CINCINNATI (AP) — Yadier Molina stood on second base and heard the Cardinals fans chanting his name in celebration. He’s usually in the middle of things whenever St. Louis wins at Great American Ball Park.

And lately, that’s been every single time.

Molina doubled with the bases loaded, and Michael Wacha pitched two-run ball into the sixth inning Saturday, leading the Cardinals to a 6-4 victory and their 13th straight win over the Reds.

“We’re playing well,” said Jordan Hicks, who pitched the ninth for his first career save in three tries. “I think the future is bright.”

The Cardinals also homered three times as they extended their second-longest streak of domination in a rivalry that goes back to the 1800s. They beat them 18 times in a row in 1930-31.

St. Louis has also won 11 straight in Cincinnati, its longest such streak since it first visited the city in 1892. The Cardinals’ longest road winning streak against any club is 18 in a row at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field from 1964-66.

“Our record against them is not good,” Reds interim manager Jim Riggleman said . “We’ve had some great games against them and we keep coming up short. I really feel like our club is close to being a respectable club.”

The two Cardinals with impressive career numbers against Cincinnati led the way.

Molina delivered another pivotal hit in the ballpark where he’s been booed each time his name has announced since his brawl with Brandon Phillips in 2010.

With two outs and the bases loaded in the third, Molina doubled to center for a 5-0 lead. Cardinals fans chanted “Yadi!” as he stood on second. Molina has more homers (14), hits (118), doubles (26), extra-base hits (40) and RBI (57) at Great American Ball Park than at any other road park.

His 57 RBI at GABP are tied with Albert Pujols for second most by a visiting player, one behind Lance Berkman.

“What a big hit,” manager Mike Matheny said. “He steps up with the bases loaded, the crowd is booing — I don’t know, it seems to help him. This is a place where he hits very well.”

Jose Martinez and Marcell Ozuna homered back-to-back in the first inning off Luis Castillo (4-7). It was Martinez’s third homer in five at-bats. Matt Carpenter connected in the seventh.

Wacha (8-1) gave up Eugenio Suarez’s two-run homer in 5 2/3 innings for his 11th career win against the Reds, tying Jaime Garcia and Lance Lynn for most among active pitchers. The Cardinals have won his last 13 starts against Cincinnati, and Wacha is 10-0 with a 2.48 ERA during that span.

In his start against the Pirates last Sunday, Wacha took a no-hitter into the ninth before Colin Moran had a leadoff single. Wacha has allowed only seven hits in his last three outings and has held opponents to two runs or fewer in 10 straight starts.

“Everything’s been feeling good and now it’s on to the next one,” Wacha said.

The Reds fell to a season-low 22-43, the second-worst 65-game start in franchise history. The 1934 club was one game worse.

STREAKIN’

Wacha is the first Cardinals pitcher to win eight straight decisions since Joe Kelly in 2013. It’s the best streak of his career.

STATS

Molina’s double was his 339th, tying Ray Lankford for ninth all-time in St. Louis history. It also gave him 100 career RBI against the Reds. … Reds starters have lasted six innings in back-to-back starts for the first time since May 20-22. … Jesse Winker hit a solo homer in the eighth, the first that Sam Tuivailala has allowed this season in 18 appearances. … Jose Peraza extended his hitting streak to 12 games, the longest by a Reds player this season. Scott Schebler has a career-best nine-game streak.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Reds: Homer Bailey will make his first rehab start Monday with Triple-A Louisville. He’s been on the 10-day DL since June 2 with a sore right knee. Bailey is 1-7 with a 6.68 ERA in 12 starts.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Carlos Martinez (3-2, 1.83) makes his second start since returning from a strained muscle in his right side. He lasted only four innings and walked five in a 7-4 loss to Miami on Tuesday.

Reds: Anthony DeSclafani (0-1, 7.20) makes his second start of the season. He gave up four runs in five innings of a 9-6 loss to the Rockies on Tuesday. DeSclafani missed all last season with a strained elbow and the first two months of this season with a strained oblique.

— Associated Press —

CINCINNATI (AP) — Jose Martinez homered twice off Matt Harvey, and Jedd Gyorko singled home the tiebreaking run in the 10th inning Friday night as the St. Louis Cardinals rallied to a 7-6 victory, their 12th in a row over the Cincinnati Reds.

