"For eight innings Monday, Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter was in unyielding command and the Dodgers could do nothing to loosen his grip on the game.

It took manager Tony La Russa's decision to do that.

Three outs shy of what could have been his first shutout since 2009, Carpenter was removed from the mound with a 1-0 lead and the tying run at first base. Two batters later, Dodgers infielder Aaron Miles laced a game-tying triple to the wall, and the next batter brought Miles home for Los Angeles' 2-1 win at Busch Stadium.

It took Carpenter eight shutout innings and seven strikeouts to make Lance Berkman's homer the difference in a possible victory.

It took one hit off three relievers to detonate the ace's effort.

"I've been around long enough to know that Tony's decision is Tony's decision," Carpenter said. "That's a Hall of Fame manager who has made the right decision multiple, multiple times in his career. I've been here too long to question anything he has to say or do.""