CINCINNATI (AP) — The mound was slippery, the rain was steady, the bullpen was exhausted. Michael Wacha overcame all of it for another win.

Wacha gave St. Louis’ tired bullpen a respite by throwing seven innings in the rain Thursday, and the Cardinals pulled away to a 3-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, taking yet another series from their NL Central rival.

The Cardinals improved to 30 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2013 season. They have the best record in the major leagues at 69-39.

“It’s August already,” Wacha said. “This is the time we start pushing and play the way we have been all year.”

They took two of three in Cincinnati and have won 15 of their last 18 series together. The Reds were shut out for the last 18 innings.

St. Louis pulled out the second game of the series on Randal Grichuk’s homer in the 13th inning for a 4-3 win on Wednesday night. Wacha (13-4) overcame a 68-minute rain delay at the start of Thursday’s game, and then gave his used-up bullpen a rest.

“Absolutely had to happen,” manager Mike Matheny said. “There’s a couple of things we could have done, but that was the best.”

The right-hander allowed four hits and a pair of walks, allowing only two runners to reach second base as he beat the Reds for the third time this season. It was impressive considering the start of the game got pushed back twice and there were long delays between innings while the grounds crew worked on the field.

“It’s pretty tough pitching in that kind of stuff, but we’ve got to deal with it,” said Wacha, who threw 102 pitches.

Trevor Rosenthal gave up an infield single and a walk in the ninth while getting his 32nd save in 34 chances and completing a five-hitter.

Tony Cruz snapped his 0-for-15 slump with an RBI single, and Kolten Wong singled home two more off Michael Lorenzen (3-7) as the teams played through intermittent, sometimes heavy rain. There was a long delay after the sixth inning to spread a drying compound around the infield.

Lorenzen, one of five rookies in the Reds’ rotation, gave up three runs in five innings. He hasn’t won since June 21, going 0-5 in seven starts. In his last four starts, he’s allowed 20 runs in 18 innings.

STREAKS

Grichuk went 0 for 4, ending his hitting streak at eight games. Cincinnati’s Brandon Phillips extended his hitting streak to seven games.

A LOT OF ZEROES

It was the Cardinals’ 11th shutout of the season, fourth-most in the NL. Last year, they had 23 shutouts. … The Reds’ streak of 18 innings without a run matches their longest of the season — they also did it in June. … Wacha has given up only two runs in 20 1/3 innings against the Reds this season.

RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY …

It was the 13th rain delay at Great American Ball Park this season, totaling 18 hours, 41 minutes.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: LF Stephen Piscotty was hit in the left thigh by one of Lorenzen’s pitches while trying to bunt in the fifth inning. He stayed in the game.

Reds: CF Billy Hamilton got a day off. He has one hit in his last 15 at-bats.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: St. Louis goes to Milwaukee for a three-game series. Lance Lynn (8-6) is 7-3 career against the Brewers with a 2.53 ERA. The seven wins are his most against any opponent.

Reds: Cincinnati starts a 10-game trip against the Diamondbacks, the Padres and the Dodgers. Raisel Iglesias (2-3) tries for his first back-to-back wins in the majors, making his first appearance against Arizona.

— Associated Press —

CINCINNATI (AP) — Rookie Randal Grichuk knew that in homer-friendly Great American Ball Park, all it takes is one decent swing to end a game.

Matt Carpenter tied it with a solo homer in the eighth, and Grichuk connected in the 13th inning, rallying the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night.

Grichuk was moved up to second in the Cardinals’ struggling batting order. He doubled home a run in the sixth inning and hit his 15th homer in the 13th off Dylan Axelrod (0-1), Cincinnati’s eighth pitcher.

He knew the ballpark’s reputation for yielding homers that would be outs in most other places.

“You know the ball flies here,” Grichuk said. “It’s in the back of your mind.”

So far, Grichuk has shown a propensity to hit balls hard and strike out a lot.

“Two big swings for us,” manager Mike Matheny said. “He’s got the potential. You might see some swings-and-misses sometimes, but you also see what he does tonight.”

Seth Maness (4-1) gave up a pair of walks in two innings, completing an impressive night by the bullpen. Cardinals relievers blanked the Reds over the final eight innings.

“The way they’ve been throwing the ball this year, we know that if we can scratch a few runs — not many — we’ve got a chance to win,” Carpenter said. “Today was a good example of that.”

Matheny changed the batting order — Grichuk went from batting eighth on Tuesday to second — to try to spark his struggling offense, but the Cardinals didn’t get much going until late in the game.

Left-hander David Holmberg allowed two runs, including Grichuk’s RBI double off the top of the wall in center that cut it to 3-2 in the sixth.

Carpenter tied it with a homer in the eighth off J.J. Hoover, only the third that the reliever has allowed this season. It was Carpenter’s fifth homer in his last six games.

The Reds strung together walks and infield hits while scoring three times off Carlos Martinez.