The Cardinals haven’t dominated the Reds so completely since the Great Depression. They also beat them 12 straight from 1931-32.

St. Louis has won its last 10 games at Great American Ball Park. The Cardinals blew a two-run lead in the ninth before extending the streak.

Bud Norris (3-1) was warming up to pitch the ninth when a downpour prompted a 36-minute delay. Norris then gave up four hits, including RBI singles by Joey Votto and Jesse Winker, for his second blown save in 14 chances.

Gyorko’s RBI single off Raisel Iglesias (1-1) decided a game that included bursts of rain from the first inning on. John Brebbia gave up a double in the bottom of the inning and an intentional walk before fanning Brandon Dixon for his second save.

Martinez had a solo shot off Harvey in the first inning and a three-run homer in the third that made it 5-1. His first career multi-homer game left him 11 for 22 during a six-game hitting streak.

Harvey is 1-2 in six starts for Cincinnati, which got him in a trade with the Mets on May 8. He also allowed Yairo Munoz’s solo homer, the fifth time in his career that he’s given up three in a game.

In his last three starts, Harvey allowed 14 earned runs and five homers in 16 1/3 innings.

Luke Weaver struggled with his control while pitching into the six inning. He gave up four runs and walked five, including Winker with the bases loaded.

HONORING RED

The Reds held a moment of silence pregame for Cardinals Hall of Famer Red Schoendienst, who died Wednesday at age 95.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: Left-handed reliever Tyler Lyons went on the 10-day DL with a sprained left elbow. Right-hander Mike Mayers was recalled from Triple-A Memphis. Lyons missed two weeks earlier in the season with a strained back. His elbow bothered him while he was throwing on Thursday, and he was sent for tests that found no significant damage.

Reds: Homer Bailey will make a rehab start either Monday or Tuesday. He’s on the DL with a sore left knee. Bailey is 1-7 with a 6.68 ERA in 12 starts.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Michael Wacha (7-1) is 10-1 career against the Reds, including 9-0 in his last 12 starts — St. Louis has won every game. Wacha hasn’t lost to Cincinnati since Sept. 9, 2014. In his start against the Pirates on Sunday, he took a no-hitter into the ninth inning and pinch-hitter Colin Moran singled leading off.

Reds: Luis Castillo (4-6) has lost his last two starts, giving up eight earned runs in 9 2/3 innings. He’s lost both of his career starts against St. Louis.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Miles Mikolas was prepared to change jerseys — but he was pitching too well to pull the trigger.

The Cardinals right-hander had four uniform tops waiting to replace the one he knew would be drenched in sweat as the heat index approached 100 degrees.

“I was ready,” Mikolas said. “But the first jersey, it was really working for me. So I stuck with it — a little superstition involved.”

Mikolas (7-1) continued his hot start in the steamy conditions on Thursday, allowing an unearned run in seven innings to lead St. Louis past the Miami Marlins 4-1. He struck out five and walked one, lowering his ERA to 2.27, as the Cardinals salvaged the series finale after a pair of losses.

Mikolas, coming off a 4-0 loss to Pittsburgh, has pitched at least six innings in 10 of 12 starts this season.

Jordan Hicks pitched around a walk and a hit in the eighth, topping 100 mph on nine of 18 pitches, and Bud Norris finished the four-hitter with a perfect ninth for his 12th save in 13 chances.

Jose Martinez hit a two-run homer in the first, giving him a team-high 35 RBI.

Luke Voit added a pinch-hit homer leading off the seventh to push the lead to 4-1.

Trevor Richards (0-3), who grew up in Aviston, Illinois, 50 miles from St. Louis, gave up three runs on seven hits in five-plus innings.

Mikolas, who improved to 4-0 in day games, retired 14 successive batters before right fielder Dexter Fowler dropped Starlin Castro’s fly ball in the sixth.

“When he’s in that zone, he’s pretty impressive,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. “He was clean all the way through, putting pitches where he wanted to on both sides.”

Mikolas signed with the Cardinals as a free agent on Dec. 5, 2017, after three seasons with the Yomiuri Giants of the Japanese Central League.

