The Cincinnati Reds could barely touch the stuff of Carlos Martinez for the first six innings. After a leadoff single to start the second inning, Martinez retired 14 batters in a row, and then the wheels came off in the seventh. For the fourth game in a row an early St. Louis lead turned into a loss as the Reds rallied for a 4-2 win in the series opener on Monday night.
The Cardinals took a 2-0 lead off Asher Wojciechowski in the fifth on back-to-back doubles by Yadier Molina and Tommy Pham to start the inning. Martinez helped his cause by pushing down a bunt to score Pham. From that point on all the offense mustered was a single by Molina in the sixth and a rally was snuffed out when Stephen Piscotty was thrown out trying to advance to third after he led off the inning with a walk.
Eugenio Suarez and Scooter Gennett hit consecutive two-run doubles in the seventh inning to bring the Reds bad after Billy Hamilton started the rally with a bunt. Suarez hit a line drive to center field that Dexter Fowler dropped while running back to the sprinting wall. Kevin Siegrist was sent in to get out the lefty Gennett who snapped an 0-for-19 slump with his hit.
