LOS ANGELES • The decision that determined the game was one the Cardinals forced Los Angeles’ dugout to make.
In the seventh inning Sunday of a tie game — “locked horns,” as manager Mike Matheny called it — he had two pinch-hitters ready to face Dodgers reliever Joe Blanton, both with familiarity and success against the righthander. A runner stood at second and first base was open, so LA’s rookie manager, Dave Roberts, could choose which of the pinch-hitters Blanton would face: the hitter with the strong numbers against him or the one with stronger, in that order.