CINCINNATI — With a chance to leapfrog the Cincinnati Reds in the standings, the Cardinals got enough pitching to keep the game within reach but not enough offense to close the gap.

A day after a rare win when their pitchers did not strike out a batter, the Cardinals lineup struck out 15 times, including 10 times from the bottom four spots in the lineup, and came up short in the series finale Sunday at Great American Ball Park. The Reds hit a pair of late solo homers — just as the Cardinals did Saturday — to pull away for a 7-4 victory.

That halted the Reds’ losing streak and kept them from dipping below .500 while also keeping the Cardinals (68-70) from reaching .500.

In his ongoing start-by-start hold on a spot in the rotation, Andre Pallante limited the Reds to six hits through his f

See Full Page