Juan Encarnacion went 2-for-4 with 2 runs batted in to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds Friday night at Great American Ball Park.
The Cards took an early 1-0 lead in the 2 nd and it held until the 6 th inning when Josh Hamilton belted his 13 th homer of the year, a two-run blast to give the Reds a 2-1 lead.
St. Louis then scored 3 runs in the 8 th inning to take the lead they would never give up.
St. Louis starter Brad Thompson pitched 6 strong innings, giving up 2 earned runs. He was not involved in the decision. Reliever Troy Percival (1-0) picked up the win in his first appearance as a Redbird. Jason Isringhausen pitched a scoreless inning, striking out the side, to earn his 15 th save. Marcus McBeth (2-2) took the loss.
The Cardinals (35-41) and the Reds (30-50) play again Saturday at Great American. Mike Maroth (5-2) goes to the hill for the Cardinals against Cincinnati’s Kyle Lohse (3-10).