St. Louis Cardinals stun Cincinnati Reds 8-5 with late offensive outburst – MLB Update
St. Louis Cardinals continued their impressive winning streak as they beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-5 at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Ohio on Friday, August 24 in the opening game of their three match series.
Cardinals’ starting pitcher Lance Lynn had a poor time on the mound as he gave up six hits and four runs in just two innings. Relief pitcher Joe Kelly stopped the flow of runs with his accurate pitches, allowing just one run in three meaningful innings.
Closer Jason Motte pitched the scoreless ninth for his 30th save of the season. First baseman Allen Craig and catcher Yadier Molina hit back-to-back home-runs to play a key role in deciding the outcome of the clash.
"A really big game for us to start the road trip against our top competitor and get a victory," Craig said.
"Without question, one of those character wins," manager Mike Matheny said. "It says a lot about this team. We'll have to be that kind of team the rest of the way."
"We've got a great offense and a great bullpen, and they bailed us out tonight," Lynn said. "That's the fun part of this team."
"I went from having good command of my fastball to not," Reds’ starter Matt Latos said.
The 2012 World Series champions are peaking just at the right time. They looked down and out at the end of first half of the season. Credit should be given to them for the way they have managed to come out of the slump. If the Cardinals can sweep the Reds
in this series, they will certainly improve their chances of making it to the post season.
Reds, on the other hand, were unable to cope with the intensity of the situation. Unable to handle the pressure, the let their arch rivals dictate terms. Despite taking the loss, the Reds are comfortably placed at the top of National League Central Division
standings table and it will be interesting to see if they can regroup to turn the tables on St. Louis in Game 2 of the series.
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