ST. LOUIS — Dodgers travel to St. Louis for a four-game series starting Thursday Chris Tillman Jersey , including thoughts of a potential preview for a one-game National League wild-card matchup.Where that playoff game could potentially be played could be decided starting with Thursday’s series opener, which will pit the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw (7-5, 2.42 ERA) against the Cardinals‘ Austin Gomber (5-0, 2.93) in a battle of lefties.The Cardinals won all three games between the teams in Los Angeles three weeks ago. One victory in this series would give the Cardinals a home game if they were tied with the Dodgers at the end of the season in the wild-card standings.Article continues below ...The Dodgers are two games behind the Cardinals, who currently hold the second wild-card position in the National League.The Dodgers, though, remain intent on winning their sixth consecutive National League West title. By finally defeating the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday for the first time this season, the Dodgers temporarily moved one game behind the division-leading Colorado Rockies.The Dodgers had some offensive flow in that game, scoring eight runs, but otherwise it has been a stop-start year for the bats. The Dodgers have scored eight or more runs 11 times since the All-Star break. But they scored have three runs or fewer 25 times in the same span.“Our players have got to accept it because this is the way it’s gotta be with our roster,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, according to the Orange County Register. “I know it’s going to turn. We haven’t had (offensive) consistency all year. September, we obviously have a deeper roster but we’ve had these same inconsistencies all year. So it’s not about just September and this sample of September.”The Cardinals have found far more consistency in the second half as they went from near sellers at the non-waiver trade deadline to definite contenders barely over a month later.When the Cardinals swept the Dodgers toward the tail end of August http://www.oriolesfanproshop.com/authentic-j.j.-hardy-jersey , they were playing at their best. They lost Wednesday to the Pittsburgh Pirates and have endured a three-game losing streak since their sweep of the Dodgers, but St. Louis has still won 23 of its last 33 games.Not far away from being an afterthought in the NL Central, the Cardinals are still in striking distance of a division title, but still would have to leapfrog the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers to claim that prize.Gomber has been a key contributor in the turnaround. He has solidified his spot in the rotation by going 4-0 with a 2.77 ERA in seven starts since the beginning of August. He faced the Dodgers last month, giving up two runs over five innings in a no-decision while seeing his 15-inning scoreless streak come to an end.Gomber is new to the league so this is his first charge toward the playoffs. But it is also new to the Cardinals’ Marcell Ozuna, who was previously with the Miami Marlins.“I’ve never been in that spot before,” Ozuna said, according to mlb.com. “Every at-bat, I go trying to push my team on top.”Kershaw is far more familiar with the rigors of a second-half playoff drive. He will enter Thursday’s start having not given up more than two earned runs in nine consecutive outings. Kershaw is 6-5 in 16 career starts against the Cardinals with a 2.99 ERA, but he has not faced St. Louis this season. MILWAUKEE (AP) — The thin mountain air in Denver might do wonders for the slumping Colorado Rockies.They’re going home again, down 2-0 in the NL Division Series to the Milwaukee Brewers. Game 3 in the best-of-five series is Sunday at Coors Field.“I don’t have a doubt that we’re going to get things going,” Rockies veteran outfielder Carlos Gonzalez said.If not, Gonzalez could be gone.The one-year http://www.oriolesfanproshop.com/authentic-j.j.-hardy-jersey , $5 million deal he signed last offseason to return to Colorado expires at the end of the year. After 11 seasons playing on Blake Street, the three-time Gold Glove winner and 2010 NL batting champion is about as synonymous with Colorado as dry air and beer.He’s a lifetime .323 hitter at Coors Field, 72 points higher than his career road average. He knows how much of a difference playing at home can make for hitters.Playing in front of a friendly crowd might have help the team relax after a frustrating Friday night of breaking bats and slamming batting gloves into helmets.The Rockies finished among the major league leaders in several offensive categories this year. But they’ve scored just six runs in four games since slugging five homers in a 12-0 victory over Washington on Sunday that left them tied for the NL West lead after 162 games.“When you’re down and you have some opportunities in front of you and you don’t get it done, you’re going to have some emotions you don’t see in the regular season. The season is on the line,” Gonzalez said.The Rockies will send right-hander German Marquez (14-11, 3.77 ERA) to the mound in Game 3 against Milwaukee’s Wade Miley (5-2, 2.57).“I think playing at home can get us going,” skipper Bud Black said.The punch is missing up and down the lineup.Colorado’s three All-Stars — center fielder Charlie Blackmon, third baseman Nolan Arenado and shortstop Trevor Story are a combined 3 for 23 in the series with two RBIs — both in the ninth inning of Game 1, which the Rockies lost 3-2 in 10 innings.Take away that rally and it’s a series shutout for Milwaukee. Colorado stranded nine runners in Game 2.Story’s struggles might be the most puzzling. He had seven homers and 18 RBIs against Milwaukee in the regular season.“I think for me personally, it’s swinging at bad pitches, chasing a little bit,” he said. “It’s tough to pinpoint actually Jonathan Schoop Jersey , but we’re going home, where we feel really good hitting. Hopefully, we can get it turned around there.”Gonzalez’s problems at the plate extend into the last month of the regular season. He hit .200 in 20 games in September and October with one homer and eight RBIs.Still, he was back in the cleanup position in Game 2, two spots up from the opener. He tripled in the first game, but ended up getting stranded.“When things are bad, even when you put a good swing to the ball … and some other guys hit the ball hard and they don’t find holes, it’s a little frustrating,” Gonzalez said. “You’ve just got to continue to work.”