Phillips' ninth-inning blast buries Cardinals in Friday loss

CINCINNATI -- The Cardinals were one out away from a good start to the rest of the season. Brandon Phillips spoiled their celebration with one of his own -- the last thing St. Louis wanted to see.

Phillips hit a two-out, two-run homer off Fernando Salas in the ninth inning Friday night, rallying the Cincinnati Reds to a 6-5 victory over the Cardinals in another wild finish to the NL Central's nastiest rivalry.

Phillips connected on the second pitch from Salas (5-3) for his second career game-ending homer, stopping to wave his arms in joy before reaching first base. Phillips injected much of the ill-will in the rivalry last season when he called the Cardinals whiners, which helped spark a brawl.

The second baseman ranked it as his most memorable homer given the circumstances.

"Biggest? Let me go ahead and say yes," Phillips said. "That's the biggest one. We're playing the Cardinals. That's a great situation for me getting that home run."

St. Louis went up 5-4 in the eighth on Albert Pujols' two-run homer off hard-throwing Aroldis Chapman. The Cardinals' closer couldn't hold on, blowing a save for the third time in 19 chances. His second pitch to Phillips was closer to the middle of the plate than he wanted.

"I just left the ball in the wrong spot," Salas said through a coach serving as translator. "He just made a good swing on a pitch I left a little bit out over the plate."

The sellout crowd of 41,238 reveled in the one-swing finish to a wild game that fit the rivalry. Logan Ondrusek (4-3) got the win.

"It was disappointing," said Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, who used eight pitchers. "We put a lot of spirit and energy into this one and just got beat."

Chris Heisey hit a pair of solo homers for the Reds and robbed Pujols of one in the first inning, snatching his flyball from the top of the wall in center. Johnny Cueto protected the 2-0 lead into the seventh inning.

Then it got wild, just like so many games between these teams.

Tony Cruz's pinch-hit RBI single put the Cardinals up 3-2 in the seventh, but third baseman David Freese's throwing error let the lead slip away fast. Rookie shortstop Zack Cozart drove in the tying run with an infield single, and Joey Votto's double put the Reds up 4-3.