He has exceeded even his own expectations.

“I had all the confidence that I could be successful at this level,” Mikolas said. “But it’s still a bit of a surprise.”

Miami manager Don Mattingly said Mikolas controlled the game.

“He can move the ball the other way and then he elevated,” Mattingly said. “That breaking ball he throws, it’s big.”

Justin Bour cut the lead with an opposite-field RBI double in the sixth after Fowler’s error.

Marcell Ozuna hit an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth.

Richards was making his first appearance at Busch Stadium since pitching in a high school all-star game in 2011.

“I felt pretty good. I command the fastball pretty well,” Richards said. “There’s obviously a couple I would like back. But I was very excited just to be back in St. Louis.”

The Cardinals lost the first two games of the series by a combined 18-7.

“We needed this one,” Martinez said. “You never want to get into a habit of losing.”

TRIBUTE TO RED

The No. 2 of Hall of Famer Red Schoendienst was displayed in the dirt behind second base. Schoendienst, who died Wednesday at age 95, spent 67 years in the Cardinals organization as a player, coach, manager and special assistant. He signed with the Cardinals as an infielder in 1945 and won a World Series as St. Louis’ manager in 1967.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Marlins: Richards was recalled from New Orleans, and RHP Tyler Cloyd was optioned to the Triple-A team.

Cardinals: RHPs Greg Holland and Matt Bowman began rehab assignments with Triple-A Memphis. Holland has missed 11 games with a right hip injury. Bowman has been out 19 games with blisters on his right index and middle fingers.

UP NEXT

Marlins: LHP Caleb Smith (4-6, 4.03) will face San Diego LHP Eric Lauer (2-3, 6.82) in the first game of a three-game set on Friday in Miami. Smith leads major league rookies with 74 strikeouts.

Cardinals: RHP Luke Weaver (3-5, 4.11) will face RHP Matt Harvey (1-4, 5.79) in the first of a three-game series on Friday in Cincinnati. Weaver has not won since May 11.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Derek Dietrich homered and had four hits to lead the Miami Marlins past the St. Louis Cardinals 11-3 on Wednesday night.

Lewis Brinson launched two solo homers for Miami, the second multihomer game of his career.

Dietrich drove in three runs during his fourth multihit game on the Marlins’ nine-game road trip. Miami won its second straight, after snapping a six-game losing streak Tuesday.

The top three batters in Miami’s lineup — Starlin Castro, Dietrich and J.T. Realmuto — combined for 11 hits, seven runs and four RBI as the Marlins set a season high for runs.

St. Louis shortstop Yairo Munoz committed three errors, leading to three Marlins runs. Munoz has made six errors in his last five games.

Before the third inning, the Cardinals announced that Hall of Fame second baseman Red Schoendienst died Wednesday. He was 95.

A photo was shown on the video board with “1923-2018” written along the bottom. Fans in the crowd of 40,109 gave a standing ovation, while players stood and applauded. The beloved Schoendienst spent 67 with the Cardinals, managing them to two pennants and a World Series championship in the 1960s. He was a player, manager or coach on four Cardinals teams that won the World Series.

Miami starter Wei-Yin Chen needed 91 pitches to get through 4 1/3 innings, failing to last at least five for the sixth time. Drew Ruchinski (1-0) gave up one run in 2 1/3 innings of relief for his first major league win.

Dietrich’s two-run homer sparked a three-run third for the Marlins. Dietrich, who scored twice, has at least one hit in 13 of his last 15 games.

Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty (2-2) lasted five innings for the second consecutive start. Four of the six runs Flaherty allowed were earned.

St. Louis infielder Jedd Gyorko finished the game on the mound, the first time the six-year veteran had pitched in the majors. Gyorko gave up a run, two hits and hit a batter with a pitch.

Jose Martinez drove in two runs as part of a 3-for-3 night. He also walked.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Marlins: Optioned RHP Odrisamer Despaigne to Triple-A New Orleans and selected the contract of RHP Ben Meyer.

Cardinals: RHP Alex Reyes (right lat strain) underwent season-ending surgery. … RHP Matt Bowman (finger blisters) and RHP Greg Holland (right hip impingement) will begin rehab assignments Thursday at Triple-A Memphis.

