LOS ANGELES -- It took the Dodgers five games to hit a home run in the NL championship series. Oniel Cousins Jersey . Once Adrian Gonzalez powered up for the first one, their dormant offence broke loose. Gonzalez homered twice and Zack Greinke came through with the clutch performance Los Angeles needed in a 6-4 victory over the Cardinals on Wednesday that trimmed St. Louis lead to 3-2 in the best-of-seven playoff. "Guys werent ready to lose today," said Carl Crawford, who also went deep to help the Dodgers save their season. Los Angeles held on in the ninth, when St. Louis scored twice off closer Kenley Jansen before he struck out pinch-hitter Adron Chambers with two on to end it. The series shifts back to St. Louis for Game 6 on Friday night, with ace Clayton Kershaw scheduled to start for Los Angeles against rookie Michael Wacha. When those two squared off in Game 2, the Cardinals won 1-0 on an unearned run. "Weve kind of become Americas team because everyone wants to see a seventh game," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "Probably even the fans in St. Louis would like to see a seventh game, so I figure that everybodys for us to win on Friday night." The Cardinals also led last years NLCS 3-1 before losing three straight games to the eventual World Series champion San Francisco Giants. "Were looking to do the same thing," Gonzalez said. Desperate to avoid elimination, the Dodgers brought in some Hollywood star power for pregame introductions. Will Ferrell announced their lineup and lent a comic spin to each players name, capping it by introducing Greinke as "todays winning pitcher." Ferrell knew what he was talking about. Greinke got into a bases-loaded jam with none out in the first but escaped with no damage. From there, he pitched seven strong innings and even delivered an RBI single. "That was big. I was real nervous out there with that situation," Greinke said. A.J. Ellis also homered at Dodger Stadium, where it is tougher to clear the fences in the heavy night air. Helped by playing in 82-degree heat on a sunny afternoon, the Dodgers rediscovered their power stroke just in time to extend the series. They hit .274 in three games at home after batting .184 during the first two games in St. Louis. "It was just one of those days that we were a little better, got some runs, good feeling," Mattingly said. The Dodgers regrouped after Greinke squandered an early 2-0 lead just as he did in Game 1, which Los Angeles lost 3-2 in 13 innings on the road. After neither team homered in the first three games for the first time in NLCS history, the big bats came out. The Cardinals used a two-run homer by Matt Holliday and a solo shot from pinch-hitter Shane Robinson to win 4-2 on Tuesday night. This time, Gonzalez went 3 for 4 with two solo homers and three runs scored. His two-out shot in the eighth made it 6-2. "We have a team that can bounce back and do some pretty incredible things out there," he said. The Cardinals tied it at 2 in the third on Carlos Beltrans RBI triple and Hollidays run-scoring double before Yadier Molina grounded into his second inning-ending double play against Greinke. "He wasnt as sharp as he was the first time we faced him," Beltran said. "But guys like that, the best guys in the game, theyre able to regroup and find a way to help their team win." Los Angeles answered in the bottom of the third. Mark Ellis singled leading off but was erased when Hanley Ramirez grounded into a double play. Gonzalez followed with the Dodgers first homer of the NLCS, slugging the ball an estimated 428 feet into the right-field pavilion for a 3-2 lead. As he headed toward the dugout, Gonzalez cupped his hands to his ears and wiggled them in a gesture resembling mouse ears. It was an apparent jab at Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright, who said Gonzalez had done "some Mickey Mouse stuff" in celebrating a double on Monday night. "Its just having fun," Gonzalez said. "Im going to retire them so theyre not talked about once again." Crawford egged Gonzalez on. "Im pretty sure it rubbed them the wrong way and theyre going to use that as some kind of fuel, so you might as well keep doing it," Crawford said, laughing. Gonzalez replied: "Hey, if Carl wants them. Its for him, not for anybody else." After wriggling out of big trouble in the first when Molina bounced into a double play, Greinke allowed two runs and six hits. He struck out four and walked one. "He made his pitches, we made the plays, got out of it," Gonzalez said. "We were able to get run support for him. All he needed was a few runs." Jansen gave up RBI singles to Matt Adams and Pete Kozma in the ninth. A.J. Ellis homered in seventh, sending an 0-2 pitch from Edward Mujica into the left-field pavilion to make it 5-2. Crawford homered with one out in the fifth, extending the Dodgers lead to 4-2. He walloped a 3-2 pitch from starter Joe Kelly an estimated 447 feet into the right-field pavilion. Kelly gave up four runs and seven hits in five innings. He struck out three and walked none. "I made a few bad pitches on heaters and didnt locate that well, and they turned into home runs," he said. "With guys on base, I was going after them and attacking them with the fastball, but theyre good hitters and they put good swings on them and hit them out of the park." Beltrans triple went over the head of Andre Ethier and to the wall in centre, scoring Matt Carpenter, who singled. Holliday followed with a double to deep centre, but that was it for St. Louis until the ninth. "We had a couple of opportunities to do