ST. LOUIS – Yadier Molina has played in 2,055 career games throughout his 18-year career, so he’s seen it all.
When Molina fouled Luis Castillo’s 99-mph sinker in the sixth inning Friday, he said something to the mound and smiled. He had just whiffed on two straight sinkers, so perhaps he was just happy he made contact.
Before a full-count pitch, Molina called for time in the batter’s box twice. Castillo didn’t flinch. He fired a 99.1-mph fastball, his fastest pitch of the evening, that shattered Molina’s bat on a soft pop-out in the infield to end the inning.
This was the version of Castillo that the Cincinnati Reds have been waiting for all season. He permitted four baserunners in six innings, leading the Reds to a 6-4 win against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
St. Louis trailed by five runs entering the bottom of the ninth inning before putting the tying run on base. Matt Carpenter hit an RBI double off Heath Hembree and Tommy Edman hit a two-run, two-out double off Sean Doolittle.
Michael Feliz, the third reliever of the ninth inning, struck out Paul Goldschmidt to strand two runners and earn his first save in a Reds uniform.
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The Reds have won four of their last five games. It was the first time they won a game started by Castillo, their Opening Day starter, since April 7.
When Castillo returned to the dugout after the sixth inning, returning a piece of Molina’s broken bat to a bat boy, he was greeted by a long line of happy teammates.
Fellow starter Wade Miley, who watched Castillo’s start from a spot in the camera well that was closest to the plate, gave Castillo a hug and shared a long laugh with him. Catcher Tyler Stephenson gave Castillo a hug.
Castillo completed six innings for the first time in his last 10 starts, yielding three hits and one run while striking out five. It was just one start in the right direction, but it was much needed for Castillo. He posted an 8.04 ERA in six starts in May, allowing at least three runs in each outing.
He even helped his own cause with an RBI double to the base of the center-field wall in the sixth inning, the fourth extra-base hit in his career. He clapped and flashed a wide smile as he stood on second base.
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The Reds gave Castillo an early boost with a three-run second inning against left-hander Kwang Hyun Kim, a pitcher who had allowed one run across 16 2/3 innings in his three career starts against the Reds. Tyler Stephenson opened the frame with a solo homer down the left-field line on a first-pitch fastball.
Three batters later, it was Jonathan India’s turn. India lined a fastball into the left-field seats for a two-run homer, the fourth homer of his career.
Kim pitched only three innings, leaving before the fourth inning after throwing a warm-up pitch and exiting with lower back tightness. The Cardinals already lost starter Jack Flaherty earlier this week to an oblique injury, so it could have big implications on their rotation.
Castillo gave up his first hit in the third inning when a ball dropped after a miscommunication between India and Nick Castellanos in shallow right field. India was camped under the pop-up, but he ceded to Castellanos, who was running behind him and couldn’t cover enough ground to make the grab.
The two fielders had a brief chat afterward before returning to their positions. Castellanos, who extended his hitting streak to an MLB-best 20 games, gave India a pat on the backside when their conversation ended.
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Castillo didn’t let the misplay bother him. He induced a groundout to end the inning and seemed in control all evening. His fastball, which has been crushed all year, became a weapon as he forced a lot of weak contact. His slider was reliable for whiffs and called strikes.
He didn’t allow another hit until Edmundo Sosa ended the shutout by smacking a first-pitch changeup over the left-field wall. It was Sosa’s first career homer and he received a curtain call from crowd of 22,756 despite the home team trailing, 3-1.
History was on Castillo’s side during his start Friday. Castillo had a losing decision in each of his last seven starts, which matched a dubious team record (Jim Merritt in 1971 and Homer Bailey in 2018 were the only ones to do it after 1901). No Reds starter had ever lost eight consecutive starts, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
The Cardinals put two runners on base against reliever Ryan Hendrix in the eighth inning through a double and a walk. With the game-tying run at the plate, Heath Hembree struck out Nolan Arenado to silence the crowd.
The Reds added two runs in the ninth inning to secure their second win of this four-game series.
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