ST. LOUIS _ Paul DeJong's two-run homer with one out in the seventh inning helped the Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-1 before a crowd of 44,654 Thursday afternoon at Busch Stadium.
Yairo Munoz led off the inning with a two-strike single to left. An out later, DeJong hit a changeup from Michael Lorenzen into the left-field stands to break the 1-1 tie and give the Cardinals the lead.
DeJong entered the game in a 3-for-43 nosedive at the plate and was 0-for-3 Thursday before his game-winning blast. The homer was his first since May 18.
"I was taking too many heaters (fastballs) early in the count and expanding (the strike zone) after that," DeJong said. "When I realized I'd missed a pitch to hit, I'd get anxious and want to swing."
Added manager Mike Shildt said, "He's a patient guy, but he's probably been chasing around the perimeter of the zone more than he would like."
Coming on in relief of starter Dakota Hudson after Andrew Miller got a key strikeout of Joey Votto in the top of the seventh, John Gant picked up with win in relief, improving to 5-0 on the season.
Jordan Hicks worked a 1-2-3 ninth for the save, his 13th of the season.
Harrison Bader led off the Cardinals third with a single. Hudson followed with a bunt that hugged the third-base line. He was thrown out, but Bader hustled all the way to third on the play.
Matt Carpenter followed by hitting a 2-2 pitch through the drawn-in infield and into right field to put the Redbirds on top 1-0.
Cincinnati tied it the fourth as Jesse Winker singled with one out and Yasiel Puig followed with a double into the left-field corner. After an intentional walk to load the bases, Tucker Barnhart hit a sacrifice fly to left, tying the game at 1-1.
Marcell Ozuna led off the Cardinals fourth by beating out a grounder down the third-base line. Dexter Fowler followed with a hit-and-run single to right that put runners at first and third with no outs.
After getting Kolten Wong and Matt Wieters on strikeouts and a Fowler steal of second, Reds starter Antony DeSclafani walked Bader to load the bases. But Hudson struck out to end the threat.
Through four innings, DeSclafani had struck out six.
The Reds got a two-out single from Eugenio Suarez and a walk from Derek Dietrich in the opening inning. In the Cardinals' second, Ozuna singled to lead off, advanced on a groundout and stole third with one out. But he too was stranded.
The Reds' Nick Senzel doubled off the left-field wall with one out in the third, but Hudson followed up by striking out Votto and getting Suarez on a groundout.
Carpenter, Wong, Ozuna and Fowler stole bases for the Cardinals, who are tied with Milwaukee for the NL lead with 37 steals. Wong became the only player in the major leagues who has 10 steals without being caught.
