Reds 2, Cardinals 1
Mat Latos pitched six shutout innings to outduel Adam Wainwright as visiting Cincinnati claimed the opener of the three-game series.
Joey Votto had an RBI single for the Reds, who won for only the third time in 11 road games. Latos (2-0) allowed five hits and walked three while extending his scoreless string to 17 innings and lowering his ERA to 1.84 while Aroldis Chapman worked a perfect ninth to record his sixth save in six chances.
Wainwright (4-2) yielded two runs and five hits in seven innings as his four-game winning streak came to an end. Yadier Molina had three hits, including an RBI double in the eighth inning to make it 2-1 for St. Louis, which stranded 10 runners.
The Reds took a 1-0 lead in the first when Shin-Soo Choo led off with a double, was sacrificed to third by Zack Cozart and scored on Votto's single. Cincinnati increased its advantage to 2-0 in the fourth on a run-scoring groundout by Xavier Paul, which followed Todd Frazier's double.
Allen Craig and Molina hit consecutive doubles off Jonathan Broxton to begin the eighth inning. Broxton settled down, though, and got David Freese on a fielder's choice grounder and pinch hitter Carlos Beltran to pop out before retiring Pete Kozma on a broken-bat ground out.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Cardinals sent LHP Marc Rzepczynski to Triple-A Memphis and called up RHP Seth Maness. Rzepczynski allowed seven runs in eight innings this season, contributing to a bullpen which has yielded 45 runs in 65 2/3 frames. Maness, 24, was the organization's minor league pitcher of the year in 2012. ... Choo has reached base in 25-of-26 games. ... Wainwright walked two and has issued three in 44 1/3 innings in 2013.