St. Louis slugged four homers and collected 17 hits, including 10 for extra bases in a 13-1 rout of the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night. The first of a four-game series was over in the first inning when the Cards staked starter Jeff Weaver to a 5-0 lead.
The lead bulged to 7-0 before the Reds scored, but they never challenged the Cardinals, who now hold a 4 ½ game lead in the National League Central Division.
The first of four straight batters that began the game with hits, Ronnie Belliard led off with a double to left field and scored on Chris Duncan’s single. By the time third hitter Albert Pujols scorched a RBI double to left field, the crowd of 34,262 fans at Great American Ball Park already were booing.
Those jeers intensified later in the first inning after Yadier Molina’s two-out homer to left field made it a five-run game.
Duncan added a two-out solo homer to right field in the second inning, and Ramirez (4-8) responded with a walk to Pujols and hit Scott Rolen with a pitch.
It was 7-0 after second baseman Brandon Phillips committed two errors on one grounder by Jim Edmonds. First, Phillips bobbled the ball, and after Edmonds reached first, he threw it away. It allowed Pujols to score.
