CINCINNATI — Devin Mesoraco drove in three runs with a pair of homers, and the Cincinnati Reds finally broke out against a St. Louis team that has held them down all season, beating the Cardinals 8-3 on Saturday night to even their series.
The Reds won for only the fourth time in 11 games between the NL Central rivals. Cincinnati had scored fewer than four runs in each of their last nine games head-to-head.
Left-handed Tony Cingrani (5-1) and four relievers contained an offense that had scored 26 runs in the last two games, allowing four hits.
Jake Westbrook (7-6) gave up five runs — all with two outs — in five innings. Jack Hannahan singled with the bases loaded in the first inning. Mesoraco's homer in the fourth made it 4-1.
The catcher hit a solo shot in the eight off Michael Blazek for the first multihomer game of his career. Shin-Soo Choo followed with a two-run homer off Blazek.
The Cardinals ended a seven-game losing streak by beating the Pirates 13-0 on Thursday, then came to Cincinnati and drubbed the Reds 13-3 on Friday night. It was the first time since 2003 that they scored 13 runs in back-to-back games.
They got off to a fast start against Cingrani, making his first career appearance against the Cardinals. Jon Jay opened the game with a walk and came around on Carlos Beltran's double. Cingrani bounced his next pitch, letting Beltran move to third, but that's all the Cardinals would manage as the left-hander escaped the 30-pitch inning down only 1-0.
Cingrani left after the Cardinals loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth. Grounders by Rob Johnson and pinch-hitter Matt Carpenter drove in runs that cut it to 5-3.
