Cardinals get to Gray early, blast Reds 16-2

[September 02, 2020]  Brad Miller homered twice and recorded a career-high seven RBIs as the St. Louis Cardinals didn't allow Cincinnati ace Sonny Gray to make it out of the first inning in their 16-2 road rout of the Reds on Wednesday night.

Miller and Kolten Wong each had four hits as the Cardinals (14-13) recorded 23 en route to their highest-scoring contest since a 17-4 win over Pittsburgh on May 9, 2019. St. Louis scored six times in the first inning off Gray (5-2, 3.19 ERA), who entered with a 1.94 ERA, but allowed five hits and walked three of the 10 batters he faced over 38 pitches and a career-low 2/3 innings as a starter.

Meanwhile, Cardinals starter Kwang Hyun Kim (2-0, 0.83 ERA) gave up three hits over five scoreless innings. It was the second time this year he did not yield a run against Cincinnati (15-21), which has dropped three in a row.

St. Louis, which has won three in a row, didn't waste any time producing in this contest against Gray.

Wong and Tommy Edman opened with consecutive singles and Paul Goldschmidt followed with a walk. Miller then doubled into right field to score two. After Gray walked the bases loaded again, Dexter Fowler delivered a two-run single for a 4-0 St. Louis lead. Two more scored when Wong singled to right field, ending Gray's remarkably short night.

Miller clubbed a two-run homer in the second off Lucas Sims, who entered with an 0.69 ERA, to make it 8-0. Edman's run-scoring double off Sims made it 9-0 in the third. Miller's career night continued with an RBI single in the fifth.

Cardinals starting pitcher Kwang-Hyun Kim (33) throws against the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

Yadier Molina increased the Cardinals' advantage to 11-0 with a run-scoring single, also in the fifth. St. Louis added two more on Andrew Knizner's two-run, pinch-hit single in the sixth.

Miller's fourth homer of the year, a two-run shot off the right-field foul pole in the eighth, came off position-player Matt Davidson, who took the mound to save the Reds' bullpen.

Cincinnati's Joey Votto homered in the sixth for one of his two hits on the night.

--Field Level Media

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