St. Louis, MO -- Edgar Renteria singled home the go-ahead run during St. Louis' three-run fifth inning, and the Cardinals held on for an 8-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers to take a two-game lead in their National League Division Series.

Mike Matheny added a two-run single in the fifth for the Cardinals, who will head to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Saturday with a chance to sweep the best-of- five set.

"It's a formidable task for us," Dodgers manager Jim Tracy acknowledged. "But the resiliency we have shown all year...nothing has been easy for us. We have battled through everything."

Matheny also stroked a two-run single in the seventh that gave the Cardinals two insurance runs.

"To get a couple hits in big situations, it's a good feeling," Matheny said. "You play all season to get this opportunity."

Dan Haren (1-0) picked up the win with two scoreless relief innings, the fifth and sixth.

St. Louis tied a major league playoff record with five home runs in its 8-3 Game 1 victory on Tuesday, but didn't need that type of power in this one. Tony Womack hit an RBI triple and Larry Walker doubled home a run during a three-run second inning.

Jayson Werth, Shawn Green and Milton Bradley stroked solo homers for Los Angeles, which has lost eight consecutive playoff games dating back to 1995. The Dodgers haven't won a postseason game since beating Oakland in the 1988 World Series.

Jeff Weaver (0-1) took the loss in his first career postseason start, giving up six runs -- five earned -- on eight hits through 4 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out four.

Cardinals starter Jason Marquis, also making his first-ever playoff start, worked just 3 1/3 innings. He yielded three runs on four hits and four walks without a strikeout.

St. Louis took a 6-3 lead and chased Weaver from the game with their three-run fifth inning.

Walker was hit by a pitch leading off, moved to second base on Albert Pujols' base hit and scored on Renteria's two-out, line-drive single to center. Reggie Sanders was hit by a pitch after that, and Matheny followed with a bloop single into center that score two more runs to give the Cardinals their three- run lead.

Duaner Sanchez came in for Weaver and got Haren on a fly ball with his first pitch.

The Cardinals extended their lead to 8-3 in the seventh inning when Matheny stroked a two-run single with two outs.

"The big key to the game was that they cashed in on a couple of two-out opportunities," Tracy said. "That's what the game boiled down to. They got the two-out hits, we didn't."

In the first inning, Werth belted a 2-1 fastball into the left-center field seats to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.

The Cardinals then took a 3-1 lead during the second inning. Renteria sparked the rally with a leadoff double, moved to third on a Sanders bunt and second baseman Alex Cora's bad throw, and then scored on Weaver's errant pickoff attempt to first. Womack tripled off the right field wall to knock in another run, and Walker followed with an RBI double.

But L.A. tied the game at 3-3 when Green and Bradley stroked back-to-back homers leading off the fourth. Bradley's shot reached the scoreboard high above the right field wall.

Game Notes:

The Dodgers his three home runs in one playoff game for the first time since Game 3 of the 1978 World Series against the New York Yankees...Matheny was the first Cardinal ever to have four RBI during a Division Series game. Matheny and Sanders were a combined 8-for-10 with five RBI...Weaver pitched two games in relief for the Yankees against Anaheim in the 2002 ALDS, and entered one game for New York during last year's World Series against Florida...Marquis made two relief appearances for the Braves in the playoffs in 2001 versus Arizona in the NLCS...St. Louis is facing Los Angeles in the playoffs for just the second time ever and first time since the 1985 NLCS. The Dodgers won the first two of that set, but St. Louis won the final four games to earn a spot in the World Series.