CINCINNATI (AP) — Eugenio Suarez and Scooter Gennett hit consecutive two-run doubles in the seventh inning, and the Cincinnati Reds came from behind to beat the slumping St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 on Monday night.
St. Louis starter Carlos Martinez (4-5) was dominant through six innings before wilting in the seventh as the Cardinals dropped their fourth straight and eighth in 11 games.
The Reds had lost two in a row and five of six going into the opener of this four-game series.
Martinez, who was 4-1 with a 2.03 ERA in his previous six starts, faced the minimum 18 batters through six innings with the help of catcher Yadier Molina, who threw out major league stolen base leader Billy Hamilton trying to swipe third in the first inning and Adam Duvall attempting to steal second in the second.
Martinez retired 14 straight batters after Duvall’s leadoff single before the Reds got to him in the seventh, loading the bases with nobody out. Suarez sent a line drive to center field that Dexter Fowler dropped while sprinting toward the wall.
Left-hander Kevin Siegrist was brought in to face the left-handed-hitting Gennett, who snapped an 0-for-19 slump with a double down the right-field line.
Lisalverto Bonilla (1-3) pitched a perfect inning to get the win, and Raisel Iglesias struck out three in a hitless ninth to remain perfect in 10 save chances.
Asher Wojciechowski tossed six effective innings in his second major league start for the Reds. Wojciechowski allowed eight hits and two runs with two walks and five strikeouts in six innings against St. Louis after giving up four hits, including three homers, and four runs in four innings in his previous start last Tuesday at Toronto.
Wojciechowski faced the minimum nine batters through three innings and didn’t permit a hit until Matt Carpenter’s one-out single in the fourth. But the Cardinals bunched together five hits in a two-run fifth, including Tommy Pham’s RBI double and Martinez’s safety squeeze that scored Pham from third.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Reds: Hamilton returned to the lineup after missing Sunday’s game with a strained left shoulder sustained while trying to make a diving catch Saturday. ... RF Scott Schebler, who left Saturday’s game with the same injury after making a diving catch, missed his second straight start.
UP NEXT
Cardinals: Veteran RHP Adam Wainwright (6-3) takes a streak of 16 1/3 scoreless innings into Tuesday’s start against the Reds. Wainwright has allowed one run in his last four starts.
Reds: RHP Tim Adleman (3-2), who is 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA over his last two starts, set career highs by allowing eight hits and six runs in 5 1/3 innings during his April 28 start at St. Louis.
