ST. LOUIS -- The Los Angeles Dodgers gave St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Mike Mayers one of the worst major league debuts ever.Adrian Gonzalez hit a grand slam and Howie Kendrick added a two-run homer while the Dodgers exploded for nine runs in the first two innings off Mayers and held on for a 9-6 win over the Cardinals on a hot, muggy Sunday night.Mayers lasted 1 1/3 innings and became the first pitcher to allow nine or more runs with fewer than two innings pitched in his debut since at least 1913.Sometimes, it can be more difficult when you have a young kid out there you dont know anything about, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. So for us to get on him earlier and the home run early there by Adrian was big. To see that power surge come was a big boost for us. To tack on another three in the next inning was big for us.Then we basically held on.Scott Kazmir (9-3) pitched five innings to earn the victory. He allowed three runs on six hits.Those first two innings were a battle, Kazmir said. I didnt have a feel for my breaking ball at all. I didnt have a grip. I was about to get some outs. It was tough out there. I was drenched coming out of the bullpen.After a rainout earlier in the week forced a doubleheader, the Cardinals decided not to start Carlos Martinez on short rest and called up Mayers, 24, from Triple-A Memphis for a spot start. St. Louis was the last team in the majors to use a pitcher not in their starting five this season.Mayers threw 62 pitches and gave up nine runs on eight hits, including two home runs, with about 35 family members and friends on hand. His ERA is 60.75.I thought I did a pretty good job with the first two batters and then it felt like it snowballed on me, Mayers said. I felt like that was the probably the hardest part, just slow the game down. I definitely need to do a much better job of that.St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said he felt for his starting rookie.He was amped up for sure. Every kid thats picked up a baseball, thats their dream to be in that kind of situation and I thought he had pretty good composure overall, Mayers said. I thought he was in the zone a good bit but he was so amped up maybe he was overthrowing his off-speed pitches a little where he couldnt put guys away.Kenley Jansen got his 29th save in 34 opportunities with a spotless ninth.The Dodgers scored six runs in a 45-pitch first inning.Mayers loaded the bases on two singles and a walk. Gonzalez crushed a fastball 427 feet to center for his fifth career grand slam and first since Aug. 26, 2010. After a double by Kendrick, Mayers struck out Yasmani Grandal and got a nice ovation from the crowd. With two outs, Joc Pederson walked and stole second. Kazmir singled up the middle for the final two runs and his first RBI of the year.Matt Holliday doubled home a run in the first. It was the first run scored in the first inning by St. Louis since July 3.After Los Angeles chased Mayers in the second with three more runs, Tommy Pham cut the Dodgers advantage to 9-3 with a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning.Four St. Louis relievers combined for 7 2/3 scoreless innings.In the seventh, Los Angeles failed to score despite four walks.Dodgers reliever Adam Liberatore allowed three runs in the seventh inning. It was the first runs hes allowed since May 20 -- a span that covers 29 games. He had pitched scoreless relief in 41 of his previous 42 games this year.HOT HOT HOTThe temperature at the start of the game was 96 degrees.TRANSACTIONSDodgers: Los Angeles called up RHP Ross Stripling from Triple-A Oklahoma City and optioned LHP Grant Dayton, who threw two scoreless innings in his debut on Friday night. The Dodgers needed a fresh arm after using 17 pitchers in the previous two games.Cardinals: To make room on the teams 25-man roster for Mayers, St. Louis optioned RHP Miguel Socolovich to Memphis following Saturdays game. Socolovich made two relief appearances while in St. Louis.TRAINERS ROOMDodgers: RF Yasiel Puig (right hamstring) did not start for the third straight game.Cardinals: INF Matt Carpenter is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment this week. Carpenter, sidelined since July 6 with a strained right oblique, took swings in the outdoor batting cage and ran the bases Sunday.UP NEXTDodgers: On Tuesday, Bud Norris (5-9, 4.56) will square off against Tampa Bays Chris Archer (5-13, 4.60). Norris last start was July 20, but he pitched 1 1/3 innings in relief during Fridays 16-inning game against St. Louis and took the loss.Cardinals: Martinez (9-6, 2.83) faces the New York Mets Noah Syndergaard (9-4, 2.43). Martinez logged seven innings in a 4-2 win over San Diego in his last start despite suffering a bloody nose. Austin Corbett Jersey . