Molina hits go-ahead homer, Cardinals down Reds 4-3

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jordan Hicks didn't get jammed up.

The rookie St. Louis reliever got Scooter Gennett to ground into a game-ending double play with the bases loaded, and the Cardinals held off the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 Saturday.

"I just tried to stay calm and just throw every pitch to the best of my ability and just try to give my team the best chance to win," Hicks said. "I just go out there with full confidence and do what you know how to do, what you've been doing your whole life."

Star catcher Yadier Molina hit a tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning as the Cardinals won for the seventh time in their past eight games, including six against the Reds. The Reds dropped their fourth straight, and second under interim manager Jim Riggleman, and fell to 3-17 this season.

St. Louis has won 10 in a row from the Reds dating to last season, matching its longest streak against them since 1949, when the Cardinals won 11 straight.

Hicks (1-0) recorded the final seven outs for his first career victory.

"Amazing," Molina said of the hard-throwing Hicks. "This kid has the talent to pitch late in the game. Obviously when you throw 102 (miles per hour), you don't have to be afraid of anything. He's a great kid and great job for him tonight."

Jared Hughes (0-2) gave up Molina's sixth homer, a solo drive. The one-out shot gave Molina his 800th career RBI.

"I totally missed my spot right there," Hughes said. "I left it up and in the middle. It was not the pitch I wanted. He doesn't miss mistakes. He did a good job of hitting the heck out of it."

Cincinnati scored three times in the seventh to tie it. The Reds strung together four singles and a walk in the seventh, with Gennett's two-run hit making it 3-all. Hicks used one pitch to get Cliff Pennington to fly out, ending the inning with runners at the corners.

Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez pitched six scoreless innings, giving up three hits and striking out seven. He was pulled after 91 pitches and exited with an 18-inning scoreless streak, leaving with a 1.42 ERA.

Home runs by Paul DeJong and Dexter Fowler helped the Cardinals build a 3-0 lead through six.

Cincinnati starter Homer Bailey lasted 5 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits, striking four and walking two.

"I honestly wasn't very sharp today," Bailey said. "I did some things that I wasn't very happy with today. We tried to hold them the best we could. Defensively we did a good job and the offense started coming through there at the end. It was just kind of one of those days where you had to fight back and forth.

"That's something that shouldn't be necessarily commented on. It should just be a regular thing that you do every day. Maybe it's a step in the right direction. But, the overall picture is we still need to do more," he said.

DeJong hit his sixth home run in the second. Fowler's third homer opened the sixth for the Cardinals.

PHILLIES 6, PIRATES 2.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Rhys Hoskins hit a go-ahead threerun homer, Aaron Nola tossed seven impressive innings and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2 Saturday.

Nola (2-1) allowed two runs, six hits and struck out nine to help the Phillies win their third straight game and improve to 8-1 at home.

The Pirates have lost five of six after an 11-4 start.

Pittsburgh's Steven Brault gave up two runs and two hits in 5 1/3 innings. The lefty took a shutout into the sixth before things unraveled.

Brault hit Carlos Santana with a pitch and Odubel Herrera followed with a single. Michael Feliz (0-1) entered to face Hoskins, who drove a 1-2 pitch into the left-field seats for a 3-2 lead.

Luis Garcia got two outs in the eighth and Hector Neris got the last four for his fourth save.

The Phillies, who lost 96 games in 2016, are six games over .500 for the first time since they were 25-19 on May 22, 2016.

Sean Rodriguez hit Nola's second pitch the opposite way off the scoreboard on the facing of the second deck in right field for his first career leadoff homer.

Starling Marte's RBI single on a shallow fly that bounced off second baseman Cesar Hernandez's glove gave the Pirates a 2-0 lead in the sixth.

Hoskins and Scott Kingery had RBI singles in a three-run eighth for Philadelphia.