ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals' late-inning dramatics kept going on Sunday, as they followed Saturday night's walk-off win with another one on Sunday afternoon.
The Cardinals scored a run in the seventh, a run in the eighth and another to walk off in the ninth with a 4-3 win over the Reds in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader.
In the ninth, Jose Martinez led off with a walk and was pinch run for by Tyler O'Neill. Yadier Molina hit a deep fly to center that bounced into the stands for a ground-rule double, stopping O'Neill at third. The Reds brought in a fifth infielder and Harrison Bader rendered it void with a fly ball that landed untouched in right field to score O'Neill and set off another celebration. Carlos Martinez, who struck out all three batters he faced in the top of the ninth, got the win.
The Cardinals manufactured a run in the seventh on a hit by pitch, a stolen base and a single. In the eighth, it was a walk by pinch hitter Dexter Fowler, a throwing error on a pickoff attempt by relief pitcher Amir Garrett, a single by Tommy Edman and a sacrifice fly by pinch hitter Paul DeJong that got it done. The eighth ended with Edman on third as Marcell Ozuna struck out.
Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas didn't fool the Reds very much in the first three innings, as they hit him hard to start the game. Most of the hard hit balls in the first two innings were directed at fielders, but in the third, the ball started to find places the Cardinals couldn't get to them. After a single by Jose Iglesias, Josh VanMeter hit a ball off the wall in right center for a double, with Iglesias stopping at third. Joey Votto hit a sacrifice fly to score Iglesias and Eugenio Suarez followed with a home run to center, which cleared the glove of a leaping Harrison Bader, for his 40th home run of the season. Aristedes Aquino ended the inning with a line out to Yairo Munoz at short, the second time Aquino had been retired on a hard hit ball.
The benches and bullpens cleared in the top of the fourth, though no punches were thrown. Freddy Galvis flew out to center for the second out in the inning, and on his path back to the dugout, he ran across the mound. Mikolas yelled at Galvis, "Stay off the f _ _ _ mound," and Yadier Molina ran up the third base line to confront him. Home plate umpire Doug Eddings followed, and soon after both benches emptied, and the bullpens soon followed to join in if any help was needed. None was. Order was restored, though it looks as if both teams have been warned about throwing at the other team.
After the third, Mikolas got in a groove and retired the Reds in order in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Mikolas' line was six innings, four hits, three runs, no walks and five strikeouts.
Some generous play on the part of Reds pitcher Tyler Mahle put the Cardinals up 1-0 in the second. Molina singled with two out in the second and went to second on a wild pitch. Bader then hit a roller to Joey Votto at first, who flipped the ball to Mahle covering first, but Mahle dropped it and then kicked the ball down the right field line, allowing Molina to score.
The Cardinals got a run in the seventh when Jose Martinez was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on a single by Bader.
In the top of the second, Bader made an impressive diving catch in right center, making a long run before stretching to grab Freddy Galvis' shot. Jose Martinez, playing in right, gave Bader plenty of space.
