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After busy Game 3, Kozma back in lineup

PITTSBURGH -- One day after finding himself in the middle of a lot of the action on the infield and at the plate, Pete Kozma found himself in the Cardinals' lineup again for Game 4 of the National League Division Series.

Kozma, who had a throwing error in a two-run Pirates first but then reached base three times in the Cards' 5-3 loss in Game 3, got the nod at shortstop over Daniel Descalso, who had been in the lineup more often down the stretch and started the first two games, going 0-for-8.

Although right-hander Charlie Morton was on the mound for Pittsburgh, Matheny decided to go with the hotter hand from the right side in Kozma over Descalso, a left-handed hitter.

"[Kozma] had a good day yesterday, and has also had a little bit of success off Morton in the past," Matheny said.

Kozma has gone 2-for-6 with a double and an RBI single vs. Morton this season, the only times he has faced him. Meanwhile, Descalso has yet to face Morton this season and is 0-for-10 with three walks and a hit-by-pitch against him for his career.

With Kozma back in the No. 8 spot, the Cardinals made a few other changes in the lower part of the lineup as they shifted from facing a lefty to a righty. First baseman Matt Adams moved up to the cleanup spot, with Yadier Molina behind him, followed by Jon Jay and David Freese.

Jenifer Langosch is a reporter for MLB.com. Read her blog, By Gosh, It's Langosch, and follow her on Twitter @LangoschMLB. Joey Nowak is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter at @joeynowak. John Schlegel is a national reporter for MLB.com.
Read More: St. Louis Cardinals, Pete Kozma