LOS ANGELES -- Josh Beckett and Adam Wainwright were both on their game in a pitching duel that exceeded all expectations. Pinch-hitter Justin Turner delivered an RBI single in the eighth inning off Wainwright, and the Los Angeles Dodgers edged the St. Louis Cardinals 1-0 Thursday night in their first meeting since last years NL championship series. Beckett pitched seven sharp innings in his showdown with the Cardinals ace, who held the Dodgers hitless through five. Left fielder Matt Kemp helped Beckett by throwing out a runner at the plate in the seventh. Beckett scattered four hits, walked two and struck out four. The right-hander has a 1.34 ERA over his last seven starts, a stretch that began with his no-hitter in Philadelphia on May 25. His season ERA is 2.11 in 15 starts. "I knew it was going to be tough, but I dont think I deserve very much of the credit," Beckett said. "My defence really picked me up tonight, and we got a late run off of a pretty tough pitcher." Juan Uribe, just off the disabled list after missing 34 games with a right hamstring strain, led off the eighth with a single and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Drew Butera before rookie Miguel Rojas infield single put runners at the corners. Turner, batting for reliever Brian Wilson, came through with his 20th RBI of the season. "I think hes used to that. Hes gotten some big hits for us this year," Kemp said. "Hes always ready to hit, and tonight he got the big hit. It was a battle today. It was a battle of the pitchers -- two good pitchers going at it, and we had to wait out Wainwright." Wilson (1-2) tossed a perfect inning and Kenley Jansen got three outs for his 24th save. "Thats how playoff games usually are -- 1-0. When we play them, its always two good teams going at it," Kemp said. "I think our pitchers match up with their pitchers, and vice versa. Weve had some battles over the years, and theyve gotten the best of us the last couple of years. But hopefully we can grind it out and see them in the playoffs again this year." The Cardinals won 97 games last season, five more than Los Angeles, and beat the Dodgers in the NLCS. Wainwright won Game 3 at Dodger Stadium. This time, Wainwright (10-4) took a hard-luck loss, giving up five hits while going the distance for the 19th time in 201 regular-season starts. The right-hander was runner-up to Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw in last years NL Cy Young Award voting. "I think one run would have been enough tonight the way he was throwing the ball," said Cardinals second baseman Mark Ellis, a former Dodger. "He was typical Wainwright. He has four above-average pitches and throws them wherever he wants. He knows their lineup and how to throw those guys." Wainwright walked his first batter, Dee Gordon, then retired 15 in a row before Rojas led off the sixth with a clean single to left field. Beckett followed with a Texas Leaguer to right, and Allen Craig made a diving catch with the outfield playing shallow against the pitcher. Gordon followed with a bloop single to left, but Yasiel Puig grounded into a double play. Puig, the NL player of the month for May, is batting .242 with no homers, six RBIs and 25 strikeouts in 25 games since his last home run on May 28 against Cincinnatis Homer Bailey at Dodger Stadium. Craig hit a two-out double in the seventh, just beyond Puigs reach on the right-field warning track, then tried to score on Jon Jays sharp single to left. Kemp charged the ball and threw a perfect strike to Butera in front of the plate for a sweep tag as Beckett thrust both arms over his head in jubilation. Cardinals manager Mike Matheny challenged the call by umpire Vic Carapazza, but a replay review upheld the decision and the game remained scoreless. "I wasnt surprised they sent him. Right there in the late innings, its do or die," Kemp said. "I got a good jump on it, got to the ball quick and threw it. Butera made a good tag and we got the out. Defence is just as important as offence. Defence won us that game today." NOTES: Cardinals RHP Joe Kelly, on the DL with a left hamstring strain thats sidelined him for 66 games, is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Friday with Triple-A Memphis. ... Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez missed his third straight game with a sore right shoulder and had an MRI. ... The Dodgers flight from Kansas City didnt arrive in Los Angeles until about 2 a.m. following their 5-4 win over the Royals, and manager Don Mattingly called off batting practice. ... The Cardinals began a five-game stretch in which they will face all three pitchers who have thrown no-hitters this season, including Kershaw on Sunday and San Franciscos Tim Lincecum on Tuesday. ... The Dodgers were 20-14 in Uribes absence. ... Adrian Gonzalezs RBI streak ended at seven games, one shy of the L.A. Dodgers record shared by Puig, Tommy Davis, Reggie Smith, Adrian Beltre and Shawn Green. Cheap Nike Shoes .com) - The Columbus Blue Jackets rewarded starting goaltender and pending restricted free agent Sergei Bobrovsky with a four-year contract extension on Friday. Nike Shoes Sale . QUARTERBACKS Carson Palmer (vs Colts)Last week: 30/42, 419 yards, 2 TDsWinners of their last three and now tied for the final wild card spot in the NFC, the Cardinals are worth keeping an eye on. https://www.wholesalenikeshoesauthentic.com/. The Rangers announced after Thursdays 4-2 loss to the New York Yankees that they would purchase Williams contract from Triple-A Round Rock. The 32-year-old Williams was released by