CINCINNATI—Adam Wainwright, who has 186 career wins, has only one losing record in his career against a National League club. That club hadn’t won a game in two weeks until Sunday when the Cincinnati Reds laced Wainwright for eight hits in five innings of a 4-1 victory, which was the Reds’ first after 11 consecutive losses.
In the process, Cincinnati also raised its mark to 16-10 against Wainwright in his estimable career. His earned run average in that time, covering 37 games and 32 starts is a sky-high 5.34.
Wainwright, who has alternately been good and bad in his first four starts this season, dipped to 2-2 for the year and the Cardinals finished their 10-game trip at 6-4, with Wainwright making three starts on the trip and dropping two.
He was behind from the start, with no help from Reds left-handed rookie Nick Lodolo, who scored his first big-league win by fanning seven and walking no one over 5 2/3 innings. The Cardinals, in fact, drew only walk in the game.
Meantime, rare back-to-back walks by Wainwright caused him discomfort in the first as the Reds scored two runs to take their first lead after a complete inning since April 10.
Tyler Naquin doubled to right center and, with one out, Wainwright passed both Tommy Pham and Joey Votto, who worked his after a 10-pitch at-bat.
With the bases loaded, Colin Moran delivered one run with a sacrifice fly to center and Nick Senzel another with a single to right although Senzel allowed himself to be caught off first base by shortstop Edmundo Sosa, who had cut off right fielder Dylan Carlson’s high throw back to the infield.
Left-handed hitting Reds Alejo Lopez and JT Riddle both drove Wainwright curveballs for singles to right field to open the second. Naquin’s grounder to second base shoved home the Reds’ third run as Wainwright finished the inning having thrown 51 pitches for two frames.
Lodolo required only 53 pitches to navigate four innings, giving up just singles to Paul Goldschmidt and Harrison Bader.
The Cardinals got their first runner to third in the fifth inning. Carlson was credited with a double when left fielder Pham missed on a diving catch attempt and then batted the ball into left center. Sosa struck out for the second time and Carlson tagged and went to third on Yadier Molina’s long fly to right. But Bader struck out on a low curveball.
Wainwright’s efficiency was much better in innings 3-5 as he faced only nine hitters, getting double plays to erase leadoff singles in the third and fourth.
The Cardinals began to catch onto Lodolo the third time through the lineup. With one out in the sixth, both Goldschmidt and Tyler O’Neill doubled, creating the Cardinals’ run. Cincinnati manager David Bell allowed Lodolo tp face Nolan Arenado, whom he retired on a liner to center.
Righthander Tony Santillan was summoned to face Pujols and Pujols, one for 14 against right-handed pitching, popped to first baseman Votto. Manager Oliver Marmol pinch-hit left-handed batting Corey Dickerson for Pujols in the eighth with a runner on.
Just as soon as Wainwright got the run in the sixth, he gave it back in the home half on Pham’s double and, after a walk to Votto, a run-scoring single by Moran, who bedeviled the Cardinals when he used to play for Pittsburgh.
Left-hander T.J. McFarland prevented further damage when he induced Senzel to bounce into a double play.
The Cardinals had a sniff in the seventh when Sosa and Bader singled but Tommy Edman popped up, stranding two.
Jake Woodford made his first appearance since April 10 for the Cardinals when he pitched a scoreless eighth. April 10 was also the last time the Reds had won a game.
