals head west for a set with Colorado, and manager Oli Marmol must decide whether to juggle his bullpen after Svanson’s 52‑pitch outing. Both clubs leave Busch Stadium with questions, but only Los Angeles leaves with the final word of the weekend—and a box score that should give them a little mid‑season confidence boost.

Final thought

Baseball seasons are long, winding roads. For three days in Missouri, the Cardinals had the upper hand, winning a blowout and a squeaker. On day three, the Dodgers responded with balanced offense, steady pitching, and just enough late insurance to silence the red‑clad faithful. Suppose October gifts us another Los Angeles–St. Louis clash, remember this June afternoon—it was a reminder that momentum is fragile, and one good swing or one well‑located curveball can change everything in a hurry.