The flu kept first baseman Joey Votto and second baseman Brandon Phillips out of action for the second consecutive game Friday night, forcing manager Dusty Baker to go with the same makeshift lineup against St. Louis that produced a 6-5 win over Milwaukee the night before.
Thursday's win went a long way toward proving the quality of Cincinnati's bench, which was a focus of the Reds' off-season efforts. "(Thursday) was a big win for us," said right fielder Jay Bruce, who hit a home run to extend his hitting streak to eight games. "I know Joey and Brandon want to be out there, but for us to be able to pull one out without them has to make them feel good, and it gives us a lot of confidence, too. It's good for us to get a close win without them. That was a great game for us to pull out."
Bruce was equally impressed with the team's ability to bounce back from Wednesday's 15-3 loss.
"It's huge," he said. "It's a characteristic of a good team that, no matter whether you win by 15 or lose by 15 the night before, you clean the slate and come out the next night and take care of business."
REDS 6, CARDINALS 4: Johnny Cueto pitched seven strong innings, scored two runs and drove in one as the Reds won back-to-back home games for the first time this season. Jay Bruce and Willy Taveras both extended hitting streaks to nine games, and four different Reds each had two hits.
