Albert Pujols appreciates history. He just doesn't let it overshadow what he considers important. Pujols hit his club-record fourth grand slam of the season and 10th of his career, and Jarrett Hoffpauir drove in the go-ahead runs in the ninth inning with his first career hit as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-4 on Friday night.

There was some concern that catcher Ramon Hernandez was hurting. He stumbled into second base on a double Wednesday and was not in the lineup Thursday.

Both Hernandez and right fielder Jay Bruce were off Thursday, but manager Dusty Baker said, "It is more like we are giving a couple of guys days off."

Ryan Hanigan and Chris Dickerson were in the lineup in place of Hernandez and Bruce.

Hernandez said he is OK. "I just tripped running to second, funny stuff, almost fell. I'm fine. Just a day off, and I don't mind when we have another good catcher who will do just as good of a job as me."

Hanigan had a career-best three hits, then Hernandez pinch-hit in the eighth and singled, remaining in the game.

Bruce was hitting .212, and when asked about his day...

Joey Votto still has his touch in the clutch. Votto turned a tough pitch into a two-out single with the bases loaded in the 10th inning Thursday, sending Cincinnati to a 3-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on an afternoon that was as frustrating as it gets for the Reds until the final swing. Leave it to Votto to come through.

They saw him reach for his back on the mound. They saw him stretching in the dugout. The Arizona Diamondbacks knew Johnny Cueto was hurting. With the exception of a comeback grounder off his leg, they couldn't touch him. Cueto overcame a stiff back on Wednesday night, and Joey Votto singled home a sixth-inning run that sent the Cincinnati Reds to a 1-0 victory over the slumping Diamondbacks, who...

Head down, lips drawn tight, Dan Haren did his best to keep a straight face as he rounded the bases. The right-hander had just ended a month of good moments with another one that made him want to break into a big, beaming smile. That would have to wait. Haren connected on his first career homer Tuesday night, then tried to keep his emotions in check as he rounded the bases during a 6-2 victory over...

Brandon Phillips found the perfect way to celebrate his 28th birthday: by beating the Cleveland Indians. Phillips broke out of a 1-for-16 slump with three hits, three runs and three RBIs to lead the Cincinnati Reds to an 8-1 win over his former team Sunday. "It's good to have a game like I did today, especially on my birthday and against the guys you used to play for," Phillips said.

Homer Bailey struggled to grip his pitches for the Cincinnati Reds. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Indians appear to be losing their hold on the season. Bailey labored through five innings for Cincinnati, walking seven and throwing two wild pitches, but was good enough for the Reds to beat the Indians 7-3 on Saturday night.

Jeremy Sowers finally got over his middle-inning hump. The Cleveland Indians still have a long climb ahead. Sowers pitched into the eighth inning for the first time this season, Ryan Garko hit a two-run homer and Victor Martinez added a solo shot to lead the Cleveland Indians to just their second win in 10 games, 9-2 over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night.

Joey Votto made sure the Cincinnati Reds didn't get swept out of his hometown. Votto had a tiebreaking home run among his four hits and the Reds avoided a sweep, beating the Toronto Blue Jays 7-5 on Thursday night. Born in suburban Toronto, Votto came in 2 for 18 in five career games here but turned that around by doubling home a run in the first, hitting an RBI single in the second, reaching...

One year later, Bronson Arroyo took another beating in Toronto. Aaron Hill, Adam Lind and Vernon Wells homered in a five-run first inning and the Toronto Blue Jays again battered Arroyo, beating the Cincinnati Reds 8-2 Wednesday night. Toronto won its third straight game. Cincinnati lost its fourth in a row and dropped two games under .500 for the first time this season.