should feel good about their chances against Seattle

CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Reds kept putting runners on base. Moving them around was more of a problem.The Reds piled up 11 hits and drew five walks, but the St. Louis Cardinals turned four double plays and made the most of a defensive breakdown by Cincinnati to pull out a 5-2 victory Sunday.Randal Grichuk and Kolten Wong homered, Carlos Martinez carried a shutout into the seventh inning and St. Louis snapped a three-game losing streak.Yadier Molina had two of the Cardinals five hits as they avoided being swept in Cincinnati for the first time since July 2012.St. Louis began the day with a one-game lead over the Mets for the final NL playoff spot. New York was set to host Washington later.Martinez (13-7) allowed three hits over six scoreless innings before the Reds reached him for three hits and two runs to knock him out of the game three batters into the seventh. He walked five and struck out six while improving to 8-1 in 13 road starts this season.Cincinnati went on to load the bases with one out against reliever Zack Duke before Scott Schebler flied out. Left fielder Brandon Moss threw out Tyler Holt at the plate -- the third of four Cardinals double plays, tying their season high.Reds manager Bryan Price had no problem with the speedy Holt trying to score.Offensively, were down by three runs and you think youre going to be conservative, but you still have to score runs, Price said. Moss makes a nice play. We had to take a chance with two outs.Seung Hwan Oh allowed a leadoff single in the ninth before getting three outs for his 15th save.Tim Adleman (2-3) gave up both Cardinals homers while matching his career high with six strikeouts in his first career appearance against St. Louis. He allowed four hits and three runs with a walk in five innings.Outside of a few pitches, I did a pretty good job of minimizing damage, Adleman said. It was better today. I wasnt in a lot of jams today. The first (home run) in the second inning, the pitch got too much of the plate. Maybe in another park, it doesnt go out. I dont know. The second one to Wong was a curve over the plate. You have to tip your hat. He did what he was supposed to with it.Price, using September as a tryout camp for the last-place Reds, pulled Adleman after 77 pitches. Wandy Peralta made his major league debut with a hitless seventh.If this was August instead of September, I wouldnt have taken Adleman out, but I had four or five guys that needed to pitch, Price said. (Adleman had) done enough to keep us in the game.Grichuk followed Stephen Piscottys double with his 21st homer this season and second of the series, giving St. Louis a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Grichuk also homered on Friday.Wong made it 3-0 by leading off the fifth with his fourth homer this year and second on the road trip. He also connected Monday in Milwaukee.First baseman Joey Vottos error and pitcher Jumbo Diazs error and wild pitch helped St. Louis add two unearned runs in the sixth for a 5-0 lead.HAPPY BIRTHDAYReds All-Star left fielder Adam Duvall was rested on his 28th birthday. He had a pinch-hit single in the ninth.CLOCKWORKFireworks were set off every hour on the hour outside the ballpark as crowds gathered for the citys annual pre-Labor Day Riverfest fireworks show. The 40-year-old event has been known to draw crowds of up to 500,000 people to the banks of the Ohio River. World War II-era warplanes also buzzed the ballpark before and during the game.TOP DOWNReds pitching limited the Cardinals first four batters -- Matt Carpenter, Jedd Gyorko, Moss and Piscotty -- to a combined 5 for 43 with one RBI and six walks in the series.TRAINERS ROOMCardinals: Ex-Reds catcher Brayan Pena, limited to four games this season by left knee inflammation, was activated from the 60-day disabled list before the game.Reds: CF Billy Hamilton, leading the majors in stolen bases, exited in the third after straining his left oblique while taking a strike.UP NEXTMets RF Jay Bruce, traded by the Reds to New York on Aug. 1, returns to Cincinnati for the first time in the opener of a three-game series Monday. RHP Robert Stephenson (2-0) attempts to become the first Reds pitcher since Wayne Simpson in 1970 to win his first three career starts. Air Force 1 Dames Sale . The recently retired Stern was elected Friday to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will be enshrined with the class of 2014 on Aug. Nike Air Presto Kopen .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. http://www.airforce1schoenen.com/ .J. -- Marshawn Lynch said Thursday it will be good to get back to football after the Seattle quiet talking running back wrapped up his final mandatory media session of Super Bowl week. Air Force 1 Sage Nederland . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. Nike Air Force 1 Low Nederland . And when it opened, every player was at his stall. Thats a sure sign that a team is in a slump and is searching for answers. "Its embarrassing to be at home and play the way we did," said defenceman Josh Gorges. SEATTLE -- At about 10:15 p.m. Pacific time Tuesday, the retractable roof at Safeco Field made its methodical closure while the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers played the eighth inning of another high-scoring baseball game.It seemed like the only way to contain the Rangers unlimited offense.Texas and its loaded lineup will try to provide some more fireworks against the Mariners on Wednesday night, when struggling Seattle rookie Ariel Miranda (2-1, 5.76 ERA) takes the mound to face the Rangers A.J. Griffin (7-3, 4.41 ERA).Texas (83-56) has scored six or more runs in eight consecutive games and is averaging 7.5 runs per game over its past 13 games.Their offense is obviously really good; its rolling right now, Seattle manager Scott Servais said after Texas pounded out 15 hits and hit two home runs to beat the Mariners 10-7 on Tuesday night. Were having trouble slowing it down.The Mariners (70-68) arent alone in that respect. Texas already had a pretty good offense before adding Lucroy and Carlos Beltran in deadline deals, and now the Rangers are nothing short of loaded.Its a pretty special batting order, Lucroy said after hitting his ninth home run in 28 games as a Ranger on Tuesday night. Any guy in the lineup can hurt you.The Rangers, who have some question marks in their pitching rotation, have largely ridden their bats to a huge lead in the American League West. Tuesdays win kept Texas 8 1/2 games ahead of second-place Houston, and the Rangers magic number sits at 16.Griffin has won two conssecutive starts heading into his scheduled outing Wednesday night in Seattle.dddddddddddd He threw six shutout innings against Cleveland on Aug. 27, then Griffin had a shakier start the last time out, walking three while allowing two home runs over 5 2/3 innings in an 8-6 win over Houston.The Texas offense gives any starter room for error, and the Rangers should feel good about their chances against Seattle starter Miranda on Wednesday. Although Texas has yet to face the rookie left-hander, the 27-year-old Miranda has struggled in recent outings as he tries to prove himself as a long-term option in the Mariners rotation.Hes one of many Seattle starters who are in a funk heading down the stretch. Veterans Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma are losing some of their command, while youngsters James Paxton and Taijuan Walker have been unable to sustain any kind of consistency.Walker, who is scheduled to start Thursdays series finale, has been particularly bad as of late. He only got two outs in his last start, so it wouldnt be a big surprised to the Texas offense continue to rip through its final two games in Seattle.Texas has virtually wrapped up the division but is still trying to hold off Cleveland and whatever team wins the AL East for homefield advantage. The Rangers currently have the best record in the American League heading into Wednesday nights game in Seattle. ' ' '