LOS ANGELES —Cardinals manager Tony La Russa promised there would be at least one lefthanded bat in Thursday's Game 1 lineup against Los Angeles Dodgers lefty Randy Wolf.

La Russa pondered and decided to double down.

After taking a day longer than counterpart Joe Torre to announce his lineup, La Russa started Skip Schumaker at second base and rookie center fielder Colby Rasmus, leaving righthanded-hitting infielder Julio Lugo on the bench along with more veteran center field option Rick Ankiel.

La Russa played down Tuesday's suggestion that he might give Schumaker the start in center field after his former outfielder made only three regular-season starts at the position.

"I just think that it came down to Colby or Rick in center," La Russa said several hours before first pitch. "I think Colby earned the start. Rick's close."

The move is consistent with La Russa's 2-week-old opinion that the rookie Rasmus has consistently taken better at-bats than Ankiel, who actually carries a better average against lefties than Rasmus' halting .160 mark. That Lugo entered only one for eight career against Wolf expedited La Russa's decision to sit the righthanded batter.

"We have a choice to make. And second, Lugo goes a lot against lefthanders and I would expect (Friday) ... we'll see how it goes," La Russa said, suggesting Lugo may reappear today against Dodgers Game 2 starter Clayton Kershaw. "I felt like Schu' was a good matchup for Wolf, and Julio has struggled against Wolf. In fact, quite a few of our guys have."

Tuesday, Schumaker played down the notion that he might end up in center field. However, the decision to side with Rasmus there left the Cardinals with four starting position players with zero postseason experience.

La Russa acknowledged Ankiel's six-for-22 success as a pinch hitter that included two home runs but added, "I just think Colby's been having a lot of consistent at-bats and earned a start."

LAST IMPRESSIONS COUNT

La Russa finally addressed the decisions that left rookie relievers Blake Hawksworth and Mitchell Boggs on the roster for this series over veterans Todd Wellemeyer and Brad Thompson.

La Russa implied that the final decision involved Boggs, who has become a more dominant pitcher since switching to a relief role last month. "He came out with the ability to get us three outs or get us one out," La Russa noted. "He's really letting it go. His velocity was mid-90's or above and he kept his composure. We had a really tough call."

COMPARISON SHOPPING

Much was made of the Cardinals' 2-8 finish despite their becoming the first team to clinch a division title. However, despite opening the postseason on the road against the league's top seed, the Redbirds entered the series as favorites to dispose of the Dodgers and were established by several Las Vegas sports books as favorites to emerge as NL champions. The Dodgers entered the postseason 44-37 after June compared to the Cardinals' 49-30 mark.

The Cardinals were installed at 9-2 odds to win their 11th World Series compared to 12-1 in 2006 when they were the tournament's longest shot.

ET CETERA

The Cardinals carried 11 players into the postseason with no postseason experience. ... Infielder Joe Thurston embraced Dodgers legend Maury Wills after Wills threw out the first pitch. Wills served as an instructor during Thurston's tenure with the Dodgers and the two remain close. ... Some acts never go away. Hall of Famer, former Dodgers manager and current special adviser to the chairman Tommy Lasorda waved a white towel to incite the crowd after pregame introductions.