Cardinals hit four homers, clobber Reds

Brad Miller, Matt Carpenter and Paul Goldschmidt also hit home runs for the Cardinals, who are 17-0 when they score at least five runs. The second-place Cardinals (20-19) remained three games back of the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs. Cardinals starting pitcher Dakota Hudson (3-2) held the Reds to one run on one hit and four walks in six innings.

Harrison Bader hit a three-run homer to power the Cardinals to a 7-1 victory over the visiting Cincinnati Reds on Saturday. Brad Miller, Matt Carpenter, and Paul Goldschmidt also hit home runs for the Cardinals, who are 17-0 when they score at least five runs.

The second-place Cardinals (20-19) remained three games back of the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs. The Reds (20-16) remained in fourth place, 6 1/2 games back of the Cubs. Cardinals starting pitcher Dakota Hudson (3-2) held the Reds to one run on one hit and four walks in six innings. He also struck out four. He has allowed just two runs in 17 2/3 innings in his three starts against the Reds this season.

Losing pitcher Tejay Antone (0-2) retired just nine batters. He allowed two runs on four hits and three walks. He struck out three. Hudson retired his first six hitters before walking Aristides Aquino, Tucker Barnhart, and Kyle Farmer to open the third inning. Shogo Akiyama hit into a run-scoring forceout to put the Reds up 1-0.

Hudson dodged a big inning, though, by getting Nicholas Castellanos to ground into a double play. The Cardinals took a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning. Miller started the rally with a 446-foot leadoff homer to center field. Paul DeJong walked, Carpenter lined a single, and Austin Dean walked to load the bases.

Matt Wieters greeted Reds reliever Lucas Sims with an RBI groundout. Bader walked to reload the bases, but Sims got Kolten Wong and Tommy Edman to fly out to end the threat. The Cardinals broke the game open in the sixth. Carpenter hit a leadoff homer, and Sims walked Dean and hit Wieters with a pitch to prompt another pitching change.

Bader's three-run blast off Amir Garrett gave the Cardinals a 6-1 lead. Goldschmidt's solo shot two outs later made it 7-1. Genesis Cabrera relieved Hudson to start the seventh, but he departed without throwing a pitch due to a cracked fingernail. Tyler Webb, Andrew Miller and Rob Kaminsky closed out the game for the Cardinals.

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