Rising star Michael Wacha outduelled former Cy Young Award-winner Clayton Kershaw on Saturday, leading St Louis to a 1-0 victory over the Dodgers and a 2-0 lead in the National League Championship Series.
Five days after he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning to keep the Cardinals alive in game four of the division series against Pittsburgh, rookie pitcher Wacha limited the Los Angeles line-up to five hits, striking out eight in 6 and 2/3 innings in his second career playoff appearance.
Four St Louis relief pitchers preserved the shutout, with Trevor Rosenthal striking out the side in the ninth to seal the Cardinals' second victory in as many days.
The Cardinals had won the opening game of the best-of-seven series on Friday night 3-2, when Carlos Beltran delivered the walk-off run-scoring single in the 13th inning.
The winners of the series, which shifts to Los Angeles for game three on Monday, advances to Major League Baseball's World Series to face the victors of the American League Championship Series between the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers.
The Cardinals will send ace Adam Wainwright to the mound on Monday, while the Dodgers will give the ball to South Korean rookie Ryu Hyun-Jin.
The Dodgers were without a brace of banged-up regulars, with shortstop Hanley Ramirez and centre fielder Andre Ethier sitting out.
Ramirez was scratched with soreness in his ribs after being hit by a pitch in Friday's contest, while Ethier is still struggling with a sprained ankle that has troubled him for much of the month.
The Dodgers hope the move to their home ground in Chavez Ravine will mark a change in fortunes. They didn't manage a hit against the St Louis bullpen and have gone 19 innings without scoring.
All-Star left-hander Kershaw did what he could, surrendering just two hits and a walk and striking out five before he was taken out for a pinch-hitter in the top of the seventh.
