ST. LOUIS -- Matt Adams homered in a four-run first inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 Saturday to send All-Star Zack Greinke to losses in consecutive regular-season starts for the first time in nearly four years.
Joe Kelly (2-1) gave up four hits, struck out four and walked one in his second outing since a three-month stint on the disabled list caused by a strained left hamstring. He retired his last 13 batters as the Cardinals won for the eighth time in 10 games.
Kelly didn't get a decision on July 11, when he gave up six runs over three innings during the Cardinal's 7-6 win at Milwaukee.
Trevor Rosenthal, the Cardinals' third reliever, got his 30th save in 34 chances when Andre Either grounded into a game-ending double play.
Coming off a July 9 defeat at Detroit, Greinke (11-6) walked a season-high five and gave up four runs and six hits in 5 2-3 innings. He had not lost back-to-back starts in the regular season since Sept. 20 and 25, 2010, for Kansas City at Detroit and Cleveland, according to STATS.
Greinke did lose his regular-season finale against Colorado last year and was beaten by Atlanta in his first postseason start.
St. Louis is 21-10 at home against the Dodgers in the regular season since the start of the 2006 season. The Cardinals also beat Los Angeles in six games in last year's NL championship series.
Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday left the game in the fifth, four innings after he was shaken up while diving back into second base on a pickoff attempt. Dodgers All-Star outfielder Yasiel Puig left in the eighth, five innings after he was hit on the left hand by a Kelly pitch.
Matt Carpenter opened the Cardinals' first with a walk, and Kolten Wong reached on a slow roller when second baseman Dee Gordon threw wide of first, a play ruled a hit and an error that put runners on second and third,
Holliday followed with a two-run single and Adams hit his 12th homer on Greinke's 16th pitch of the game.
Los Angeles, which has lost five of eight, scored on Hanley Ramirez's RBI infield single in the third and Carl Crawford's sacrifice fly against Sam Freeman in the eighth.
Sports on 07/20/2014