CINCINNATI _ The same score. The same teams. The same relievers. The same situation.
Different results.
A day after the Cardinals' ineffectiveness out of the bullpen contributed to a snowballing loss to Cincinnati, the relievers got a do-over. The reliever who allowed a two-run homer, Kevin Siegrist, pitched a scoreless eighth inning with a one-run lead. The reliever who had a rickety debut with the Cardinals, Zach Duke, pitched a scoreless inning with a one-run lead.
The reliever who blew the save in the ninth and took the loss, closer Seung Hwan Oh, pitched a scoreless inning with a one-run lead.
He got the save for a 5-4 victory.
Stephen Piscotty's solo homer proved to be the difference in a game that the Cardinals took the only lead, but had to hold on. Piscotty's shot added to the Cardinals' four-run first inning, though at times it felt like the Cardinals could have scored more. The bullpen made sure it didn't have to. After Wacha's five innings of work and Matt Bowman's two runs allowed in the sixth, Duke, Siegrist, and Oh _ as planned _ pitched three consecutive innings to hold the lead.
Oh ended the game on a strikeout.
