Associated Press
 Cincinnati Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo |
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CINCINNATI —Colby Rasmus hit his first career grand slam, Adam Wainwright dazzled again and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-1 on Wednesday, completing a three-game sweep that changed the standings and made their point.
The defending NL Central champs, scraped up from a cleat-kicking brawl the previous night, wouldn’t be dismissed or demeaned. The Cardinals overtook the Reds with their first three-game sweep in Cincinnati since 2005, moving a game ahead in the standings.
Rasmus’ homer off Bronson Arroyo (12-7) broke it open in the fifth. Wainwright (17-6) remained unbeaten in day games, allowing a pair of singles in seven shutout innings before a thunderstorm hit.
The lopsided series could represent a tipping point in the two-team race.
Cincinnati was on one of its best surges of the season, leading St. Louis by two games when it began. The Reds then got stopped by one of the league’s best rotations—Chris Carpenter, Jaime Garcia and Wainwright, who joined Colorado’s Ubaldo Jimenez as the NL’s 17-game winners.
St. Louis thumped ‘em every which way.
The Reds hadn’t lost three in a row since the All-Star break, and hadn’t been swept at home all season. Second baseman Brandon Phillips showed a little hubris as the series began, saying he hates the Cardinals and calling them a bunch of complainers.
The incendiary words became a backdrop for a first-inning brawl Tuesday night, with Phillips and catcher Yadier Molina going nose-to-nose at the plate. Both benches and bullpens emptied, and a couple of Cardinals got kicked by Reds starter Johnny Cueto, who was pinned against the backstop.
A day later, the Reds didn’t put up much of a fight.
They managed only four baserunners against Wainwright—two reaching on errors. The right-hander improved to 9-0 in day games, best in the league. Wainwright has been on top of his game lately, going 3-0 in August.
The Reds were held to 11 singles in the last two games. Phillips, their leadoff hitter, had two singles in 14 at-bats during the series, getting the ball out of the infield only three times.
There were some lingering wounds from the seven-minute scrum Tuesday night. Reserve catcher Jason LaRue had sore ribs and was expected to get X-rays. He and Carpenter were among those kicked by Cueto. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa expects Major League Baseball to discipline the Reds for the brawl.
Reds manager Dusty Baker acknowledged before Wednesday’s game that his team had so far been outplayed. Baker sat in the steamy afternoon heat and watched it happen again.
Arroyo hadn’t given up an earned run in his last two starts. The Cardinals loaded the bases in the fifth with the help of an intentional walk to Albert Pujols. Arroyo got ahead of Rasmus 0-2 in the count, but the outfielder fouled off a couple of tough pitches, worked the count full, then homered off the base of the batter’s eye in center field.
Game Notes:
With LaRue hurt, the Cardinals called up C Steven Hill from Double-A. He’ll make his big-league debut. They also put RHP Jeff Suppan on the 15-day DL with a sore groin. … The thunderstorm caused a 46-minute delay and left standing water in the outfield. … St. Louis moved a season-high 15 games over .500 with the sweep. … Pujols’ hitting streak ended at 10 games. … The NL standings board in right field showed the Reds still in first place during the game, even though they’d fallen percentage points behind St. Louis.
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