ST. LOUIS -- Adam Wainwright calls teammate Tommy Edman “everyone’s favorite player” on the Cardinals’ roster.

Edman on Saturday definitely endeared himself to the ace of the St. Louis pitching staff.

Edman’s first MLB walk-off home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth off Joel Kuhnel lifted the Cardinals to a 5-4 win over the Reds and got Wainwright off the hook for what would have been a tough-luck loss.

“He just does everything right,” Wainwright said. “Plays the game hard on both sides of the ball and brings tough at-bats, plays incredible defense, great baserunner, you know, lots of stolen bases, but he's one of the most talented defenders in the game, no question about it.”

Not all came up roses in the win, though, as center fielder Harrison Bader was taken out after the sixth inning by Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol for “effort” issues.

“I had a great conversation with him,” Marmol said. “He respected it. There's expectations when it comes to effort. It wasn't met today. So back in there tomorrow.”

Wainwright isn’t exaggerating about Edman’s value. While his infield mates Nolen Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt get most of the attention, Edman has proven to be one of the Cardinals’ MVPs with his versatility and is third in baseball in WAR at 3.4, behind only the Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara and the Padres’ Manny Machado, according to ESPN.

With a runner on second, Edman was simply looking for a line drive.

“I didn't think it was gonna get out,” Edman said. “I was a little surprised when I saw it bounce in the bullpen.”

Edman’s blast turned a frustrating day, and week, for the Cardinals’ offense into instant celebration.

Reds rookie fireballer Hunter Greene allowed just one hit in his first five innings, striking out seven. The Cardinals had the bases loaded with one out in the sixth but could only muster one run on a Tyler O’Neill sacrifice fly.

“Their starter did a good job in the first few innings,” Edman said. “He was tough, and we kind of just got better as the game went on and put together some good innings late in the game."

O’Neill’s two run double got the Cardinals back to within one in the eighth.

It snapped a drought of 27 innings between RBI hits for the Cardinals going back to an O’Neill single Wednesday in St. Petersburg.

But O’Neill was caught trying to steal third, effectively ending the rally.

“It was heavy shift on [Brendan] Donovan there, so I thought I could sneak behind the third baseman. … Obviously a little over aggressive,” O’Neill said.

Even the ninth inning seemed to start with a missed opportunity as Dylan Carlson led off with a walk only to be erased in a double play off Yadier Molina’s bat. But Juan Yepez singled to bring Edman to the plate and four pitches, and 385 feet later, he became the first Cardinals shortstop with a walk-off homer since Paul DeJong against Washington on Aug. 13, 2018.

“He took a good swing right there,” Marmol said. “We did have some opportunities, came up short a couple of times, but kept taking our shots. It’s part of the game. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't.”

The home run came as sweet redemption for Edman, who grounded into a 6-3 double play to end another scoring chance in the seventh. The normally reserved Edman threw down his helmet before heading to the dugout.

“Seventh inning, I didn't come through and obviously a little frustration there, but I feel like I did a good job of getting past that and just trying to find a way to help us win later in the game,” Edman said. “And I think that's something that I've gotten better at, is kind of putting those at-bats behind me and knowing that I could have another chance later in the game, kind of like I did today.”

Wainwright didn’t allow a run after giving up a three-spot in the third. His seven strikeouts moved him into a tie with Boston’s Chris Sale for fifth-most among active pitchers with 2,059.

Wainwright and Molina tied Boston/Milwaukee duo Warren Spahn and Del Crandall for second place all-time in starts among battery mates at 316 games.

“Just one more place to go, right?” Wainwright said. “I mean, it's just a stepping stone to the top spot, but each time we pass somebody, it's an incredible blessing.”

Goldschmidt’s career-high 46-game on-base streak ended in the loss.

“It was impressive,” Marmol said. “I’m sure he’ll start a new one.”