'Utility' pitcher Lance Lynn helps rescue Cardinals

• Lance Lynn came up big again in relief of injured starter Jaime Garcia
• Four St. Louis pitchers worked one inning each after Lynn
• The series is tied 1-1

ST. LOUIS -- Seemingly as long as there has been baseball, there have been utility players who can play any position on the diamond.

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Lance Lynn is a variation of that type of player. He's the utility pitcher.

"I told (manager Mike Matheny) before the playoffs started that I was ready for whatever and whenever," Lynn said. "I figure the more things I can do then the better chance I have of sticking around."

Lynn won't have to worry about going anywhere after winning 17 games and making the National League All-Star team this season.

He came up big again Monday in relief of injured starter Jaime Garcia, pitching three effective innings to get the win as the Cardinals downed the Washington Nationals 12-4 in Game 2 of their National League Division Series at Busch Stadium.

The series, tied 1-1, shifts to Nationals Park on Wednesday (1:07 p.m. ET) for Game 3 with Chris Carpenter (0-2, 3.71 ERA) starting for the Cardinals against former teammate Edwin Jackson (10-11, 4.03), who helped St. Louis win the World Series last fall. Carpenter was limited to three starts because of shoulder surgery this season but went 4-0 in the postseason in 2011.

"We certainly tip our cap to Lance Lynn for being able to come into a situation like that and perform, to keep his composure and be prepared to carry that for a few innings," Matheny said.

Matheny pulled Garcia for pinch-hitter Skip Shumaker with the Cardinals leading 2-1 in the second inning with one out and runners on first and third base.

St. Louis already had scored twice. At the time, it seemed Matheny was playing for a big inning. Instead, Garcia's left shoulder was aching.

Garcia missed 64 games during the regular season with shoulder issues. He returned from the disabled list Aug. 19, then went 4-3 with a 3.25 ERA in nine starts to end the regular season.

"My shoulder didn't feel right from the start, and it never got any better," said Garcia, who underwent an MRI after leaving the game. The results won't be known until Wednesday.

The Cardinals wound up scoring four runs in the second as Shumaker drove in a run with a groundout and Jon Jay capped the inning with an RBI single.

Four St. Louis pitchers worked one inning each after Lynn — Joe Kelly, Edward Mujica, Mitchell Boggs and Trevor Rosenthal.

"We lost our starting pitcher, and we were able to bring a 17-game winner out of the bullpen," Cardinals second baseman Daniel Descalso said. "Not too many teams have that luxury. We have a deep pitching staff and a deep lineup, too."

The Cardinals showed the depth of that lineup as left-hander Matt Holliday was the only position player without a hit. Carlos Beltran had the third two-homer postseason game of his career. Allen Craig had three hits and a homer, Descalso had two hits and a home run and Jay had two hits and three RBI.

"We know this offense has the potential to do this," Matheny said. "Hopefully, it becomes contagious and the guys just keep going, like this, up and down the lineup."

The Cardinals' outburst didn't surprise Nationals manager Davey Johnson, who lifted his starter, Jordan Zimmermann after three innings. Zimmermann was tagged for five runs and seven hits.

"I hope I never see their offense again after the way they hit today," Johnson said with a small smile. "There numbers speak for themselves. They have got a fine-hitting ballclub. Good pitching will slow down good hitting, but you've got to make pitches and we didn't do that."

And now the Cardinals are right back in the series after losing 3-2 in Game 1.

"We were all kind of mad at ourselves because we felt like we gave the first one away," Descalso said.

It was imperative, according to Beltran.

"It was a must-win game," Beltran said. "Honestly, I don't know if we could win this series if we didn't win this game."