They loaded the bases in the third with a walk, an infield single and a fielding error by shortstop Jhonny Peralta. Brayan Pena’s opposite-field double landed just inside the left-field line and made it 2-0.

The Reds loaded the bases again in the fourth with a pair of walks — one to Holmberg — and Brandon Phillips’ single just out of the reach of second baseman Kolten Wong. Todd Frazier’s soft groundout got in another run.

EXTRA, EXTRA

The Cardinals have played 15 extra-inning games, going 7-8. Their longest was an 18-inning loss to the Mets. The Reds have played 13 extra-inning games, going 4-9. They’ve gone as long as 13 innings five times.

STREAKS

Grichuk extended his hitting streak to eight games. Stephen Piscotti’s streak ended at eight games. Jason Heyward’s streak ended at seven games. … Phillips extended his hitting streak to six games. Jay Bruce’s streak ended at six games.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: Yadier Molina got hit in the facemask by Phillips’ foul tip in the fourth inning. Phillips checked to see if the catcher was all right as he shook off the hit.

Reds: LH Sean Marshall threw off a bullpen mound for the first time since surgery on May 20 to remove scar tissue in his pitching shoulder. He’ll throw every three days.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Michael Wacha (12-4) has won both of his starts against the Reds this season, allowing only two runs in 13 1/3 innings.

Reds: Michael Lorenzen (3-6) tries for his first win since June 21. He’s 0-4 in his last six starts and has been hit hard in his last three, giving up 17 runs in 13 innings.

— Associated Press —

CINCINNATI (AP) — Anthony DeSclafani has figured out how to handle the Cardinals — go right at them.

The rookie handled St. Louis for the second straight start, striking out a career-high nine, and the Cincinnati Reds turned a big first inning off John Lackey into a 3-2 victory Tuesday night.

DeSclafani (7-7), the most experienced member of Cincinnati’s all-rookie rotation with 20 starts, gave up seven hits and two runs in six innings. Last Wednesday in St. Louis, DeSclafani gave up only three hits in seven innings of a 1-0 win over the NL Central leaders.

“Same approach,” manager Bryan Price said. “He has good stuff and he trusts it. It’s more attitude than anything. I don’t think he has any fear.”

Aroldis Chapman fanned two in the ninth — his fastball topping out at 101 mph — for his 23rd save in 24 chances. The lefty has converted 56 consecutive save opportunities at Great American Ball Park since his last failure in September 2012.

The Reds scored three runs in the first inning off Lackey (9-7), who hadn’t allowed that many runs in any of his last nine starts. He went six innings, giving up six hits.

The Cardinals have dominated the Reds in recent years, winning 14 of their last 17 series. The Reds had a bit of a breakthrough in St. Louis last week, taking two of three — their first series win at Busch Stadium since 2001.

“It’s fun playing the Cards and Pirates,” center fielder Billy Hamilton said, referring to the last two opponents. “We get so motivated playing those guys. DeSclafani did a good job pitching and the defense had his back.”

They got a good start on extending that success with the big first inning. Jay Bruce had an RBI double — his fifth double in the last six games — and Marlon Byrd followed with another double as Cincinnati sent eight batters to the plate.

After that five-hit, 30-pitch inning, Lackey settled in and allowed only an infield single through the next five innings, retiring the last 14 batters he faced.

Randal Grichuk tripled off the wall in center field and Matt Carpenter hit his 14th homer in the third inning, cutting it to 3-2. It was Carpenter’s fourth homer in the last five games.

“I didn’t do anything different,” DeSclafani said. “Any time you can pitch with that early cushion, you’re more relaxed. You don’t have to nibble as much.”

GREAT CATCH

Hamilton initially misjudged Jason Heyward’s fly to center in the eighth, but made a stretching, over-the-shoulder catch and slid on his stomach on the warning track to make up for his late break on the ball.

“It’s a game changer,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said.

STREAKS

Heyward extended his hitting streak to seven games (10 for 22). Grichuk stretched his to seven games (11 for 25). Stephen Piscotty had his snapped at eight games.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Reds: Hamilton rammed his right leg into the outfield wall while trying unsuccessfully to catch Grichuk’s triple in the third inning. He came up wincing and stretched his leg, but stayed in the game.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Carlos Martinez (11-4) allowed five runs and a season-high 10 hits in five innings of a 9-8 win over Colorado last Thursday. He’s 3-1 with a 2.60 ERA in 13 career appearances against the Reds.

Reds: LHP David Holmberg (1-0) makes his second start since he was called up from Triple-A to take Johnny Cueto’s spot in the rotation. Holmberg gave up two runs and five hits in six innings of a 15-5 win over Pittsburgh on Thursday.

— Associated Press —

TORONTO (AP) — An exchange of hit by pitches and some testy words overshadowed a big win for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Chris Colabello hit a two-run home run, R.A. Dickey threw seven shutout innings and the Blue Jays beat the Kansas City Royals 5-2 Sunday, taking three of four from the AL’s top team.

