CINCINNATI — Yadier Molina heard the boos again. Then he came through again, sending the Cincinnati Reds to their lowest point since 1955.
Molina homered and drove in three runs Friday night, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 5-3 victory that deepened the Reds’ opening slump and added to his legacy against them.
The catcher has gotten booed loudly at Great American Ball Park — even during the 2015 All-Star Game — by fans who haven’t forgotten his scuffle with Brandon Phillips in 2010. They boo louder every time he delivers another game-turning hit.
He’s still got the touch.
“Yadi continues to just get better,” manager Mike Matheny said.
St. Louis came into the series with a stagnant offense but broke out during two games against the worst pitching staff in the majors, piling up 18 runs and 25 hits. Molina has homered in each game, giving him a team-high five this season.
Molina’s 21 career homers against the Reds are his most against any team.
“Yadi’s being Yadi,” said Luke Weaver (2-0), who pitched into the seventh inning. “He does it so well back there and calls a great game.”
The Reds lost their sixth in a row and have the worst record in the majors at 2-11. They also lost 11 of their first 13 games in 1955. Another loss on Saturday would produce their worst start since 1931.
“We’ve been through some stretches — some challenging, difficult times with winning games over the last few seasons,” manager Bryan Price said.
The Reds managed only two infield singles until the seventh, when Devin Mesoraco hit a two-run homer off Weaver. The right-hander has beaten the Reds three times in a row, giving up a total of four earned runs. Overall, Weaver is 9-1 in 12 starts since Aug. 2.
Bud Norris allowed a hit and a walk in the ninth while getting his second save in two chances, fanning Tucker Barnhart for the final out.
Molina had a solo shot and a two-run single off Tyler Mahle (1-2), who gave up nine hits and five runs in 5 1/3 innings. The Cardinals took control with five runs in the sixth, when Dexter Fowler had a solo homer and Marcell Ozuna extended his hitting streak to 12 games with an RBI single.
“They hit some good pitches — that hurt — and I made some bad pitches,” Mahle said. “It was a little bit of both. It all just kind of blew up.”
Joey Votto was back in the Reds lineup after getting a day off, ending his streak of 202 consecutive starts. He singled home a run in the eighth off Tyler Lyons and was picked off first base by Dominic Leone..
BRAVES 4, CUBS 0 Anibal Sanchez pitched three-hit ball over six innings, Preston Tucker backed him with a three-run homer and the Atlanta Braves spoiled Yu Darvish’s first home start for the Chicago Cubs with a victory. Sanchez struck out six and walked one.
MARLINS 7, PIRATES 2 Justin Bour homered and drove in two runs, and the Miami Marlins beat the Pittsburgh Pirates. JB Shuck had a career-high four hits in his first major league game since 2016, and Miguel Rojas added three hits for the Marlins, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Miami posted season highs in runs and in hits with 14.
METS 6, BREWERS 5 Todd Frazier hit his first two home runs with the Mets, new catcher Jose Lobaton tripled in his first at-bat with the team, and New York extended its winning streak to nine with a victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Steven Matz ended an 11-start winless streak dating to June 28 as New York improved to 11-1 under new manager Mickey Callaway, the best start in team history. The Mets are on their longest winning streak since 11 consecutive victories from April 12-23, 2015.
ROCKIES 2, NATIONALS 1 Carlos Gonzalez homered and had a sacrifice fly to drive in both of Colorado’s runs, leading the Rockies to their third straight victory with a win over the Washington Nationals. Gonzalez gave the Rockies a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning with his third homer of the season, and hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the sixth.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
YANKEES 8, TIGERS 6 Aaron Hicks hit an inside-the-park home run in the second inning, then added a solo shot over the fence in the sixth to send the New York Yankees to an 8-6 victory over the skidding Detroit Tigers on Friday night. Hicks came up with a runner on second and hit a drive to right-center that bounced off the wall and past center fielder Leonys Martin. The ball rolled across a vacant area of turf while Hicks circled the bases for the Yankees’ first inside-the-park homer since 2011.
BLUE JAYS 8, INDIANS 4 Teoscar Hernandez made the most of his season debut, driving in the go-ahead run with a single off All-Star Andrew Miller in the seventh inning as Toronto rallied past Cleveland. Hernandez, who was recalled earlier in the day when the Blue Jays placed third baseman Josh Donaldson on the 10-day disabled list, added an RBI double in a three-run ninth.
ANGELS 5, ROYALS 4 Albert Pujols homered and drove in three runs, Ian Kinsler had three hits and a sacrifice fly that scored Shohei Ohtani with the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, and Los Angeles rallied to beat Kansas City. The Angels have won six straight and nine of 10. Their 12-3 start matches their best record after 15 games, set in 1979.
ASTROS 3, RANGERS 2 Gerrit Cole struck out a career-high 14 in seven innings and Derek Fisher scored the go-ahead run on center fielder Drew Robinson’s error in the eighth, sending Houston past Texas. George Springer homered twice against Rangers ace Cole Hamels. Springer has three homers this season — all against Hamels.
RED SOX 7, ORIOLES 3 Eduardo Nunez hit a three-run homer, Eduardo Rodriguez struck out eight over six stingy innings and Boston equaled its best start in 100 years with a win over Baltimore. Rafael Devers went 3 for 5 and scored twice for the Red Sox, who improved to 11-2. J.D. Martinez had a pair of hits and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly during Boston’s four-run first inning, which put the Red Sox in command on the way to their 11th victory in 12 games.
INTERLEAGUE
PHILLIES 2, RAYS 1 Jorge Alfaro hit a go-ahead single with two outs in the ninth inning and the Philadelphia Phillies won their fourth straight game by beating the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 on Friday night. Alfaro’s ground single to left field off closer Alex Colome (0-2) scored Scott Kingery, who doubled, for a 2-1 lead.