something, and we just couldnt make it happen," manager Mike Matheny said. "These guys have done a tremendous job in those exact same situations all season long. Youre going to have games where you just cant make it happen, and weve got to figure out a way to get it done the next time we get a chance." NOTES: Molina went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. ... Greinkes hit in the second was the third of his post-season career. ... Ramirez, playing with a broken left rib, left after six innings. ... In the three games Ramirez has started with the injury, only two grounders have been hit to him at shortstop. ... The homers by Gonzalez and Crawford were the first given up by Kelly in 24 career post-season innings. He allowed two homers in a game twice during the regular season. ... The Dodgers are trying to become the 12th team to rally from a 3-1 deficit to win a best-of-seven series. ... Beltrans triple was his first ever in the post-season. ... Former Dodgers star Orel Hershiser tossed out the first pitch on the 25th anniversary of his three-hit shutout against Oakland in Game 2 of the 1988 World Series. Dashon Goldson Buccaneers Jersey . Louis Blues. The Oilers acquired Schultz from Minnesota prior to Mondays trade deadline. The 29-year-old Schultz is known as a stay-at-home defenseman, something Edmonton has lacked at its back end. Tim Wright Jersey . Less than 24 hours after posting their highest run total of the season, the Red Sox seek a sweep of a quick two-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays. NEW ORLEANS -- As Anthony Davis trotted off the court and toward the locker room, fans gathered near the tunnel offered one more round of applause, some of them shouting their congratulations to Davis for receiving his first All-Star game nod. The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. "Its great, man" Davis said. "Weve got to keep pushing. You cant get too happy -- but at the same time, youve got to enjoy it." Davis, who leads the NBA with an average of more than 3 blocks per game, is also making 20-point, 10-rebound outings look routine lately. Meanwhile, the Pelicans have won six of eight games despite being without two key players -- forward Ryan Anderson (herniated disk) and point guard Jure Holiday (fractured shin). "Were fighting," Davis said. "Were grinding each and every night and coming up with big-time wins." Davis narrowly missed being picked by coaches as a Western Conference All-Star reserve, but when Kobe Bryant was unable to play in the game because of his injured left knee, new NBA commissioner Adam Silver chose Davis as Bryants replacement. Then Davis turned in his 17th 20-point, 10-rebound game of the season before a national TV audience, replete with highlight-worthy alley-oop and putback dunks. In the pivotal fourth quarter, he grabbed seven rebounds and had his only blocked shot. "Its a great way to cap a day off, to be selected (as an All-star) early in the afternoon and then to play like that on national TV in front of the world," Pelicans coach Monty Williams said. "Its pretty cool. Its a lot for a 20 year old who is just scratching the surface on what he can do." Eric Gordon scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half on an array of jumpers and explosive drives to help fuel New Orleans comeback. "I got up more shots in the second half," Gordon said. "Im always going too shoot a decent field goal percentage. Michael Johnson Womens Jersey. The more shots I get up, the easier it is for me." Brian Roberts added 16 points, including a 22-foot pullup jumper to make it 96-91 with 22 seconds left, and the Pelicans made 13 of 20 shots in the fourth quarter, outscoring Minnesota 37-20 in the period. Kevin Love, returning from a one-game absence caused by neck stiffness, had 26 points and 19 rebounds for Minnesota. Corey Brewer added 16 points and Kevin Martin 15. Loves inside presence helped Minnesota build the largest lead of the game, at 12, in the third quarter. Love outrebounded the Pelicans as a team 8-5 and had nine points in the period, seven at the free throw line. His free throws in the final minute of the quarter made it 71-59 before Austin Rivers 11-foot floater pulled the Pelicans back to 10 points heading into the final period. "It was tough because I just came off of playing a number of physical games and I had been taking a beating. Im just trying to give this team all that I can," Love said. "But in the end, it wasnt enough." New Orleans still trailed by nine when J.J. Bareas fast-break layup made it 75-66. The play had Williams muttering to himself in disgust as he called timeout, and New Orleans responded. Gordons 18-foot pull-up jumper and a pair of 3s by Anthony Morrow fueled a 12-2 run. Gordon capped the surge with an explosive dribble drive past Brewer for a two-handed dunk. New Orleans gradually built its lead to seven. Ricky Rubio, who had 11 points, briefly cut it to 89-85 with a 3, but Morrows third 3 on as many attempts made it 92-85 and Minnesota did not get closer than three points after that. "Our decision making offensively wasnt very good," Minnesota coach Rick Adelman said. "I dont think we played well together. Everyone was trying to do it for themselves. ... We have to find a way to trust each other better than that." NOTES: Love was 14 for 17 from the free throw line. ... F Luke Babbitt made his debut for the Pelicans in the second quarter and hit a 3 soon after checking in and finished with five points in 19:29, including a clutch tip-in of Davis miss late in the fourth quarter. ' ' '
