In both games, the starting pitchers for both teams were top shelf. In both games the Reds’ bullpen gave it up while the Cardinals bullpen shut it down.
On Thursday, Reds starter Jakob Junis held the Cardinals to one run and three hits over five innings.
St. Louis starter Sonny Gray, the former Reds pitcher, held the Reds to one run and two hits over six innings.
On Wednesday, Reds starter Brandon Williamson held the Cardinals to one run and three hits over five innings. St. Louis starter Lance Lynn held the Reds to one run and five hits over five innings.
On Thursday afternoon in Busch Stadium III, the score was 1-1 after five when Junis departed.
But Cincinnati relief pitcher Carson Spiers gave up five runs (four earned) and seven hits in 2 2/3 innings.
On Wednesday, it was 1-1 after five when Williamson and Lynn vacated. Buck Farmer gave up a run in the eighth to lose, 2-1.
In the two games, the St. Louis bullpen stopped the Reds colder than a Budweiser in a cooler — seven innings, no runs on three hits.
When they swept three games from the Cardinals in early August the Reds hit 10 home runs. They hit none in losing two of three this time. They have gone 61 innings since their last home run.
It is difficult to win when the first three batters in your order — Jonathan India, Elly De La Cruz and Tyler Stephenson — are 9 for 67 (.145) with 32 strikeouts. That’s what that trio is during the first seven games (3-4) on this 10-game trip.
Gray pitched five perfect innings, needing only 57 pitches to retire the first 15 Reds.
St. Louis leadoff hitter, Masyn Winn was 4 for 44 when he came to bat in the second inning. He whacked Williamson’s first pitch with two out 399 feet into the left field seats to give Gray a 1-0 lead.
After the easy first five innings, the Reds forced Gray to throw 34 pitches in the sixth, but got only one run out of it.
Jake Fraley broke up the perfect game by leading off the sixth with a single and Santiago Espinal walked.
With two on and nobody out, Will Benson tried to bunt and while fouling it off the ball also smashed the middle finger on his left hand.
Benson left the game and was replaced by Amed Rosario. He struck out. But India singled to tie it, 1-1, and De La Cruz walked, loading the bases with one out.
Gray struck out Stephenson for the third time and TJ Friedl grounded out, leaving it at 1-1.
Spiers took the mound for the sixth and gave up a run when Winn led off the inning with a bunt single, Alec Burleson singled and Nolan Arrendo walked with one out to fill the bases.
The Cardinals scored only one on Lars Nootbaar’s sacrifice fly and it was 2-1.
St. Louis used a couple of firsts in the seventh inning to score a pair of runs and put it away.
Rookie second baseman Thomas Saggese, starting his third major league game, was 0 for 9 when he led off the seventh. He lined his first major league hit, a single to right.
St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol sent up Brandon Donovan to pinch-hit for Jordan Walker. Donovan had only three pinch-hits for his career, all singles. This time he hit his first career pinch-hit home run to push the St. Louis lead to 4-1.
The Cardinals added two more in the eighth on another single by Saggese for his first major league RBI and the second run scored on shortstop De La Cruz’s 28th error, most in the majors.
It isn’t often the Cardinals win a game when their two veteran All-Stars, Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, are a combined 0 for 7 with three strtikeouts.
But that’s what happened on this day because the Cardinals didn’t need them. In the three games, the Reds scored five runs on 16 hits, but managed to win the opener, 3-0, behind five shutout innings by rookie Rhett Lowder.
The Reds finish the trip this weekend with three games in Minneapolis against the Minnesota Twins.
Right now, the 71-77 Reds are the Jackson Browne song, ‘Running on Empty.’ They need to win 10 of their final 14 games to finish .500.
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