CINCINNATI (Interstat) — Andre Pallante pitched six strong innings and the St. Louis Cardinals exploded for eight runs on 12 hits, defeating the Cincinnati Reds 8-1 on Friday, May 22, 2026, at Great American Ball Park.

Pallante allowed only two hits and one earned run while striking out three, improving to 5-4 on the season. The right-hander rebounded from a pair of difficult outings in which he had taken losses against the Kansas City Royals and Athletics. The Cardinals, who had lost the previous two games to the Pittsburgh Pirates by a combined 13-2 score, snapped a three-game losing streak overall.

The Reds struck first in the bottom of the second inning. Nathaniel Lowe led off with his seventh home run of the season, a solo shot to right field, giving Cincinnati a 1-0 lead. The hit was one of only two the Reds managed all night.

St. Louis answered in the third inning. After Victor Scott II struck out, JJ Wetherholt walked and Iván Herrera walked, putting runners on first and second. Alec Burleson singled to center field, deflected by shortstop Elly De La Cruz, scoring Wetherholt and moving Herrera to third. Jordan Walker then grounded into a force out that brought home Herrera, giving the Cardinals a 2-1 lead.

The Cardinals added a run in the fourth. Masyn Winn singled, Bryan Torres singled, and after a strikeout, Victor Scott II singled to load the bases. Wetherholt singled to second base, deflected by first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, scoring Winn. The inning ended when Herrera grounded into a double play, stranding two runners, but St. Louis led 3-1.

The game remained 3-1 until the seventh inning. With one out, Herrera walked. After Burleson flied out, Jordan Walker stepped to the plate and launched his 14th home run of the season, a line drive to right-center field, scoring Herrera and extending the lead to 5-1. The home run was the pivotal moment of the game, breaking open a tight contest and putting the Cardinals firmly in control.

St. Louis added a run in the eighth. Victor Scott II singled, moved to third when Herrera tripled to right field on a ball deflected by center fielder Dane Myers. Herrera’s triple, his first of the season, scored Scott and made it 6-1.

In the ninth, the Cardinals padded their lead. Masyn Winn walked, and Bryan Torres hit his first home run of the year, a fly ball to right-center field that scored Winn and made it 8-1. Torres finished the game 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

Cincinnati’s only other hit came in the second inning when Blake Dunn singled after Lowe’s home run, but the Reds could not push across another run. The Reds managed only two hits total, one of them the solo home run.

Chris Paddack took the loss for Cincinnati, falling to 0-6 on the season. He pitched five innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits while striking out five. The Reds have lost four of their last five games and now stand at 26-25, while the Cardinals improved to 29-21.

St. Louis’s bullpen was perfect behind Pallante. Matt Svanson pitched a scoreless seventh with two strikeouts, Ryne Stanek worked a hitless eighth with one strikeout, and George Soriano closed the ninth without allowing a hit. Sam Moll pitched a scoreless sixth for Cincinnati, allowing one hit.

The game lasted 2 hours, 39 minutes in front of an announced crowd of 19,927.

Pallante’s performance was especially important because the Cardinals had lost the first two games of their homestand against Pittsburgh after returning from a road trip. The right-hander set the tone early, retiring the side in order in the first inning and working around a walk in the second after Lowe’s home run. He allowed only two baserunners after the second inning, both on a walk and a single in the fifth that did not score.

The Cardinals’ offense, which had been limited to two runs in their previous two games, broke out with a balanced attack. Seven different St. Louis players had hits, and five drove in runs. Jordan Walker led the way with three RBIs, while Iván Herrera had two hits, including the triple, and drove in a run.

For the Reds, Lowe’s home run was the only extra-base hit. Cincinnati struck out nine times and left only three runners on base.

The series continues Saturday with the Cardinals and Reds meeting again at Great American Ball Park.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of St. Louis Cardinals 6, Cincinnati Reds 5. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Cincinnati with a 52.40 percent probability to win. St. Louis had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total score of 9 went over the over-under line of 9.5.