Six pitchers combined to limit the Cincinnati Reds to three hits as the visiting St. Louis Cardinals claimed a 2-1 victory Monday in the first game of a day-night doubleheader.
The Cardinals pitchers also struck out 15 batters in the win. That was one away from the team’s season high, which also came against the Reds on May 23 in a 7-6 loss.
Alec Burleson provided all the offense St. Louis would need to win its third straight game with his two-run double in the first inning. Both Burleson and Jordan Walker enjoyed 2-for-4 games as the Cardinals managed just seven hits themselves.
Dane Myers delivered two of the Reds’ three hits, including his fourth home run of the season.
Luis Gastelum (3-2) struck out a pair in a perfect inning of relief. Riley O’Brien struck out the side in a perfect ninth for his National League-best 31st save.
Cincinnati’s Kent Emanuel (0-1) pitched in the majors for the first time in nearly two years and made his first big league start. It did not begin smoothly as the left-hander hit Joshua Baez and walked Ivan Herrera to lead off the first. An out later, Burleson ripped a double to right to give the Cardinals the early lead.
Aside from that, Emanuel, whom the Reds called up earlier Monday, held the Cardinals at bay, going five innings. He allowed five hits and three walks while registering four strikeouts.
Quinn Mathews struck out seven Reds in his second career start, including the first four batters he faced. However, he could not record the win as he needed 95 pitches to get through four innings. Still, he helped the Cardinals maintain the lead by working out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the second by getting Noelvi Marte to foul out and Ke’Bryan Hayes to ground out to third.
The St. Louis southpaw walked three and allowed two hits and one run.
Myers hit his homer off Matthews in the fourth with the leadoff shot into the left field seats coming on the 11th pitch of the at-bat.
After that, St. Louis pitchers retired 18 of the last 19 batters they faced as the Reds lost their third straight.