Finley puts end to Cardinals' four-game skid

St. Louis wins second game of doubleheader to gain split with Reds.

By Joe Kay ~ The Associated Press

CINCINNATI -- Chuck Finley allowed only two singles by Juan Castro as he pitched his first shutout in four years Tuesday night, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 5-0 victory and doubleheader split with the Cincinnati Reds.

Scott Rolen hit a three-run homer in the first, and Finley took it from there as the NL Central leaders snapped a four-game losing streak. Finley (5-3) retired the first 16 batters before Castro lined a single to center.

No one else reached until Jason LaRue walked to open the ninth and Castro had an infield single. The left-hander retired the next three batters for his first shutout since April 17, 1998 against Tampa Bay.

Rolen, acquired in a July 29 trade with Philadelphia, also played a decisive role in the first game. The third baseman let in two runs on an errant throw home, and grounded into a game-ending double play with the tying run on second base in Cincinnati's 5-4 win.

The split left the third-place Reds 7 1/2 games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central. The four-game series amounts to a last chance for the Reds, who led the NL Central for 51 days earlier this season.

The Cardinals rebounded from the opening-game loss by scoring five in the first off Elmer Dessens (7-6), then settling in as Finley retired the first 16 batters.

Castro, a .145 hitter, drew a standing ovation with his liner to center in the sixth. Finley's seven strikeouts moved him one ahead of Hall of Famer Bob Feller into 20th on the career list with 2,582.

Finley (5-3) has made a strong recovery from his troubled times in Cleveland this season -- a 4-11 record and a messy divorce with actress Tawny Kitaen. In his last four starts, Finley is 3-1 with a 1.16 ERA.

Dessens was activated from the disabled list and made his first start since Aug. 1, when he strained his groin. He was rusty in the first inning, when the first five Cardinals reached and scored.

They loaded the bases on Fernando Vina's single, Edgar Renteria's double and a walk to Jim Edmonds. Albert Pujols lined a two-run single over Dessens' head, and Rolen homered three pitches later for a 5-0 lead.

Dessens went five innings, giving up six hits and five runs. His earned run average jumped from 2.67 -- third-best in the NL -- to 2.89.

In the first game, the Cardinals couldn't overcome Rolen's throwing error and one bad inning by Jason Simontacchi (9-5). The Reds sent 10 batters to the plate in the second, scoring all five runs before making an out.

Rolen let in two of the runs on his sailing throw to the plate as he tried to get a forceout with the bases loaded.

Rolen and Albert Pujols hit consecutive solo homers in the third off Brian Moehler, who struggled once again for the third-place Reds. Chris Reitsma (5-9) took over in the third and gave up a run in 3 2-3 innings for the win.

Danny Graves pitched the ninth for his 30th save in 37 chances. Graves joined John Franco as the only Reds pitchers with 30 saves in three consecutive seasons.

Pujols' 30th homer also gave him 100 RBIs and moved him into exclusive territory in Cardinals history. He became the second Cardinal to drive in 100 runs in each of his first two seasons -- Ray Jablonski also did it in 1953-54.

Pujols also became the fifth Cardinal to hit 30 homers in consecutive seasons, joining Stan Musial, Ray Lankford, Mark McGwire and Edmonds. Pujols hit 37 homers and drove in 130 runs last season, when he was unanimously chosen NL rookie of the year.

Reds rookie Austin Kearns extended his hitting streak to a season-high 13 games with an RBI single in the second, but strained his left hamstring while running out a groundout in the fifth. The Reds placed him on the 15-day disabled list after the game.