On short rest, Kershaw cruises for six before Adams' decisive blast

ST. LOUIS -- Clayton Kershaw's next start will be on plenty of rest.

He couldn't fight off the demons or elimination Tuesday. After being routed by the Cardinals in back-to-back Octobers, Kershaw allowed a season-ending three-run blast to Matt Adams in the bottom of the seventh inning Tuesday in a 3-2 comeback win that gave St. Louis the National League Division Series in four games.

With the Dodgers' bullpen in shambles, Kershaw returned on three days' rest for the second time in his career and went MVP on the Cardinals for six innings, allowing only one hit. But Matt Holliday and Jhonny Peralta opened the fateful seventh with singles up the middle that nicked the gloves of infielders Dee Gordon andHanley Ramirez.

Then Kershaw -- the certain NL Cy Young winner and probable NL MVP -- hung an 0-1 curveball to Adams, who gave the Cardinals their seventh home run of the series, five of them by left-handed hitters off left-handed pitchers.

After 102 pitches, that was the end for Kershaw and the Dodgers, the bullpen never even getting a chance to protect the lead. Kershaw dejectedly left the mound, head down, Busch Stadium deafening, when rookie Pedro Baez replaced him. The Dodgers are now 1-10 in postseason games played in St. Louis and 13-22 in elimination games.

Kershaw, who has won four consecutive ERA titles and just had a 21-3 season, is now 1-5 with a 5.12 ERA in 11 career postseason games (eight of them starts). This one followed his eight-run disaster in Game 1 this year, which followed his seven-run disaster in Game 6 of last year's NL Championship Series.

This also was the second time this series that Kershaw couldn't protect a lead. The Dodgers scored both runs in the top of the sixth inning when they chased St. Louis starter Shelby Miller. One run scored on Matt Kemp's double-play grounder, the other on Juan Uribe's RBI single.

The Dodgers' offense, limited to one run in Game 3, was shuffled by manager Don Mattingly, who benched center fielder Yasiel Puig and replaced him with Andre Ethier, because Puig had struck out in eight of his previous at-bats and Ethier had homered earlier this year off Miller. Ethier went 0-for-2 with two walks and a strikeout.

The Dodgers put the tying run on first with one out in the ninth when A.J. Ellis worked a walk off closer Trevor Rosenthal. Puig pinch-ran for Ellis and Justin Turner pinch-hit for reliever Brandon League. Rosenthal fell behind, 2-0, got the count to 3-2 and struck out Turner. Gordon slashed a single to left to bring up Carl Crawford, who grounded out to second.