Castillo, Reds hold down Cardinals

Jose Peraza drove in two runs, and the visiting Cincinnati Reds ended the St. Louis Cardinals' four-game winning streak with a 4-1 win Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game series. After a 1-hour, 20-minute rain delay, Reds starter Luis Castillo went six innings, allowing one run and two hits. Castillo (6-1) struck out eight and walked four.

Amir Garrett, David Hernandez and Raisel Iglesias combined to blank the Cardinals the rest of the way. Yasiel Puig homered, and Peraza and Joey Votto had two hits each for the Reds, who avoided their first three-game losing streak since a four-game skid from April 14-17.

Matt Carpenter homered for the Cardinals, who combined to strike out 14 times. Genesis Cabrera (0-2) started for the Cardinals and went 4 2/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) and eight hits. He walked two and did not strike out a batter or record a swing and miss on his 95 pitches.

Carpenter hit the second pitch from Castillo over the centre field fence for a 1-0 lead. Castillo walked two batters in the second inning before escaping unscathed. He also walked Paul Goldschmidt to lead off the third but then retired his final 12 batters in order, including six via strikeout.

Cincinnati's Jose Iglesias led off the fourth with a single. With one out, Kyle Farmer singled to left, putting runners on first and second. Peraza followed with a double to centre, scoring Iglesias to tie the score. Farmer was thrown out at home on a fielder's choice, but Nick Senzel sent another double to deep left, scoring Peraza for a 2-1 lead.

Puig slammed his 11th homer of the season with one out in the fifth to stretch the lead to 3-1. Cardinals right-hander Michael Wacha, who was recently moved to the bullpen for the first time since his rookie season in 2013, relieved Cabrera with runners on first and second and two outs in the fifth, and he surrendered an RBI single to Peraza to make it 4-1.

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