"The Dodgers opened their homestand Thursday with a new look of heavy security.

Following an Opening Day parking lot attack on San Francisco fan Bryan Stow, the Dodgers employed a presence of more than 200 LAPD officers, new temporary lights in the parking lot and security officials and police officers everywhere one looked inside Dodger Stadium.

And baseball continued in front of a crowd of 34,288 with thousands of empty seats, even with a Lakers hat promotion and the St. Louis Cardinals in town.

The Dodgers lost 9-5, thanks in part to a wild outing by starter Hiroki Kuroda and another ineffective offensive performance. The Dodgers stranded 10 baserunners.

Matt Kemp was 3 for 5 with two runs scored and two RBIs and is batting .444, tied for first in the majors. Kemp homered in the ninth inning off Ryan Franklin for his second home run of the season, but that pulled the Dodgers within only four runs.

The game had been long over.

The Dodgers, who have lost six of their past nine games, fell below .500 (6-7) for the first time this season.

"I don't know if we're skidding," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "We were in every game on that road trip. I don't feel like we're playing badly.

"The effort we're getting, we'll accept. We don't want to accept the results."

Kuroda had a career-high three wild pitches and allowed six runs on 10 hits in five innings. St. Louis tagged him early by scoring two runs in the second inning and one each in the third and fourth. Albert Pujols homered to the left-field corner in the fifth inning to a chorus of boos.

The Dodgers are ill-equipped to participate in a scoring derby, and with Kuroda having an off night the four-run margin of defeat was no surprise.

"I couldn't find my rhythm to pitch in critical situations," Kuroda said through an interpreter.

Jamey Carroll also was 3 for 5 with two runs scored and an RBI."