Houston earlier this month after going 1-4 with a 6. Cheap Nike Shoes From China . Mauer struck out to end the inning, with a runner on third base in the seventh on Wednesday and the Twins trailing 1-0. Everybody does this, of course, in a sport with a 30 per cent success rate at the plate long proven to be a benchmark of excellence. Wholesale Nike Shoes . The Argentina striker has not played for the Premier League leaders since September when he refused to warm up during a Champions League match and only returned last week from a three-month unauthorized absence at home. City coach Roberto Mancini had initially told Tevez he would never play for City again after his act of public insubordination, but later softened his stance and only asked for an apology.VANCOUVER - The timing was right for the Vancouver Whitecaps to play the best team in the league. Sebastian Fernandez scored a pretty goal on a booming shot from about 30 yards out as the Whitecaps beat the Seattle Sounders 1-0 in Major League Soccer play Saturday night. The win restored some shine to a Vancouver team that had looked tarnished in their last two games, including a loss that ended a franchise record eight-game undefeated streak. The Whitecaps also snapped a two-game scoreless streak. "Any game you play against Seattle is always tough," said Vancouver coach Carl Robinson. "The game came at the right time. "We havent performed to our level (the last two games). We havent been bad but I dont think weve been good. We got back to work this week and refocused on certain things." Seattle coach Sigi Schmid said Vancouver was the hungrier team. "Hats off to them," he said. "I thought they played with a lot of passion because of the (past) results that they had and we didnt really match that completely until the second half. "We were around but we didnt put shots accurately enough on goal. This is a bump in the road. That is all it is." The Sounders played without several of their best players, including leading goal scorers Clint Dempsey (returning from the World Cup) and Obafemi Martins (injury). Seattle also was missing midfielders Osvaldo Alonso and Gonzalo Pineda who both were suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards. Schmid refused to use the missing players as an excuse. "We had enough quality on the field to get a result and to play," he said. Vancouver midfielder Gershon Koffie said the Whitecaps still had to beat a good team. "We dont really think about the players that are missing," he said. "We were all about the three points. "We got it." The Whitecaps controlled most of the first half against their Cascadia rivals. They managed to keep possession of the ball and passed with authority. In the second half they buckled down defensively when Seattle began to press. "The second half was about rolling the sleeves up, grit and desire and heart," said Robinson. There was a large contingent of Seattle fans among the loud, flag-waving sellout crowd of 22,500 at B.C. Place Stadium. Fernandez scored in the 12th minute when he took a pass from Pedro Morales and launched a rocket that sailed past the outstretched fingers of Sounders keeper Stefaan Frei.dddddddddddd "Pedro gave a good ball to me," said Fernandez, who scored for the third time this season. "I turned with the ball and there was space. "It was a good opportunity. I just tried to shoot." Morales was a thorn in the Sounders side all night. In the 19th minute he lofted a free kick from a sharp angle that landed in the box. The ball sat tantalizing for a few seconds but was cleared before a Whitecap could touch it. In extra time of the first half, Morales struck a curling shot that Frei stopped. "If he doesnt perform, we dont play well," said Robinson. "He went into areas and got the ball. "His range of passing was excellent. He calmed it down, he slowed it down, he won free kicks." Morales said the win helped prove the young Whitecaps can keep pace with the best teams in the league. "It was extremely important," he said through an interpreter. "It was a chance to show our fans what we are capable of. "If we continue with this attitude we will keep growing as a team." The loss snapped a three-game win streak for Seattle, who came into the game unbeaten in five matches. Seattle continues to lead the MLS standings with 35 points from a 11-3-3 record. Vancouver and Seattle tied in the teams previous meeting in May. The Whitecaps remain fifth in the Western Conference but climbed to within a point of fourth-place Colorado. Vancouver has 25 points from a 6-3-7 record. One of the games prettiest plays came in the 33rd minute when defender Steven Beitashour sent a perfect cross to a charging Erik Hurtado, but the forward sent the shot high and wide. The Sounders found their legs in the second half. Midfielder Lamar Neagle came close in the 52nd minute, firing a shot that drifted just wide of the Vancouver net. Seattles Tristan Bowen, a second-half substitution, banged a shot in the 60th minute that took a dangerous bounce before being gobbled up by Whitecaps keeper David Ousted. Notes: Morales wore the captains armband with Jay DeMerit out with an ankle injury. … Beitashour returned to the Whitecaps lineup for the first time since May 10 after playing for Iran at the World Cup. … Vancouver midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker says the birth of his daughter Scarlet has "completely changed" his life. … The Whitecaps play at home next Saturday against Chivas USA, travel to Toronto for a game July 16, then play in Salt Lake July 19. ' ' '