Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright took the mound Monday night in Los Angeles looking to give St. Louis a commanding lead in the National League Championship Series.

Instead, Wainwright pitched well but took the loss as Hyun-Jin Ryu was outstanding for the Dodgers, who moved the series to a 2-1 Cardinals advantage.

Wainwright gave up two earned runs -- both in the fourth inning -- on six hits and no walks over seven strong frames. He struck out five and threw 91 pitches in the Game 3 loss.

This has been an excellent series for pitching and Wainwright lost a duel. He's 2-1 on the postseason overall with a 1.57 ERA and 0.78 WHIP. He's struck out 20 over 23 innings. After going 19-9 with a 2.94 ERA on the regular season, Wainwright is hoping he doesn't have to take the mound again.