Kile's tough day spells relief for Reds

CINCINNATI -- A puzzling lapse by Darryl Kile turned into another stirring win for the Cincinnati Reds.

Juan Encarnacion hit a two-run single in Cincinnati's big inning off the St. Louis Cardinals starter, and Corky Miller later homered and drove in three runs Saturday for an 8-1 victory.

The Reds scored four times off Kile (1-3) in the third inning -- all with two outs -- to take control. Miller added a two-run double, and he and Austin Kearns hit solo homers as the NL Central leaders pulled away to their fourth win in five games.

It came down to Kile's inability to get that one out in that one inning.

"Kile lost it for just a little bit and we took advantage of it," manager Bob Boone said. "That ended up being the ballgame. It was a fun one for us."

The Cardinals managed only five hits and once again followed a win with a dispiriting loss. They haven't won more than two in a row since April 9-13.

"I put us in a hole," said Kile, who has lost his last three starts. "I have to do a better job. I made some decent pitches early and some bad pitches late."

Chris Reitsma (2-0) gave up one run in 5 2/3 innings, and Cincinnati's bullpen shut down a lineup that can't seem to get the big hit. The Cardinals are stranding an average of 8.2 runners per game, most in the majors.

St. Louis left four runners in scoring position in the first six innings, scoring on Edgar Renteria's double in the fourth. Reds relievers retired the last 10 in a row.

Albert Pujols, who got picked off third base in the series opener, was thrown out at second as he tried to stretch a soft single to right in the first inning, undercutting a rally and setting a tone.

"He just flared it out there and I'm thinking, 'First inning, this is not good,"' Reitsma said. "When you get an out on the bases like that it's huge."

While the Cardinals stayed in character, the Reds strayed from theirs. Cincinnati is last in the majors in hitting with runners in scoring position (.203), but put the hits together in the fourth.

Miller, who has earned a share of the catching job by hitting .387, got the first hit off Kile, a broken-bat single to left. He batted only .184 in 17 games with the Reds last season, his first major league stint, and has no simple explanation for his turnaround.

"I couldn't tell you," he said. "I'll tell you 100 things when things are going bad. When they're going good, I don't really know what's happening. I try not to think about it."

After Reitsma popped out on a bunt attempt for the second out, Todd Walker singled and Barry Larkin doubled to left to score Miller.

Encarnacion then hit a soft grounder through the hole at shortstop -- third baseman Placido Polanco couldn't get over fast enough to cut it off -- for a 3-0 lead.

Kile hit Kearns on the left arm with an up-and-in pitch that froze the rookie, and Adam Dunn singled sharply down the first base line to score Encarnacion. First-base umpire Larry Vanover twisted to get out of the way of low liner and did a 360-degree spin before calling it fair.

It was the biggest inning the season off Kile, who hadn't given up more than four runs in any of his six previous starts.

"Early on, I was thinking shutout," manager Tony La Russa said. "He's trying to get to a consistent mode, and he's not there yet. We've been struggling in all categories when it comes to putting together a streak."

The Reds knocked Kile out of the game in the sixth, when Aaron Boone singled to snap an 0-for-16 slump, his longest in two years, and Ruben Mateo singled. Miller drove in both of them with a double off Mike Crudale.

Kearns homered in the seventh off Mike Timlin, leaving him 8-for-14 in his last four games with two homers. Miller homered in the eighth off Bud Smith.

The crowd of 25,006 booed loudly when Kile's pitch hit Kearns during the four-run rally and again when he nicked Encarnacion in the fifth. The Reds have been hit 20 times this season, most in the NL, and Kearns and Sean Casey have been hit in the head.

Noteworthy

Cardinals 1B Tino Martinez went 1-for-4, leaving him in a 3-for-27 slump.

The Reds were missing their top hitter against Kile. Ken Griffey Jr., on the DL with a torn patella tendon, is 7-for-11 career with three homers off the right-hander.

Casey was out of the starting lineup for a second consecutive game after slightly pulling his right hamstring.

Encarnacion has a six-game hitting streak (10-for-24).

Boone's 0-for-16 slump was his longest since he also went 0-for-16 in May 2000. He's in a 5-for-49 slide overall.