“I think they’re used to pushing people around,” Dickey said of the Royals. “So when they come onto the playground and there’s a kid that’s bigger than they are for a day, I think it probably (ticks) them off. And I can’t blame ’em.”

Both benches and bullpens emptied after Toronto reliever Aaron Sanchez was ejected for hitting Kansas City’s Alcides Escobar on the thigh in the eighth. It was the climax of a game-long spat that began when Royals starter Edinson Volquez hit Josh Donaldson on the left shoulder in the first.

Volquez didn’t mince words when asked whether Donaldson overreacted to being hit and to a pair of later pitches that were up and in.

“He’s a little baby,” Volquez said. “He was crying like a baby.”

Donaldson and Volquez traded stares and words as the Blue Jays slugger took a slow walk to first base after being hit. Home plate umpire Jim Wolf warned both dugouts.

When Donaldson batted again in the third, Volquez missed high and inside with a pitch that sailed to the backstop. Blue Jays manager John Gibbons came out to argue but Volquez was not ejected.

In the seventh, Royals reliever Ryan Madson hit Troy Tulowitzki on the right forearm, then threw high and inside to Donaldson, who stepped out and yelled at Wolf. Gibbons and on-deck hitter Jose Bautista stepped in to break up the argument, and Gibbons was eventually ejected.

After Donaldson struck out, Bautista made it 3-0 with a double to center, and yelled at Madson as he ran to first.

Donaldson and Volquez had to be restrained after Sanchez was ejected for hitting Escobar. Gibbons and Colabello, who’d just been replaced for defense, both ran out to join the scrum. Wolf ejected both Sanchez and Blue Jays bench coach DeMarlo Hale.

“Our guy loses a two-seamer and hits a guy in the knee when we’ve had four balls thrown at our neck the entire day and our guy gets ejected, it just doesn’t seem proper,” Donaldson said.

The sellout crowd of 45,736 jeered Wolf after the umpires had cleared the field.

“I don’t think he made a lot of the right decisions today,” Donaldson said of Wolf, who declined to speak with to a pool reporter following the game.

Royals manager Ned Yost, meanwhile, praised the umpires for doing “a phenomenal job.”

“I thought Jim Wolf did a tremendous job understanding the game, understanding what’s intentional,” Yost said.

Donaldson hit two home runs in the series but struck out three times in the finale.

“He can’t take it,” Volquez said of Donaldson. “I don’t know why. He hit a lot of homers in the first couple of games and he was pimping everything he does. Somebody hits you, you’ve got to take it, because you’re pimping everything you do.”

Roberto Osuna replaced Sanchez and allowed a two-run homer to Ben Zobrist, cutting it to 3-2.

Toronto scored a pair of insurance runs in the bottom half after Kelvin Herrera walked the bases loaded. Ben Revere hit a sacrifice fly and Tulowitzki had an RBI single.

Osuna finished in the ninth for his seventh save.

Pitching on three days’ rest, Dickey (6-10) allowed just two hits, both singles, and walked two in winning his third straight start.

Gibbons said Dickey was “as good as we’ve seen him.”

Kansas City was among the opponents Dickey beat the last time he won three straight. He also posted victories over the New York Yankees and Minnesota in that run, from Aug. 26 to Sept. 2, 2013.

Toronto denied Volquez his third straight win and handed Kansas City its fourth loss in five games.

Volquez retired Kevin Pillar and Ryan Goins to strand runners at the corners in the second before the Blue Jays opened the scoring in the fourth. Edwin Encarnacion led off with a single and Colabello followed with a drive to left, his 10th.

“I tried to go up and in and the ball stayed a little bit up in the middle and he hit it out,” Volquez said.

Volquez (10-6) allowed two runs and four hits in six innings.

Earlier in the season, the Royals were involved in two brawls that resulted in multiple suspensions, in April against the A’s and the White Sox, having to do with players getting hit by pitches.

NO QUICK TRIGGER

Gibbons, Sanchez and Hale were the first ejections of the season for Wolf.

FIVE SPOT

Toronto scored five runs or more for the 59th time, the highest total in the majors. The Blue Jays lead baseball with 561 runs.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: 3B Mike Moustakas (right knee) was held out of the lineup after being hit by a pitch in the ninth inning Saturday.

UP NEXT

Royals: Kansas City is off Monday before beginning a three game series in Detroit Tuesday. LHP Danny Duffy (4-5, 4.28 ERA) faces RHP Justin Verlander (1-3, 4.86 ERA) in the opener. Duffy allowed a career-high three home runs in a loss to Toronto last Thursday. He’s 2-6 with a 3.16 ERA in 10 career starts against the Tigers.

Blue Jays: LHP David Price (9-4, 2.53 ERA) makes his Toronto debut Monday afternoon as the Blue Jays begin a pivotal series against wild-card rival Minnesota. Price is 7-0 with a 3.86 ERA in nine career starts at Rogers Centre. His opponent will be Twins RHP Ervin Santana (2-1, 3.78 ERA).

— Associated Press —