Adam Wainwright held the Cincinnati Reds to one run over eight innings, and the Cardinals continued the roll. Wainwright improved to 2-1, and lowered his ERA to 1.71 on the young season, holding the Reds to a single run while striking out four. The Cardinals, winners of five straight and six of their last seven, now sit atop the NL Central comfortably with a two game lead over the Chicago Cubs after tonight’s 2-1 win. Matt Carpenter got the party started early with a solo shot to lead off the bottom of the first and give the Cardinals a one-run lead. The Reds responded with a run of their own to tie the game on a Brandon Phillips single in the top of the third. Both Wainwright and Cincinnati pitcher Mike Leake cruised on from there, until the eighth where both pitchers saw their share of trouble. Wainwright got in a tight jam in the top of the eighth that saw the Reds load the bases despite two outs. Manager Mike Matheny made a visit to the mound but Wainwright was able to talk his way out of being removed from the game and rewarded the team by inducing a Zack Cosart grounder to end the inning and the threat. Leake was not so lucky, as a Jon Jay double would lead to a sac-fly by second baseman Kolten Wong to put the Cardinals up for good. Jordan Walden got the nod for the save in the ninth to seal the win and the sweep for St. Louis.
Of Note: After leaving Saturday’s game for precautionary reasons, left fielder Matt Holliday returned to the starting lineup Sunday and went 1-3.
Matt Carpenter is still hot after going 2-3 with a home run Sunday, and he is the owner of a .400 batting average and multiple hits in seven straight games.
Outfielder Randal Grichuk was placed on the 15-day DL Sunday. Infielder Dean Anna was recalled from Triple-A Memphis.
Up Next:
Reds: Monday vs Brewers at Miller Park, Anthony DeSclafani (1-0, 1.38 ERA) vs Wily Peralta (0-1, 4.50 ERA)
Cardinals: Tuesday vs Nationals in Washington. Lance Lynn (1-1, 1.64 ERA) vs Gio Gonzalez (1-1, 5.11 ERA)
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