UP NEXT

Miles Mikolas (6-1, 2.49 ERA) starts Thursday afternoon for the Cardinals in the finale of the three-game series against Elieser Hernandez (0-3, 4.29). Mikolas is coming off of his first loss of the season against Pittsburgh last Friday. Hernandez will make his first career start vs. St. Louis.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Brian Anderson and J.T. Riddle homered to help a shaky Jose Urena get his first win of the season as the Miami Marlins stopped a six-game losing streak with a 7-4 victory Tuesday night over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Anderson had a two-run homer and two singles for the Marlins, who had lost nine of 10.

In getting swept last weekend, the Marlins allowed 21 runs at Arizona and only scored four times. Miami entered the St. Louis series 1-6 on this road trip with a minus-22 run differential.

Urena (1-7) pitched five innings, allowing 10 hits and four runs for his first win in 13 starts. Miami lost his previous 14 starts — a dubious team record — dating back to Sept. 26 last year. Urena started on opening day this season but his last win came on Sept. 20, 2017.

Kyle Barraclough pitched the ninth for second save.

The Cardinals returned their opening day battery from the 10-day disabled list for the series opener with right-hander Carlos Martinez and catcher Yadier Molina coming back.

In his return, Martinez was not sharp. He made his first start in four weeks since straining his right lat muscle in a May 8 loss to Minnesota. Martinez threw 75 pitches, going four innings. He allowed four hits and two runs with five walks and five strikeouts. He was helped by three double plays.

Preston Guilmet (0-1) made his St Louis debut after the Cardinals called him up Tuesday from Triple-A Memphis. It was a forgettable one inning of work.

In his first game against his former team, St. Louis’ Marcell Ozuna went 3 for 4 with an RBI. In his last four games, Ozuna has gone 8 for 14, including a milestone 100th home run and grand slam, with six RBI.

The Marlins scored three runs off Guilmet for a 5-2 lead in the fifth. Derek Dietrich scored on a sacrifice fly by Justin Bour. Anderson hit a two-run homer that just cleared the fence in right field to score J.T. Realmuto.

St. Louis got two runs back in the fifth. Tommy Pham drove in a run with a bases-loaded fielder’s choice. Ozuna followed with a run-scoring single, but Urena picked Pham off third and got a groundout to end the inning.

Miami added two runs off reliever Austin Gomber in the sixth to make it 7-4. Riddle led off with a homer and J.B. Shuck scored on a sacrifice fly by Dietrich.

St. Louis took a 1-0 lead in the second when Ozuna ran through a stop sign at third to score on a single to left by Molina.

Miami scored twice in the third. Starlin Castro scored on a double play and Dietrich came home on Anderson’s infield single that hit Martinez’s glove and glanced off his shoulder.

The Cardinals made it 2-all in their half of the third. Matt Carpenter scored when Pham hit into a double play.

GOOD CATCH

Dietrich ran almost to the infield to make a sliding catch of a short fly to left hit by Jose Martinez in the first inning. Dietrich rolled over, popped up and fired to first base to double up Carpenter.

ROSTER MOVES

St. Louis optioned right-hander Mike Mayers to Triple-A Memphis, where catcher Steven Baron was designated for assignment to make room for Guilmet on the 40-man roster.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Marlins: RHP Nick Willgren is on the 10-day disabled list with a bruised right middle finger.

Cardinals: INF Greg Garcia has been placed on the paternity list. Garcia likely will return Thursday following the birth of his first child, a girl named Olivia.

UP NEXT

Marlins: LHP Wei-Yin Chen (1-3, 6.10 ERA) will be making his second career start at St. Louis and first since July 16, 2016. In his last start, Chen, the team’s oldest starting pitcher at 32, made the shortest start of his Marlins career, lasting 1 2/3 innings. He allowed four runs on four hits with two walks in an 8-3 loss at San Diego.

Cardinals: RHP Jack Flaherty (2-1, 2.62) makes his first career start against Miami. In his last start, Flaherty did not earn a decision at Pittsburgh as he matched his shortest outing of the season (five innings).

— Asscoiated Press —