CINCINNATI _ The Cardinals' Matt Carpenter and Cincinnati rookie Aristides Aquino each hit his 11th homer of the season Saturday night. The difference was that Carpenter's season has lasted nearly five months. Aquino's season has lasted just more than two weeks.
Another important difference was that Carpenter's homer in the second inning came with the bases empty. Aquino's 11th in 17 games since he was brought up from Louisville, came with runners on first and second in the fifth. That three-run, two-out blast to the center-field greenery off Miles Mikolas blew open a 2-1 game into a 6-1 Cincinnati victory.
The homer allowed by Mikolas was the 21st he had surrendered in 142 innings. He gave up 16 in 200 2/3 innings last year when he was 18-4.
Mikolas, who lasted five innings, did break the Cardinals' record at 40 for most consecutive games of issuing two walks or fewer. He passed two as he moved one game ahead of 1930s right-hander Curt Davis.
But Mikolas has lost 13 of 20 decisions this year, including six of his past eight. And the Cardinals' lead in the National League Central Division has been reduced to just percentage points over the Chicago Cubs.
Two months to the day since he last had homered in Miami, Carpenter connected off Cincinnati right-hander Anthony DeSclafani in the second inning Saturday night. That drew the Cardinals even at 1-1, temporarily, after Nick Senzel led off the Cincinnati first with an opposite-field homer off Mikolas.
The homer was the 11th for the underachieving Carpenter but he hadn't struggled against DeSclafani in his career. The home run was the fourth for Carpenter against DeSclafani and was his 13th hit in 28 career at-bats, with seven of them for extra bases.
DeSclafani, 6-3 in his career against the Cardinals, had wriggled out of trouble in the first. With one out, Tommy Edman walked and Paul Goldschmidt doubled into the left-field corner. But Marcell Ozuna lined directly over the second-base bag to second baseman Freddy Galvis, who had been shifted there, and Matt Wieters grounded out.
The Cardinals missed another chance in the third. Reaching base for the 15th consecutive game, Dexter Fowler singled and went to second on Edman's deep fly to center. But Goldschmidt and Ozuna both stared at 94-mph fastballs for strike threes.
Mikolas passed Josh VanMeter with two out in the Reds' third. Galvis singled to center. But, after falling behind Aristides Aquino a 3-1, Mikolas retired the young slugger on a pop to third baseman Carpenter.
Mikolas then had a chance to help himself in the fourth. Carpenter, who also has eight career walks against DeSclafani, accepted a base on balls with two out and Yairo Munoz singled. But Mikolas flied to center.
The Reds cashed in their fourth to go ahead 2-1. Phillip Ervin, who had flied to deep right the first time up, singled to right as Edman got a late jump. Tucker Barnhart also singled, sending Ervin to third, and Ervin scored the go-ahead run on Jose Iglesias' sacrifice fly. But Mikolas stopped the bleeding by inducing Jose Peraza to ground into a double play initiated by shortstop Munoz.
The Cardinals ran themselves out of the fifth inning. Fowler was at first with two out after a leadoff walk when Ozuna flared a single to center. Fowler headed for third, where baseball rule says you aren't supposed to make the third out, and was cut down by Senzel.
Still another chance presented itself in the sixth for the Cardinals. Kolten Wong and Carpenter both walked and Munoz singled to load the bases. But pinch hitter Paul DeJong, hitting only .195 with men in scoring position, struck out and Fowler popped up.
