ST. LOUIS -- Even though he struck out the side in the fourth inning, retired the Reds on just five pitches in the next frame and was perfect through five innings, Sonny Gray’s best work on Thursday might have come in a sticky sixth inning.

Facing a bases-loaded situation after losing his perfect game bid early in the sixth, Gray responded by striking out Tyler Stephenson before getting TJ Friedl to ground softly on his 34th pitch of the inning -- more than a third of the 91 pitches he threw over six innings. Defying what he usually does in those situations, Gray switched from the stretch back to the full windup that he had used to blank Cincinnati over the game’s first five innings.

“I was able to take a breath, get back at it and keep them [tied] there,” said Gray, whose strong outing, paired with home runs from Masyn Winn and Brendan Donovan and a day of firsts from rookie Thomas Saggese helped the Cardinals beat the Reds, 6-1, in the final meeting of the season between the two NL Central rivals. “I felt like I was really close to being really, really good. I’m happy with the overall performance and the adjustments I was able to make. But, still, I feel like I’m really close to being really good.”

Saggese, who was playing just his third Major League game following his promotion on Tuesday, was really good for the Cardinals on Thursday. The infielder, who was acquired from the Rangers last July in a trade that centered around Jordan Montgomery, recorded his first MLB hit in the seventh inning before notching his first big league RBI in the eighth. In between, the second baseman ranged to his right and made a backhanded play on a ball up the middle for a stellar defensive gem to retire Cincinnati’s Rece Hinds.

“I think I can bring a lot because defense is something I really work hard on and I’m trying to be as good of a defender as I can be,” said Saggese, the Cardinals’ No. 4 prospect, per MLB Pipeline. “I get my routine done every day and do things that help me prepare to make those plays. For defense, it’s just about getting as many reps and being as prepared as possible.”

Gray (13-9) won his third straight start and beat the Reds for the first time in his career. Gray, who started his career in Oakland and pitched for the Reds from 2019-21, has beaten every MLB team except Arizona and Colorado.

The 34-year-old right-hander clearly had his good stuff early in the game, getting five swings-and-misses on the first eight sweepers he threw. Gray struck out seven of the first 12 batters that he faced, including a fourth-inning performance in which he fanned the top three hitters in the lineup -- all looking. The fifth inning was even better when he needed just five pitches to retire the Reds in order.

“It’s amazing playing defense behind Sonny because there are quick innings and it gets you excited about getting in [the dugout] and grabbing a bat to hit,” said Winn, who crushed his 13th home run of the season in the third inning. “I will say that it’s kind of nerve-racking when he’s got a perfect game going because you don’t want to be the guy that messes that up.”

But Gray came unglued in the sixth inning, having to work around trouble to keep the game tied. Jake Fraley broke up the perfect game with a hard-hit single through the right side to lead off the frame before Gray walked Santiago Espinal on four pitches. Jonathan India tied the game with an RBI single, but Gray buckled down after a walk to set down Stephenson and Friedl with the bases loaded.

Gray has been taken deep 21 times this season after surrendering just eight homers in 2023 when he pitched for the Twins, but had his second straight outing without giving up a home run. Also, he’s distanced himself from a midseason slump when he lost five of six starts by sharpening his stuff to the level it was on Wednesday -- stuff that was good enough to flirt with a perfect game into the sixth.

“It’s about trusting your work and not getting caught up in knowing that even when I was struggling, a lot of it was just one [poor] inning or one mistake,” Gray said. “It’s about continuously adapting pitch usage, pitch location and pitch selection. It’s about adapting at all times. That will never stop if you want to continue to be good. And sometimes it’s just about getting out of my own way and letting others help.”