CARDS GIVE REDS A ROUGH WELCOME Mueller Drives In Three As St. Louis Pounds Carl Mays In Series Opener

The Cincinnati Reds arrived in St. Louis carrying momentum.

They left Sportsman's Park carrying a beating.

The Cardinals opened the final series of this lengthy homestand Monday afternoon by knocking veteran Carl Mays from the hill and rolling to an 11-6 victory before an energetic crowd that sensed early this ballclub might be finding its footing.

For Cincinnati, the afternoon began promising enough.

The Reds scratched across runs early and appeared ready to continue the strong baseball that brought them into town.

St. Louis had other ideas.

The Cardinals gradually began solving Mays.

At first it was a single.

Then another.

A walk.

Another base hit.

Before long the veteran submarine right-hander found himself surrounded by Redbirds circling the bases.

The decisive blow came when the Cardinals exploded for a tremendous rally that saw eleven men march to the plate.

By the time the inning finally ended, Mays had been battered for six hits, three walks and seven Cardinal runs.

The Reds never fully recovered.

While Mays struggled to keep the Cardinals contained, St. Louis continued applying pressure throughout the afternoon.

Nobody applied more of it than Heinie Mueller.

The Cardinal outfielder delivered three runs batted in and repeatedly found himself in the middle of scoring opportunities.

Taylor Douthit continued his recent hot stretch as well.

The speedy center fielder collected three more hits and seemed to be standing on base every time a rally developed.

For a club searching for offensive consistency, contributions from throughout the lineup proved especially encouraging.

The Cardinals were not forced to rely upon one mighty swing.

Instead they overwhelmed Cincinnati with traffic on the bases, aggressive hitting and relentless pressure.

The pitching story proved equally important.

When the game hung in the balance, Jesse Haines entered during the eighth inning and immediately went to work.

One sequence in particular brought the crowd to its feet.

With Cincinnati threatening, Haines reached back for extra velocity and struck out a Reds hitter swinging to end the inning.

As he walked off the field, the veteran right-hander pounded his glove and accepted the roar from the grandstand.

It was the sort of moment that can change the feel of an entire afternoon.

Haines ultimately earned credit for the victory.

Herman Bell handled the final work and secured the finish as the Cardinals slammed the door on any Cincinnati comeback hopes.

When the final out settled into a Cardinal glove, the scoreboard read:

St. Louis 11.

Cincinnati 6.

A fine beginning to an important series.

The Reds arrived carrying the reputation of a dangerous ballclub.

For one afternoon, the Cardinals looked every bit as dangerous themselves.

With Douthit continuing to swing a lively bat, Mueller driving in runs and the pitching staff delivering in key moments, St. Louis could not have asked for a much better start to the final series of the homestand.

Game two arrives this evening.

The Cardinals will gladly take the field carrying momentum.

After the welcome they extended Monday, Cincinnati may be a little less eager.

— Mike Allen

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