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Phillips' ninth-inning homer lifts Reds over Cards

Jul 16, 2011 - 4:43 AM Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - Brandon Phillips did Albert Pujols one better.

He hit a home run that actually won the game.

Phillips belted a walkoff two-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning Friday to lift the Cincinnati Reds to a 6-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Pujols had given the Cardinals a 5-4 edge with a two-run blast in the eighth inning.

The explosive start of the three-game series -- and the teams' post-All Star break schedule -- featured four lead changes in the last three innings.

Pujols drilled a 96 mph fastball from Aroldis Chapman nearly into the second deck in left field.

Phillips' blast wasn't nearly as far. His line drive off Fernando Salas (5-3) barely cleared the wall in left field, making it into the first rows of seats. But it touched off a big celebration by the ninth sellout crowd of the season at Great American Ball Park -- and also by Phillips, who jumped as he rounded first base.

"We came back, they came back -- it was a playoff atmosphere," said Reds manager Dusty Baker.

Pujols belted his second homer in six games since returning ahead of schedule from a broken left wrist last week. He nearly homered in the first inning, too, but Reds center fielder Chris Heisey jumped at the wall to rob him.

Heisey led off the bottom of the first with a homer to left-center to give the Reds a 1-0 lead, and they went ahead 2-0 on his line-drive homer to left in the fifth.

"I was just trying to be aggressive," Heisey said of his day at the plate.

Shortstop Zack Cozart was 3-for-5 and had the first RBI of his career for the Reds, who were 3-7 in their last 10 games before the break. Logan Ondrusek (4-3) earned the win by getting the last two outs in the top of the ninth.

The Cardinals used eight pitchers in the game. Starter Jake Westbrook threw five innings and gave up two runs on five hits while striking out five and walking none.

"I thought he did a terrific job," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "Leadoff home run, and after that, held them down."

Reds starter Johnny Cueto allowed three runs -- two earned -- on five hits in seven innings. His earned run average climbed from 1.96 to 2.01 despite the OK start.

On a heads-up play in the sixth inning, Joey Votto tagged up on Phillips' pop- out behind the plate, making it to second base ahead of catcher Yadier Molina's throw. The Reds loaded the bases with one out, but didn't score.

P.J. Walters, who replaced Raul Valdes on the mound, walked Scott Rolen to load the bases but got Fred Lewis on a called third strike and Ramon Hernandez on a ground out.

St. Louis scored three run in the seventh, loading the bases with no outs after singles by Pujols and Matt Holliday and a walk to Lance Berkman. The first two runs scored on ground outs by David Freese and Molina and Tony Cruz added a pinch-hit RBI single later to make it 3-2 Cardinals.

Cozart, in his fifth game since his MLB debut on July 7, drove in Drew Stubbs with a single in the seventh. Votto's RBI ground-rule double then made it 4-3 Reds.

Game Notes

It was Phillips' second career walkoff homer and Cincinnati's fifth walkoff win of the season...Heisey also hit a leadoff homer against Westbrook on July 6 -- giving him three of the 11 homers yielded by Westbrook this season...Rolen hit his 500th career double in the second inning...The Reds placed pitcher Jose Arredondo on the 15-day disabled list Friday, retroactive to July 7, and recalled pitcher Jeremy Horst from Triple-A Louisville.