After a quick 1-2-3 first inning for Carlos Martinez, the Cardinals took advantage of some early-game jitters for Reds starter Tim Melville, a local product who starred at Holt High in Wentzville. After walks to Matt Carpenter and Jeremy Hazelbaker, Matt Holliday deposited a 1-1 offering from Melville over the wall in center. The 400-foot blast was Holliday's first of the season.
After a strikeout, Randal Grichuk reached second on an error by third baseman Eugenio Suarez. Yadier Molina followed with a run-scoring single up the middle to make it 4-0.
Melville threw 35 pitches and was victimized by a pair of first-inning errors.