Final
Reds power their way past Cardinals
Sep 3, 2011 - 6:12 AMVideo
Yonder Alonso smacked a two-run homer and Todd Frazier added a solo shot for the Reds, who came into the series having been swept in four games by the Phillies.
Jose Arredondo (4-4) tossed one inning of relief to earn the win, giving up one run and one hit, while Marc Rzepczynski (0-1) gave up two runs on two hits in the seventh inning to take the loss.
Rafael Furcal, Matt Holliday and David Freese all hit solo homers, while Lance Berkman and Albert Pujols added two hits apiece for the Cardinals, who had their four-game winning streak come to an end.
The Reds took the lead for good in the seventh. Jay Bruce laced a one-out single off of Rzepczynski and Alonso slugged a two-run bomb over the wall in right for an 8-6 edge.
In the home seventh, the Cardinals put two men on and got the potential go- ahead run to the plate several times. But Matt Holliday flied out to center, and Berkman smashed a pitch from Logan Ondrusek deep to the warning track in center. But he didn't get all of it, and the ball settled into Drew Stubbs' glove.
"We had chances for bigger innings," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "We really had opportunities to get some extra runs on the board and then we gave up extra runs."
In the eighth, the Cardinals made it a one-run game when a two-out single by Furcal brought home Yadier Molina.
Francisco gave the Reds some breathing room in the top of the ninth when he smashed an offering from Kyle McClellan over the wall in dead center field. Joey Votto singled earlier in the inning and McClellan hit pinch-hitter Miguel Cairo before the homer made it an 11-7 game.
Holliday got one run back in the bottom of the inning when he launched a solo blast off of Reds closer Francisco Cordero, but it wasn't enough as the Reds held on for the victory.
The Reds opened the scoring in the second inning when Alonso smashed a leadoff double to left, then moved to third on a bunt single by Stubbs.
Francisco knocked home both runners with a double to right, and moved to third on a groundout by Ramon Hernandez before scoring on a double by Brandon Phillips. Edgar Renteria then slapped a single to left to score Phillips.
The difficult inning continued for Cards starter Chris Carpenter, as he then gave up singles to Votto and Bruce to make it a 5-0 game.
The Cardinals got back in the game in the home half of the inning. Holliday walked and Berkman singled to right before Freese hit an RBI single up the middle. Molina then grounded into a fielder's choice, which allowed Berkman to cross the plate.
St. Louis picked up another run in the third when Jon Jay singled, moved to second on a single by Pujols and hustled home on a single by Berkman, making it 5-3.
The Cardinals continued their comeback in the fifth, which Furcal led off by crushing a Johnny Cueto offering over the wall in right to pull the Cardinals within one. Jay and Pujols slapped back-to-back singles following the home run, and Jay scored the tying run when Holliday grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.
Despite the Cardinals' resilience to dig out of a 5-0 hole, the Reds quickly re-took the lead in the top of the sixth when Frazier pulled a ball down the right field line. It barely stayed fair and landed two rows back to give the Reds a 6-5 advantage.
In the home half, Freese knotted the game when he greeted Arredondo by crushing a ball over the wall in right field.
Game Notes
Friday kicked off a nine-game homestand for the Cardinals...The Reds lead the season series with the Cards, 8-5...Carpenter lasted six innings, giving up six runs on eight hits while fanning five and walking one...St. Louis is 35-30 against the National League Central, while the Reds hold a 34-27 mark against their own division...Cueto gave up five runs on eight hits over five innings, while striking out two and walking two...With the St. Louis loss and Milwaukee's win Friday, the Cardinals now trail the Brewers in the NL Central by 8 1/2 games.
- CINCINNATI: 11
ST. LOUIS: 8
Final
Sep 2 11:32 PM - Matt Holliday one-out, solo Home Run (21) to left. Lance Berkman due up.
Reds 11, Cardinals 8 Bot 9, 1 OutSep 2 11:27 PM - Juan Francisco two-out, three-run Home Run (1) to center scored Jay Bruce and Miguel Cairo. Ramon Hernandez due up.
Reds 11, Cardinals 7 Top 9, 2 OutsSep 2 11:18 PM - Pinch-Hitter Shane Robinson grounded out second to first to end the inning.
Reds 8, Cardinals 7 End 8Sep 2 11:03 PM - Yonder Alonso one-out, two-run Home Run (4) to right scored Jay Bruce. Drew Stubbs due up.
Reds 8, Cardinals 6 Top 7, 1 OutSep 2 10:16 PM - David Freese lead-off Home Run (9) to right. Yadier Molina due up.
Reds 6, Cardinals 6 Bot 6, 0 OutsSep 2 10:06 PM - Pinch-Hitter Todd Frazier two-out, solo Home Run (6) to right. Brandon Phillips due up.
Reds 6, Cardinals 5 Top 6, 2 OutsSep 2 9:58 PM - Matt Holliday ground into a double play, short to second to first scored Jon Jay with two outs. Albert Pujols out at second. None on and Lance Berkman due up.
Reds 5, Cardinals 5 Bot 5, 2 OutsSep 2 9:52 PM - Rafael Furcal lead-off Home Run (6) to right. Jon Jay due up.
Reds 5, Cardinals 4 Bot 5, 0 OutsSep 2 9:43 PM - Lance Berkman single to right scored Jon Jay with one out. On the play, Albert Pujols advances to third. Runners on first and third and David Freese due up.
Reds 5, Cardinals 3 Bot 3, 1 OutSep 2 9:17 PM - Yadier Molina ground into a fielder's choice, short to second scored Lance Berkman with one out. David Freese out at second. Runner on first with one out and Ryan Theriot due up.
Reds 5, Cardinals 2 Bot 2, 1 OutSep 2 8:56 PM - David Freese single to right scored Matt Holliday with none out. On the play, Lance Berkman advances to third. Runners on first and third and Yadier Molina due up.
Reds 5, Cardinals 1 Bot 2, 0 OutsSep 2 8:53 PM - Edgar Renteria single to left scored Brandon Phillips with two outs. Runner on first and Joey Votto due up.
Reds 4, Cardinals 0 Top 2, 2 OutsSep 2 8:42 PM - Juan Francisco double to right scored Yonder Alonso and Drew Stubbs with none out. Runner on second and Ramon Hernandez due up.
Reds 2, Cardinals 0 Top 2, 0 OutsSep 2 8:33 PM - CINCINNATI: 0
ST. LOUIS: 0
Top 1, 0 Outs
Sep 2 8:15 PM
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