ST. LOUIS (AP) – Kolten Wong and Paul DeJong homered, Mike Mikolas tossed seven strong innings and the St. Louis Cardinals completed their second sweep of the woeful Cincinnati Reds this season with a 9-2 victory on Sunday.
The Cardinals have won eight of nine overall and 11 in a row over the Reds.
Cincinnati, which has lost five in a row and 13 of 14, has the worst record in the majors at 3-18. The Reds are 0-3 – all against the Cardinals – since firing manager Bryan Price and replacing him with Jim Riggleman.
St. Louis took four games last week in Cincinnati. The Cardinals’ 11-game winning streak over the Reds is their longest since winning 11 straight in 1949.
Wong hit a solo homer in the second inning. DeJong added a three-run shot in the seventh. DeJong is tied for second in the NL with seven home runs.
Mikolas (3-0) gave up two runs, one earned, on five hits. He struck out six and did not walk a batter. He was signed as a free agent on Dec. 5 after spending three seasons in the Japanese Central League.
Wong’s homer came off Luis Castillo (1-3), who allowed three runs on seven hits over five innings. He struck out three and walked four.
The Cardinals added two runs in the third on a run-scoring hit by Dexter Fowler, who reached base five times, and Tyler O’Neill’s sacrifice fly. It was O’Neill’s first major league RBI.
DeJong pushed the lead to 6-2 with his homer in the seventh off Kevin Quackenbush.
The Reds scored twice in the sixth. Joey Votto’s RBI infield single trimmed the deficit to 3-2.
