Four-run seventh leads Cincinnati Reds to win

Suarez, Gennett provide big hits in win over Cardinals

Scooter Gennett saw a group of sports writers waiting for him at his locker Monday after the Cincinnati Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2.

“You want to talk to me because I got a hit?” Gennett asked.

Gennett broke an 0-for-19 slump with a two-run double in the seventh inning at Great American Ball Park. A two-run double by Eugenio Suarez preceded Gennett’s hit.

The four-run seventh lifted the Reds to a victory on a night when it appeared they might get shut out by Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez, who allowed one hit in the first six innings.

Gennett’s hit came against reliever Kevin Siegrist, who relieved Martinez in the seventh.

“He’s a good pitcher,” Gennett said. “Real deceptive. Tall guy. He’s halfway to the plate already when he releases the ball. In that type of situation, I’ll swing at good pitches, bear down and just try to put the ball in play.”

The Reds (26-30) kept pace in the crowded National League Central Division, where there’s little elbow room. Through Monday, more than a third of the way through the season, all five teams had between 30 and 26 victories. The Reds are three games behind the Chicago Cubs.

“It’s good. It’s healthy for us,” Gennett said. “It’s definitely a tough division. That’s why everybody’s so close because everybody’s pretty good. When you have a consistent group of teams in the same division, that’s what you’re going to see.”

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The Reds have won two straight games against the Cardinals. Prior to this game, the Reds and Cardinals had alternated wins in their last 11 meetings. It was the longest such streak in the history of the series.

The bigger news of the night was the Reds got a rare quality start. Asher Wojciechowski allowed two earned runs on eight hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out six.

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This was the fourth appearance for Wojciechowski and second start. He allowed four earned runs in four innings in his first start May 30 against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Wojciechowski’s effort lowered the season ERA for Reds starters from 6.13 to 6.06. In the previous 19 games, Reds starters combined for a 8.45 ERA.

Wojciechowski got some help from the defense. Left fielder Adam Duvall threw out a runner at home in the fifth and a runner at third in the sixth.

“That was huge,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “He may have saved the game with those two plays. He put us in a position to rally and not feel like we were too far behind.”

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