ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Rookie Stephen Piscotty doubled in the go-ahead run in a two-run eighth inning and the St. Louis Cardinals turned it on late for a 2-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday.
Rookie Tommy Pham tripled off J.J. Hoover (8-2) to open the eighth and Jhonny Peralta's one-out single tied it ahead of Piscotty's drive off the wall in left-center.
Johnathon Broxton (3-5) allowed one hit the eighth and Trevor Rosenthal earned his 47th save in 49 chances to match the franchise record.
The Cardinals had a four-game NL Central lead over Pittsburgh before the opener of their final home stand. They're a major league-best 51-24 at home and have the best overall record, too, at 94-56.
Reds rookie starter John Lamb held St. Louis scoreless for the second time this month, striking out six and allowing five hits in six-plus innings. Brandon Phillips had three hits including a first-inning RBI single.
Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia allowed a run on five hits in seven innings. He lacked control in the first but survived with minimal damage after throwing two wild pitches, walking two and allowing two hits, then retired the side in order the next four innings -- once with the help of a double play.
WALKING MAN
Joey Votto drew his 136th walk, in the sixth, breaking his own franchise record set in 2013. Votto also singled in the first and is 5 for 6 against Garcia with a homer, double and three walks.
WEAK ARM FACTOR
Randal Grichuk's arm was exposed in the sixth when Eugenio Suarez took second on a routine single but was tagged out when he over-slid the bag. Todd Frazier attempted to exploit Grichuk when he tagged on a routine fly out in the seventh but the Cardinals had moved Piscotty to left and Frazier was out at second for the third out.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Reds: Billy Hamilton (shoulder) missed his sixth straight start.
Cardinals: Matt Holliday (quadriceps) has played in just 11 games since June 9 and has pinch hit twice since being activated from the DL on Sept. 15. He's not ready to play outfield.
UP NEXT
John Lackey (12-9, 2.79) has a 2.23 ERA since June 15, fifth-best in the majors, but he's 0-2 with a 3.33 ERA in four starts against Cincinnati. Rookie Keyvius Sampson (2-5, 7.09) has qualified for the decision just four times in his first nine career starts.
