Cards take series from first-place Cincinnati

CINCINNATI -- Matt Holliday is hoping to play a key role in another playoff run for the St. Louis Cardinals. He sure got plenty of help Sunday.

Holliday had four hits and four RBIs, Adam Wainwright won his fifth consecutive start, and the Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-2 on Sunday.

Allen Craig homered and drove in three runs as St. Louis handed the Reds their second series loss in 13 sets since the All-Star break. The Cardinals have won five of six to move within six games of the NL Central-leading Reds.

"Holliday had a huge day," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "It's amazing how the conversations outside of this clubhouse start questioning him. It's not long before he shows everybody how much he means to us."

Holliday is batting .444 (12 for 27) with eight RBIs in his last six games. St. Louis currently is in position to claim one of the two NL wild card berths this season but still holds hope for catching Cincinnati in the division.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright throws against the Reds on Sunday in Cincinnati. (Al Behrman ~ Associated Press)

"I'm just trying to do my part," Holliday said. "This is a team game. We only play the Reds three more times. We are going to need some help."

St. Louis' 17 hits were the most allowed by Cincinnati in one game this season. The Cardinals collected 42 hits while taking two of three in the weekend series.

"Those guys are all hitting .300," Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips said. "I don't know who is making outs for that team."

Wainwright (13-10) allowed two runs and six hits over 5 2/3 innings and improved to 6-0 with a 1.80 ERA in his last seven starts. The 6-foot-7 right-hander, who missed all of last season because of elbow surgery, hasn't lost since July 18 at Milwaukee.

"I wanted to take my team further in the game than that, but I get it," Wainwright said. "I had a couple of games in a row that I threw a lot of pitches."

Reds manager Dusty Baker said Wainwright was on his game.

"Wainwright threw the ball well," Baker said. "There's not much else to say, except they beat us."

Reds right-hander Homer Bailey (10-9) gave up five runs in six innings while falling to 1-3 with a 6.04 ERA in five August starts. He also allowed a season-high nine hits for the sixth time.

The Cardinals strung together four consecutive ground-ball singles during a five-hit third inning that plated three runs. Skip Schumaker led off with a double to right-center, and Wainwright chipped in with a one-out single to left field. Schumaker scored on Jon Jay's base hit up the middle, and Matt Carpenter singled to load the bases before Holliday's two-run single to left.

"With Wainwright on the mound, we felt pretty good with those first three runs," Holliday said.

St. Louis added two more in the sixth to make it 5-0. Holliday hit a leadoff triple before Craig drove a 1-2 pitch over the wall in left for his 20th homer.

"The two Matts got on base. That got us started. I take pride in driving in runs," Craig said.

Chris Heisey and Ryan Ludwick had RBI singles in the sixth for Cincinnati, which beat the Cardinals 8-2 on Saturday.

Holliday also doubled in a run in the seventh and singled in Carpenter in the ninth.

Noteworthy

* Reds first baseman Joey Votto is scheduled to start a rehab assignment Tuesday at Class A Dayton, perhaps the last step of his comeback from two minor surgical procedures related to a torn meniscus in his left knee. The Reds are 27-14 since Votto left the lineup.

* The Reds and Cardinals meet one more time this season in the final series Oct. 1 to 3 in St. Louis.