ST. LOUIS _ Batting second mainly because of Tommy Pham's nagging groin injury, Yadier Molina homered with one out in the seventh, lifting the Cardinals to a 4-3 victory over the visiting Cincinnati Reds before a crowd of 42,382, Saturday afternoon at Busch Stadium.
The Molina homer to left center, which produced the 800th RBI of his career, capped a 2-for-3 day that also included a walk and a stolen base. It also helped ease the sting after the Cardinals bullpen faltered in the top of the seventh, allowing three runs to even the score at 3-3 after two were out. The implosion from lefty Tyler Lyons came after starter Carlos Martinez continued his recent dominance with six innings of three-hit scoreless pitching.
"Carlos was great. He deserved the win today," Molina said after batting No. 2 in the lineup for the 19th time as a Cardinal. "Everything was working for him. His sinker was moving a lot, his slider, his cutter, his new pitch, was moving a lot, too."
"I can say that he's taken his pitching to a new level."
Martinez, who left with a no-decision, has allowed on run over his last 27 1/3 innings.
After Molina's blast, the day belonged to hard-throwing rookie Jordan Hicks, who helped escape the jam in the top of the seventh and went the rest of the way for his first major league win.
"Amazing," Molina said after Hicks got Scooter Gennett to ground into a game-ending 6-4-3 double play after loading the bases with one out with a walk, hit batsman and walk. "This kid has the talent ... . He's not afraid to pitch. He comes at you with whatever he has and he got the job done."
Hicks added: "Just that I'm out there, pitching here, it gives me confidence. When I'm out there, I'm just in the moment _ that's what I mean when I say I blacked out. I don't remember every little thing that happens, but I remember a lot. Just try to stay in that moment and do my job."
The Cardinals' offense Saturday came via the long ball as Paul DeJong hit a two-run shot with one out in the second and Dexter Fowler extended the lead to 3-0 with a leadoff shot in the sixth. Then came Molina's game-winning shot in the seventh.
The Cardinals, who've won seven of eight overall, are 6-0 this season against the Reds and have won 10 straight against Cincinnati dating back to last season.
Marcell Ozuna led off the Cardinal second with an infield single. After a Fowler flyout, DeJong sent a 1-0 pitch into the left-field seats to give the home team a 2-0 lead.
Fowler's solo blast in the sixth was his third of the season.
Saturday's game featured a shuffled lineup with Matt Carpenter batting leadoff, with Molina hitting second and Fowler fifth.
Carpenter and Fowler each went one for four. Carpenter led off the fifth with a double down the right-field line, and Fowler homered into the Cardinals bullpen to start the sixth.
Kolten Wong, who made the start at second Saturday, turned in the defensive play of the day with a runner on and no outs in the sixth, racing into shallow right to make a back-to-the-infield grab on a blooper off the bat of the Reds' Adam Duvall and then quickly relaying the ball to Jose Martinez at first to complete the double play. Carlos Martinez followed with a strikeout of Scott Schebler to end the threat.
Down 3-0, the Reds tied it with a two-out rally against the Cardinals bullpen in the seventh. Luke Gregerson retired the first two batters he faced before allowing a single to Phillip Ervin and being replaced by Tyler Lyons. Failing to record an out, Lyons gave up a single to Jesse Winker, a run-scoring single to Jose Peraza, a walk to Joey Votto and a two-run hit to Gennett, tying the game at 3.
Hicks relieved Lyons and got a flyout to end the inning. The hard-throwing rookie finished the game, escaping a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the ninth by getting Gennett to hit into a 6-4-3 double play.
It was the first career win for Hicks.
The Cardinals outhit the Reds 8-7, getting two hits, including his sixth homer, and two RBIs from DeJong and solo blasts from Fowler and Molina., who also has six homers this season.
The Reds received two-hit games from Gennett (two RBIs) and Winker. Reliever Jared Hughes (0-2) took the loss.
The three-game set with the Reds wraps up Sunday at 1:15 p.m. with Miles Mikolas (2-0, 4.26) taking on Luis Castillo (1-2, 6.75).
On Tuesday, the Eastern Division-leading New York Mets come to town for a three-game series.
