In the eighth inning, Paul Goldschmidt hit a double that brought in Michael Siani with the run that broke the tie, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 2-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night.
Siani started the eighth inning with a single and then stole second base, even though the Reds had tried to pitch out to stop him.
“My job is to get on base,” Siani said. “My role is to create some stuff and set the table for the guys behind me.”
With one out, pinch-hitter Alec Burleson was hit by a pitch. Goldschmidt, who had earlier singled in the first inning, hit a double to center field off pitcher Buck Farmer (3-1), bringing Siani home.
“He threw a slider that fortunately I was able to hit and probably even more fortunate that he (center fielder TJ Friedl) didn’t catch it,” Goldschmidt said. “The game’s not easy. There’s always ups and downs. For the most part this year, I was pretty bad with runners in scoring position.”
JoJo Romero (7-2) got the last two outs in the eighth inning to secure the win. Ryan Helsley needed just eight pitches to finish the ninth inning without allowing a hit and earned his MLB-leading 44th save in 48 chances.
St. Louis starter Lance Lynn tied his career high with seven strikeouts over five innings.
“I love watching him pitch,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said. “He’s just a fiery dude, he yells at everything. The way he goes about it just ignites a little fire in everybody.”
The 37-year-old right-hander gave up one run on five hits and one walk.
“Winning and getting whatever hitter’s in the box still drives me,” Lynn said.
With this five-inning performance, Lynn reached 2,000 career innings, becoming the sixth active pitcher to achieve this milestone. He is also the fifth Cardinals pitcher to do so, joining Andy Benes (2002), Bob Gibson (1969), Dazzy Vance (1934), and Adam Wainwright (2021). Lynn had previously reached 2,000 career strikeouts in his last start.