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Denzel Ward Womens Jersey . Having already announced that the race will start May 9 with three stages in Northern Ireland and Ireland and finish in Trieste on June 1, the rest of the route was unveiled Monday. http://www.brownsauthenticproshop.com/Youth-Bernie-Kosar-Browns-Jersey/ . Ouellette, from Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999. Jarvis Landry Browns Jersey . Galatasaray said in a statement on its website Monday that Mancini signed a three-year contract and will be paid 3.5 million euros for the upcoming season, with his salary upped to 4. Chad Thomas Womens Jersey . Numbers Game examines the deal that sees Michael Del Zotto and Kevin Klein switch places. The Predators Get: D Michael Del Zotto. MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Elijah Lee and the rest of the Kansas State defense trudged to the locker room at halftime against Texas Tech on Saturday night fortunate to be ahead.Then, the Wildcats made a solemn vow.Second half, the veteran linebacker said, with sternness to his voice, we had the mindset that they cant do to us what they did to us in the first half.They proceeded to shut down Patrick Mahomes and the Red Raiders over the final 30 minutes, holding on for a 44-38 victory highlighted by touchdowns in all three phases of the game.Texas Tech only scored 10 points in the second half, seven coming in the games final minute.We came together as a defensive unit and we were like, `We have to eliminate all the big plays, Kansas State cornerback Duke Shelley said. This game was on us.Mahomes, despite an ailing shoulder, still threw for 504 yards and two touchdowns while running for three more scores. But the Red Raiders junior quarterback also threw a pick that was returned for seven and failed to convert three fourth downs in the second half.He also failed to get off a throw to the end zone from midfield on the final play of the games.Hes a tough kid, said Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury, who acknowledged Mahomes did not practice fully this week. We wouldnt put him out there if he couldnt handle it.Still, the result was the 196th win for Kansas States Bill Snyder, and it came in his 300th game leading the Wildcats. It also came day after the Hall of Fame coachs 77th birthday.Not that he was in much of a mood to enjoy it.Snyder was terse in his postgame comments, particularly when asked about burning through his three timeouts in the second half. But he was proud of the way his defense performed in the second half.They got a ton of yardage, Snyder said. We put them in some fourth down situations, which was good, because they didnt convert any.Indeed, the teams waged a back-and-forth offensive showdown in the first half with Pringles TD return givinng the Wildcats a 31-28 advantage with 1:31 left before the break.dddddddddddd But it wasnt until the Red Raiders chose to go for it on fourth down -- twice -- in the third quarter that the game pivoted.The first came inside the Kansas State 5 on the first possession of the second half, when a field goal would have tied the game. The second came later in the third quarter, when a sack gave the Wildcats the ball at the Texas Tech 47 -- and set them up for a touchdown that made it 38-31.Trying to be aggressive, Kinsbury said. We felt like we had a chance there with the play calls that we liked. They made a good play on the ball, just didnt go our way.The Red Raiders finally did punt on fourth-and-1 at their own 34 early in the fourth quarter, but their defense allowed Kansas State to go 71 yards for a field goal that made it a two-possession game.Texas Tech failed to convert another fourth down a few minutes later, the Wildcats added one more field goal, and not even a late touchdown by the Red Raiders was enough to change the outcome.GUT PUNCHPringle was playfully -- maybe? -- punched in the gut by teammate Dominique Heath while celebrating his kickoff return touchdown. He crumpled to the ground and lay there for a moment, and said afterward that the uppercut knocked the wind out of him. Im feeling good now, he said.THE TAKEAWAYTexas Tech: The Red Raiders can score with anybody, but they also can allow anybody to score with them. Kansas State barely sniffed the end zone in a 17-16 loss to West Virginia last week.Kansas State: The Wildcats, tops in the Big 12 defensively entering the game, allowed Texas Tech to go 6-of-7 on third downs in the first half. They went 3-of-9 in the second half.UP NEXTTexas Tech: West Virginia visits Lubbock, Texas, on Saturday.Kansas State: No. 20 Oklahoma awaits the Wildcats on Saturday. ' ' '