Goldy stays hot, hits 2 HRs to cut Reds' lead

CINCINNATI -- Paul Goldschmidt got the most bang for his buck in the seven-inning opener of Wednesday’s day-night doubleheader.

Goldschmidt hit home runs of 439 and 441 feet to center field and drove in three runs to lead the Cardinals to a 5-4 win over the Reds before 10,365 at Great American Ball Park in the makeup of Tuesday’s rainout. The win drew the Cardinals to within 1 1/2 games of the Padres and Reds for the second Wild Card spot in the National League, after San Diego lost Wednesday.

• Box score

“We’ve got to play well the rest of the year,” Goldschmidt said. “It’s pretty simple. We’ll have our ups and downs, of course. If we play well, we’ll give ourselves a chance to win some games and try to get in the playoffs and see what happens.”

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The blazing-hot Goldschmidt has three homers in the first two games of the three-game series, both St. Louis wins, increasing his season total to 24. Goldschmidt’s 19th career two-homer game was also his second in a week.

“I didn’t try to make it, and I doubt any of our guys try to make it bigger than any one game,” Goldschmidt added. “It was a good start, nice to get that win and try to go out and do it again. And just try to do that throughout the rest of the season and see what happens.”

“Goldy just makes the guys around him better,” Cards skipper Mike Shildt said. “I thought it was nice when Tommy [Edman] got his [NL Player of the Week honor] this week, he noted that because it’s true. Big home run in the first to get us the lead the other night and a big home run in the first today. He just did a fantastic job.”

Génesis Cabrera (3-5) pitched out of trouble in the fourth and induced a key 6-5-3 double play in the fifth to earn his third win. Cabrera entered the game in the fourth after three innings from starter Miles Mikolas, who allowed five hits and four runs in his third start back from a forearm issue.

“I thought my stuff was pretty good,” Mikolas said. “They didn’t hit anything terribly hard. They didn’t really get any good swings at the ball.”

“That was the best he’s thrown by far, by far,” Shildt said. “He was way better than his line.”

Giovanny Gallegos pitched the seventh for his fourth save in 10 chances, and his second in as many games against Cincinnati.

The Cardinals tagged Reds starter Wade Miley (11-5) for 12 hits and five runs over four innings, scoring in each inning against the lefty while snapping Miley’s personal seven-game win streak. Miley had not lost a decision since May 19, a string of 16 starts.

Goldschmidt’s first homer of the day, off a Miley changeup, was a majestic blast off the message board in center field, a 439-foot solo shot that put the Cardinals ahead, 1-0, in the first.

Three innings later, Edman singled to left and Goldschmidt connected for his second towering homer to center off Miley, a 441-foot blast off the tall stacks signage that promises a fan a truck when a Red hits it. Goldschmidt didn’t get the truck, but he did put St. Louis ahead 5-4.

Harrison Bader opened the second with a home run that was not nearly as long but just as valuable. The high fly down the left-field line cleared the wall as St. Louis went ahead 2-0.

The Reds responded with three against Mikolas in the second, as Miley had the key blow, a two-run double just inside the third-base bag, scoring Kyle Farmer and Tucker Barnhart, putting the Reds ahead 3-2.

But the Cardinals tied the game when Edmundo Sosa’s sacrifice fly was just deep enough to right to allow Nolan Arenado to score.

The Reds reclaimed the lead in the third on a bizarre bounce and a great slide at home plate. With one out, Nick Castellanos grounded a ball back to Mikolas. The ball ricocheted off his left foot and over to third baseman Nolan Arenado, who could not cleanly field the spinning ball.

Joey Votto followed with a line-drive double that split Dylan Carlson and Bader in right-center. The relay from second baseman Edman to catcher Andrew Knizner was on target, but Castellanos dipped his body to the right and lowered his left shoulder to avoid the tag before sliding his left hand on the plate.

But the Cardinals kept attacking Miley in the fourth. José Rondón pinch-hit for Mikolas and singled to open the frame. He was promptly picked off by Miley. But Edman followed with a single to left, and Goldschmidt connected for his second towering homer to center.

“Wade’s been having a great year, one of the best pitchers in the league, and he’s been doing it for a long time,” Goldschmidt said. “He’s had his games against us. We were able to find some holes today. I don’t think his pitch count was very high. Looked up there, there were so many quick innings. It can be good or bad. Today we found some holes -- get runners on and get them in. He works fast, usually throws a lot of strikes. Today it just kind of went our way.”

"The [last] Goldschmidt at-bat is the one I would like to have back,” Miley said. “I wish once I got to 3-2, I would have challenged him with a cutter on his hands. That’s what [Barnhart] called, and I shook back to fastball down-and-away, and obviously we’ve seen what happened."