Offense sputters after Votto’s homer
CINCINNATI — Joey Votto homered early, but Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn and his relievers dominated thereafter, as St. Louis beat the Reds 4-1 before 35,571 at Great American Ball Park on Saturday night.
It was Raisel Iglesias Bobblehead Night, but the Cardinals kept Reds closer Iglesias shuttered harmlessly in the bullpen.
The game matched two quality righthanded starters in Reds rookie Luis Castillo and Cardinals veteran Lynn.
Castillo made his ninth major league start, his first against the Cardinals. Lynn, in his sixth MLB season, made his 151st career start. Lynn entered the game with a 9-4 record and 3.15 ERA against the Reds for his career, all with St. Louis.
Castillo (2-5) threw 6 ⅓ innings and took the loss Saturday. Castillo allowed only three hits, but also four runs (three earned). Castillo walked five (one intentional) and struck out four, but he also hit two batters.
Lynn (10-6) threw six solid innings (three hits, one earned run), with three walks and four strikeouts. Relievers Seung Hwan Oh, Tyler Lyons and Trevor Rosenthal each threw a scoreless inning to close it out, with Rosenthal earning a save.
The Reds put two men on base in the ninth against Rosenthal, on a one-out walk by Scooter Gennett and a two-out single by Devin Mesoraco. With runners at first and second, Jose Peraza grounded out to deep shortstop to end the game.
Votto continued to ride one of his hot streaks. Votto lined a homer into the rightfield seats in his first at-bat, giving the Reds a 1-0 lead in the first inning. The homer was Votto’s 28th of the season and extended his hitting streak to 10 games.
With 249 homers, Votto is No. 6 on the Reds’ career list. Ted Kluszewski is fifth with 251 homers.
Castillo opened the game with 2 ⅓ hitless innings, but then Cardinals’ Paul DeJong slammed a two-run homer to left field. His blast on a 1-and-0 fastball followed a leadoff walk to Matt Carpenter.
The Cardinals pushed across two insurance runs in the seventh on Tommy Pham’s basesloaded infield hit and a passed ball charged to Mesoraco.