With one Jay Bruce swing providing all the support starter Anthony DeSclafani needed, the Reds snapped a skid of nine consecutive losing series at Busch Stadium with a 1-0, series-clinching victory over the Cardinals on Wednesday night.
Bruce’s home run to lead off the second against John Lackey would be one of just two hits the Reds tallied off the Cardinals’ right-hander. It landed just out of the reach of leaping center fielder Randal Grichuk, who made his return to the field after sitting two days with a groin strain.
DeSclafani didn’t need any more, as he made his third scoreless start of the season. He finished seven innings, allowing three hits and not a single runner past second base. Along with Mike Leake’s start a night earlier, the Reds posted their first back-to-back shutouts since May 31-June 1, 2013, and they recorded back-to-back shutouts in St. Louis in the same season for the first time since July 11, 1937, when they took both games of a doubleheader.
“There were six hits in the game, a great job by both pitchers,” Bruce said. “It’s not often that one run will decide a game in St. Louis against those guys. I can’t say enough good things about Anthony. He pitched great. He was confident in his stuff. He commanded both sides of the plate, and we’ve seen a lot of that from him this year. I look forward to seeing more of it.”
Lackey was the hard-luck loser, falling to 9-6 on the season despite throwing his ninth straight quality start. Following Bruce’s blast, he allowed just two other baserunners before leaving after eight innings.
Click here to read more of this story.
About Marion Online Sports
