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 The defending World Series champions have dropped five in a row, matching their season high. After regrouping for an impressive comeback, the Cardinals have started unraveling down the stretch.
They were 10 1/2 games out at the end of June, but had rallied to within a game of first place in the NL Central before they hit their current slump. The loss left them four games out, their biggest deficit since Aug. 24.
One of the stars of their summer charge was a big reason this one slipped away.
Right fielder Rick Ankiel let a fly ball drop for a double, then let another deflect off the heel of his glove for a two-run error during Cincinnati's six-run third inning. Dunn, who hit a solo homer in his first at-bat, hit his seventh career slam off Mulder (0-2) during the 10-batter inning.
David Eckstein and Ryan Ludwick hit solo homers off Matt Belisle (8-8), who allowed six hits in seven innings.
There was more bad news for St. Louis before the game. Outfielder Chris Duncan is out for at least 10 days
-- and possibly for the season -- because of a sports hernia that will need surgery at some point. Also, third baseman Scott Rolen had season-ending shoulder surgery.
The Cardinals' rotation was the foundation for their about-face. It's been a big part of their recent downturn.
The 30-year-old Mulder hoped to shore it up by making his comeback from shoulder surgery last Sept. 12. He rejoined the club and gave up six runs in four innings of an 8-2 loss to Pittsburgh last Wednesday.
He was hit hard in his second start, lasting only four innings again. The Reds piled up seven hits and seven runs, aided by Ankiel's misadventures.
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Ankiel was one of baseball's feel-good stories last month, when the failed pitcher made his return to the majors as a slugging outfielder. He hit a grand slam and drove in nine runs during a three-game sweep of the Reds from Aug. 31 to Sept. 2.
Since then, he's come under scrutiny for reports that he received shipments of human growth hormone in 2004, before it was banned by Major League Baseball. A few fans chanted "HGH!" when he came to bat and grounded out in the eighth, leaving him in an 0-for-17 slump.
Ankiel's defense was the main problem on Tuesday.
He got under Ken Griffey Jr.'s fly to the warning track, then looked away at the last moment to locate center fielder Jim Edmonds. Ankiel looked back for the ball and couldn't reach it, letting it fall for a double.
Mulder then walked Brandon Phillips and gave up Dunn's grand slam, a 471-foot shot high off the batter's eye in center. The two homers gave Dunn 38 for the season.
With two runners aboard and two outs, Belisle hit a fly to the warning track. Ankiel ran it down, then let it deflect off the heel of his glove for a two-run error.
Notes: Ankiel has two errors since rejoining the Cardinals. ... St. Louis is 9-4 against the Reds this season. ... Eckstein opened the game with his first homer since June 3. It marked the third time this season and the seventh time in his career that he led off the first inning with a homer. ... Dunn topped 100 RBIs for the third time in his career.
[Associated Press;
by Joe Kay]
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
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