DaytonDailyNews.com

CINCINNATI — For most of last season, Cincinnati Reds third baseman Edwin Encarnacion was Mr. Clutch. He'd put runners in scoring position or fill the bases, and he'd drive in some runs, usually sweep the bases clean.

But the man who hit .360 last season with runners in scoring position went into a witness protection program this year.

The St. Louis Cardinals found him Tuesday night, Sept. 16, standing there in the batter's box in Great American Ball Park in the sixth inning with the bases loaded.

Encarnacion drilled a three-run double that turned a one-run deficit into a two-run lead, and the Cincinnati Reds turned that into a 7-2 victory over the fast-disappearing Cardinals, losers of six straight games, including three straight in Pittsburgh before arriving here.

The Reds put it away in the eighth with a two-run bases-loaded double by Corey Patterson.

It also helped Bronson Arroyo win for the 15th time, most in his career, and his 11th victory in his last 14 decisions since giving up 11 runs in one inning at Toronto on June 24.

"Sometimes you are not proud of how you're pitching, and sometimes it wakes you up," manager Dusty Baker said. "Dick Pole (pitching coach) told me at that time that Arroyo is capable of a heck of streak, capable of running off a lot of wins. And that's what he has done. Dick was telling the truth."

Fifteen wins is a major deal for Arroyo, who twice won 14, including his first year with the Reds in 2006.

"I've said for a long time that 15 wins, 20 quality starts and 200 innings is a goal," Arroyo said. "I've had the 200 innings a few times and 20 quality starts a couple of times, so 15 wins finally puts me over that plateau."

Arroyo, though, does agree that the Toronto debacle was an alarm clock going off on the mound. It is more the sinker that he is now throwing, one with a new grip Pole showed him.

"That enabled me to command the inside part of the plate on right-handers better than I ever have in my career," he said. "It keeps hitters from sitting on my breaking pitches and always looking for me to throw pitches away.

"After hitters see you for such a long time, it becomes a big ol' chess match," Arroyo added. "You can see them guessing if it is going to be a breaking ball away or a fastball away. Bringing something new to the table — I can see the looks on faces when they swing and miss on a sinker because I haven't thrown that pitch on a consistent basis since 1996 or 1997 in the minors."

Arroyo went seven innings, giving up two runs (both homers) and five hits, walking none and striking out four.

Encarnacion took the first three pitches during his big at-bat, taking two for strikes, and the third was extremely close.

"(Cardinals starter Braden Looper) threw me two very good pitches on the first two, and he finally threw me a split, and I saw it perfectly and put a good swing on it," Encarnacion said.

Of his prowess with runners in scoring position last year and his problems this year, Encarnacion said, "Last year, I was lucky with runners in scoring position because when I hit the ball it wasn't right at anybody. I've tried to do the same thing this year, be aggressive, but I haven't been as lucky."

So now the Reds are 41-39 against teams over .500 and 28-42 against teams under .500.

Go figure.

The Cardinals grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second when Troy Glaus, out a week with a right shoulder strain, returned to the lineup and crashed his 24th home run leading off the inning.

The Reds had only one hit off Looper through five innings, a single by Chris Dickerson — and he was the only baserunner.

Arroyo started the sixth with a single. After Chris Dickerson's single and a walk to Joey Votto, Encarnacion unloaded his 1-and-2 two-out three-run double.

St. Louis drew to within 3-2 in the seventh on a home run by Aaron Miles, but the Reds retrieved that run in the bottom half on pinch-hitter Danny Richar's fielder's choice.