ST. LOUIS - Jake Westbrook bounded out of the dugout for the ninth inning before Manager Mike Matheny could change his mind.
The right-hander quickly finished off a five-hitter for his first shutout in more than six years, backed by four home runs in the St. Louis Cardinals’ 10-0 rout over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday.
“He was making a statement,” Matheny said. “He wanted to make sure he gave the appearance he was ready to go. What a great day for him.”
Westbrook (1-1) hasn’t allowed an earned run in 15 2/3 innings this season, although he took the loss on an unearned run in a 1-0 setback to Barry Zito in San Francisco in his season debut. He relied heavily on a sinker against the Reds with 16 ground ball outs.
“It always means a lot when you can finish what you started,” Westbrook said. “The ball was in the zone and really moving a lot. I guess I know when I’m good is when I get a lot of ground balls.”
The lineup made a statement, too. Jon Jay, Carlos Beltran and Matt Adams homered in a span of seven at-bats off Homer Bailey as the Cardinals took two of three from the National League Central champions after Cincinnati stunned them with a nine-run ninth in the home opener.
“It’s a great point about resiliency,” Matheny said. “They certainly showed a different brand the last two days.”
Matt Carpenter added a two-run home run on a four-hit day. Adams homered for the second consecutive game and added an RBI double and walk.
The Cardinals have dominated the Reds at home the past decade, losing just three of 28 series with two splits. They outscored them 15-1 the last two games of the series, and the Reds were shut out for the first time in the finale.
DIAMONDBACKS 10, PIRATES 2 A.J. Pollock homered twice, doubled and drove in four runs as host Arizona salvaged the final game of their series against Pittsburgh, routing the Pirates. GIANTS 10, ROCKIES 0 Buster Posey drove in three runs, Barry Zito pitched another gem and host San Francisco completed a sweep of Colorado. Staked to an early lead, Zito (2-0) won his 11th consecutive decision, including last postseason.
BRAVES 8, MARLINS 0 Evan Gattis hit a three-run home run and visiting Atlanta completed its second consecutive three-game sweep. Mike Minor pitched 52/3 innings for the Braves, whose 8-1 record leads the majors. They’re off to their best start since 1994, when they began the season 13-1. PHILLIES 7, METS 3 Domonic Brown and Chase Utley homered in a five-run first inning, Kyle Kendrick threw six effective innings and host Philadelphia beat New York.
INTERLEAGUE NATIONALS 5, WHITE SOX 2 Bryce Harper homered, Ian Desmond had three extra-base hits, Danny Espinosa provided his first two RBI of the season and host Washington beat Chicago to stay unbeaten at home.
AMERICAN LEAGUE BLUE JAYS 8, TIGERS 6 J.P. Arencibia hit a three-run double in the seventh inning, and visiting Toronto rallied from a five-run deficit to beat Detroit.
RAYS 2, RANGERS 0 Matt Moore and four Rays relievers combined on a five-hitter and visiting Tampa Bay beat Texas in the coldest day game ever at Rangers Ballpark.
ORIOLES 8, RED SOX 5 Manny Machado’s three-run home run capped a five-run ninth inning and gave visiting Baltimore a victory over Boston. The Red Sox had gone ahead 5-3 in the sixth on consecutive home runs by Daniel Nava and Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
ROYALS 3, TWINS 0 Wade Davis (1-0) pitched out of bases loaded jams in the first two innings, Billy Butler and Jeff Francoeur homered, and host Kansas City beat Minnesota.
Wednesday’s games
NATIONAL LEAGUE
St. Louis 10, Cincinnati 0 Arizona 10, Pittsburgh 2 San Francisco 10, Colorado 0 Philadelphia 7, NY Mets 3 Atlanta 8, Miami 0 Milwaukee at Chicago, ppd., rain LA Dodgers at San Diego, (n)
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Toronto 8, Detroit 6 Tampa Bay 2, Texas 0 Baltimore 8, Boston 5 Kansas City 3, Minnesota 0 NY Yankees at Cleveland, ppd., rain Oakland at LA Angels, (n) Houston at Seattle, (n)
INTERLEAGUE
Washington 5, Chicago White Sox 2
Sports, Pages 22 on 04/11/2013