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CINCINNATI -- Paul DeJong hit a two-run homer and Lance Lynn allowed one run on three hits through six innings, lifting the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday night at Great American Ball Park. Lynn (10-6) made his first start since the July non-waiver trade deadline when he was rumored to possibly be leaving St. Louis. He was in control throughout, retiring 10 of the final 11 batters he faced.
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St. Louis (54-56) managed only four hits on Saturday but made the most of them to snap a two-game losing streak.
Joey Votto hit a solo homer for Cincinnati (45-65), which is 8-4 against the Cardinals this season.
Reds rookie right-hander Luis Castillo appeared to get stronger as the game wore on, retiring seven of eight with 93 pitches through six innings. But, he ran out of gas in the seventh when he took Kolten Wong's helmet off with a 93-mile per hour fastball before allowing a pinch-hit single to Luke Voit.
Kevin Shackelford replaced Castillo and the Cardinals scratched across two more runs on a bases-loaded infield single and a passed ball to make the score 4-1.
Castillo (2-5) allowed four runs, three earned, with a season-high five walks and two hit batters in 6 1/3 innings.
Tyler Lyons fanned three straight batters in the eighth. Cincinnati had the tying run at the plate in the ninth but Trevor Rosenthal got Jose Peraza to ground out ending a nine-pitch at-bat for his eighth save.
Castillo had been among the most impressive of Cincinnati's young starters, but he had a rocky start to Saturday's game. He walked three batters and hit one but managed to strand runners in scoring position in each of the first two innings.
Votto's solo shot, his 28th homer of the season, with two outs in the first inning put the Reds ahead 1-0.
Adam Duvall followed with a triple to center on a ball that Tommy Pham nearly caught at the top of the wall. Duvall, however, was left stranded at third.
The Cardinals broke through against Castillo in the third when DeJong blasted a two-run shot, his 15th homer of the season, to put them ahead 2-1.
Castillo had five walks through five innings to tie his season high.
NOTES: Reds C Devin Mesoraco started for the first time since July 29 due to a sore left knee. He went 1-for-4. ... Reds SS Zack Cozart is expected to be reinstated from the disabled list and return to the lineup on Sunday. He's been on the DL since July 29 with a right quad strain. ... Cardinals CF Dexter Fowler, on the DL list with a left forearm strain, took batting practice on Saturday and could return during the current road trip. ... Reds 1B Joey Votto now has 249 career home runs. Only six players in franchise history have 250 or more.
