»RELATED: Revamped bench providing welcome boost for Reds
Right-hander Scott Feldman became the first Reds pitcher to reach five wins. Feldman (5-4) retired the first nine and 12 of the first 13 batters he faced on his way to allowing four hits with four strikeouts in seven innings and improving to 3-0 over his last four starts.
“Obviously, it’s phenomenal,” manager Bryan Price said. “(Leake) was really on. He pitched well and he pitched well with runners on base, and Feldman was up to the task. That was an all-around great ballgame and a great series.
“Feldman was down with his fastball and had two different angles on his breaking ball. He had good action, but the key is getting ahead in the count and commanding good pitches.”
HAL MCCOY: Feldman, Votto unfair to Cardinals
Raisel Iglesias pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, capping the effort with a crowd-satisfying three-pitch swinging strikeout of longtime Reds nemesis Yadier Molina.
Joey Votto went 4-for-4 and broke the game open with a two-run homer in the sixth as the Reds ended up outscoring St. Louis in the series by a combined 28-9, but the almost-perennial Most Valuable Player candidate wasn’t ready to say this Cincinnati offense was more potent than others to which he’s contributed.
“It’s early,” he said. “We’ve had some good stretches, and this is one of them.”
“With our offense, we know that if we can keep the team in the game, we have a chance to win,” Feldman said. “It’s important to limit damage and give the team a chance. The name of the game is to get the guys back in the dugout and swinging the bats.”
The Reds kept putting runners on base against Leake — two two-out singles in the first, one two-out single in the second, two two-out singles in the third and loading the bases with nobody out in the fourth — but couldn’t break through until the fifth.
Votto singled with one out, his third single in three at-bats, and scored from first on Adam Duvall’s third hit in three at-bats, a double to left-center field.
“I’ll have to talk to Duvall about that,” Votto joked. “Get him to hit a home run next time so I can jog around the bases.”
After Scott Schebler was hit by a pitch, Scooter Gennett delivered a run-scoring single to right field with Schebler going to third. He scored when Molina’s throw to second trying to catch the stealing Gennett sailed into center field for an error.
Leake (5-5) now has allowed 11 earned runs in 18 2/3 innings over his last three games after giving up 13 through his first nine starts. He allowed 10 hits — including three by Duvall, the player for whom he was traded to the Giants by the Reds and who has hits in six straight plate appearancs against Leake — and three total runs with two walks and five strikeouts. Leake is 0-4 in seven career starts against the Reds, and Cincinnati has won all seven games.
“I thought I had pretty decent stuff,” Leake said. “They were putting the ball in play, finding some holes here and there. Being able to make a pitch when I needed to was big today.”
The Reds made it 5-0 against left-handed reliever Tyler Lyons in the sixth when Zack Cozart reached on an infield hit and Votto slammed his 16th homer into the right field seats.
“Joey Votto is something else,” Feldman said. “I get a big kick out of watching his approach at the plate. You have to see him every day to appreciate how good he is. When he’s hot, there’s nobody better.”
Cozart’s hit behind second base easily could have been scored as a throwing error on second baseman Paul DeJong. Instead, it extended Cozart’s career-high streak of consecutive games reaching base at least once to 30, one short of the longest by a Reds shortstop since Barry Larkin enjoyed a 31-game streak in 1991.
Matt Carpenter helped St. Louis avoid a shutout loss with an opposite-field, two-run homer off of Austin Brice with two outs in the eighth, his second homer in two games and 12th of his career with 51 RBIs against Cincinnati.
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