Cardinals 1, Reds 0
Pinch-hitter Mark Hamilton beat out an infield hit with an eighth-inning headfirst slide into first to produce the only run in the St. Louis Cardinals’ 1-0 home win over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday.
Colby Rasmus had ripped a hit to right leading off and was on third base with two outs when Hamilton squibbed one down the third-base line. Hamilton’s all-out slide barely beat Scott Rolen’s throw for an infield RBI hit.
The hustling play made a winner of Chris Carpenter (4-7), who tossed eight scoreless innings while winning his third straight start. Fernando Salas earned his 15th save in 17 chances with a 1-2-3 ninth.
The Cards’ Jon Jay took away a potential homer from Jay Bruce with a leaping fourth-inning grab at the right-field fence, then made a backtracking catch in the seventh to rob Edgar Renteria of a possible two-run double.
The Reds turned three double plays behind Johnny Cueto (5-3), who matched Carpenter by allowing six hits over eight innings.
It was a sweet victory for the NL Central-leading Cardinals, who were swept in their last visit to Cincinnati.