By Hal McCoy
The Cincinnati Reds’ win over the St. Louis Cardinals Friday night apparently was a one-game mirage.
On Saturday night it was back into the doldrums when they play the Cardinals and fellow members of the National League Central.
The Cardinals, losers in six of their previous seven games, hung a 7-0 shiner on the Reds in Busch Stadium III.
It was the 10th time the Reds have been shut out, tied for most in MLB and it was the 24th time they have been blown away by five or more runs.
And it dipped their record against the Cardinals to 2-5 and 7-23 against NLCS teams.
For five innings, Reds starter Hunter Greene held the Cardinals to one unearned run on three hits, but the Reds trailed 1-0.
Then suddenly it was as if Greene told the Cardinals what pitch he was going to throw them in the sixth.
He faced eight hitters and seven reached base and six runs crossed home plate, the most runs Greene has given up in one inning during his career.
On the other side, St. Louis starter Andre Pallante continued to treat the Reds like the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.
Pallante held the Reds to no runs and two hits to gain his eighth career win over Cincinnati. And after striking out three, two and two in his three previous starts, he struck out eight Reds.
And he retired the final 12 Reds he faced to lift his record to 11-6.
The only run off Greene in the first five innings was unearned because shortstop Elly De La Cruz booted a routine slow grounder right at him for an error.
It was hit by leadoff batter JJ Wetherholt and the next two Cardinals, Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson singled.
From there, only one Cardinal batter reached base through the fifth, a two-out double by Walker.
Greene hadn’t walked a batter through five, but he walked Wetherholt to start the sixth and the rout was on.
Walker popped up for an out, then it was a St. Louis merry-go-round.
Burleson singled and Greene began hanging his breaking pitches, including a dangling cutter to Ivan Herrera and he pulled it into the left field corner. It was a two-run double and the Cardinals led, 3-0.
Lars Nootbaar walked and Masyn Winn singled on a 0-and-2 pitch to fill the bases.
Bryan Torres singled home a run and Blaze Jordan singled home two more and it was 6-0.
Sam Moll replaced Greene and the Cardinals scored their seventh run on a squeeze bunt by Nathan Church.
“He made some mistakes with his breaking ball up,” said Reds manager Tito Francona as he dissected Greene’s problems.
“That especially cost him to Herrera (two -run double),” he added. “As the inning was going I still thought his stuff was OK and I really wanted to get him through (Brian) Jordan and he had that excuse me hit (for two runs). That kinda crushed me a little bit.”
It crushed the Reds big-time, pushing the score from 4-0 to 6-0.
It was 90° and Missouri muggy when the night began and Francona was asked if Greene ran out of gas.
“I know it was a long game, a long inning, but I really don’t think so,” he said. “I woul have taken him out if I thought he was out of gas.”
Pallante retired the last 12 batters he faced and relief pitcher Gordon Graceffo made it 15 straight with a 1-2-3 eighth.
But Graceffo filled the bases with no outs in the ninth and the Reds still couldn’t score. Eugenio Suarez took a called third strike, the fourth time he struck out, Tyler Stephenson struck out and Noelvi Marte grounded out to end it.
And why can’t the Reds beat Pallante?
“His breaking ball is what kinda gives us fits,” he said. “He’s got some deception in his delivery and out of that his breaking ball really gave us a tough time.”
De La Cruz singled with twoj out in the third, but Sal Stewart hit into a force play.
JJ Bleday led the fourth with a single and stole second as Suarez struck out. But Tyler Stephenson grounded out and Marte lined to shortstop.
Those were Cincinnati’s only two hits off Pallante.
The third and final hit was Stewart’s one-out single off Graceffo in the ninth.
The Reds try to take the series Sunday afternoon with Andrew Abbott (5-6) on the mound against Kyle Leahy (7-4).