CINCINNATI _ Free-agent-to-be Lance Lynn is pitching not only to tempt 29 other teams in the majors but to intrigue the Cardinals enough into keeping him around after this season.
In the old days, they called what Lynn has done lately as being a "stopper."
On Saturday night, when he beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-1, marking the first time the Cardinals had won a game here in six tries this year, Lynn scored his fourth straight victory and raised his record to 10-6 as he quietly has become the ace of this year's staff. The last three of those wins have followed Cardinals' losses.
For the sixth straight start Saturday night, Lynn navigated at least six innings and gave up two runs or fewer.
After allowing a first-inning homer to Cincinnati's Joey Votto, Lynn permitted just one hit after the first inning and finished the sixth still leading the Reds, 2-1. At 90 pitches for six, Lynn left for a pinch hitter in the seventh, and the game was turned over to the bullpen but not without the Cardinals expanding their edge to 4-1.
Before Luke Voit pinch hit a single for Lynn, Kolten Wong was hit in the right chin guard of his helmet, knocking the helmet off his head, by a Luis Castillo pitch. Wong looked at Castillo as he walked down to first base but nothing happened and Wong remained in the game after being examined by assistant athletic trainer Chris Conroy.
Matt Carpenter walked for the third straight time to fill the bases and Tommy Pham grounded sharply to the left side where third baseman Eugenio Suarez made a diving stop to his left and, from his knees, desperately fired home to try to get a forceout. But the one-hop throw couldn't be plucked by catcher Devin Mesoraco and Wong stepped home safely.
Then, Mesoraco missed a Kevin Shackelford pitch and Voit, reading and reacting quickly, steamed home. He was called safe on his slide as Shackelford fielded Mesoraco's toss. And a replay lasting 3 minutes 41 seconds did nothing to dissuade Lance Barrett's call and the Cardinals had a three-run lead.
The Cardinals posted only their second multiple-run inning in five games on this trip when rookie Paul DeJong laced a two-run homer, his club-high 15th of the season, to erase 1-0 lead and put the Cardinals ahead in the third inning.
DeJong, who had been two for his last 19, raked a Castillo fastball over the left-field wall, representing the Cardinals' first hit of the game after rookie Castillo had danced around four walks and a hit batsman. Castillo walked Carpenter to start the inning and Pham's groundout forced Carpenter.
