CINCINNATI (AP) -- Michael Wacha gave the Cardinals' tired bullpen a respite by throwing seven innings in the rain on Thursday afternoon, and St. Louis pulled away to a 3-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, taking yet another series from its NL Central rival.
The Cardinals improved to 30 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2013 season. They have the best record in the major leagues at 69-39.
They took two of three in Cincinnati and have won 15 of their last 18 series together. The Reds were shut out for the last 18 innings.
St. Louis pulled out the second game of the series on Randal Grichuk's homer in the 13th inning for a 4-3 win on Wednesday night. Wacha (13-4) overcame a 68-minute rain delay at the start of Thursday's game, and then gave his used-up bullpen a rest.
The right-hander allowed four hits and a pair of walks, allowing only two runners to reach second base. Trevor Rosenthal gave up an infield single and a walk in the ninth while getting his 32nd save in 34 chances and completing a five-hitter.
Tony Cruz snapped his 0-for-15 slump with an RBI single, and Kolten Wong singled home two more off Michael Lorenzen (3-7) as the teams played through intermittent, sometimes heavy rain. There was a long delay after the sixth inning to spread a drying compound around the infield.
Lorenzen, one of five rookies in the Reds' rotation, gave up three runs in five innings. He hasn't won since June 21, going 0-5 in seven starts. In his last four starts, he's allowed 20 runs in 18 innings.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Cardinals: LF Stephen Piscotty was hit in the left thigh by one of Lorenzen's pitches while trying to bunt in the fifth inning. He stayed in the game.
Reds: CF Billy Hamilton got a day off. He has one hit in his last 15 at-bats.
UP NEXT
Cardinals: St. Louis goes to Milwaukee for a three-game series. Lance Lynn (8-6) is 7-3 career against the Brewers with a 2.53 ERA. The seven wins are his most against any opponent.
Reds: Cincinnati starts a 10-game trip against the Diamondbacks, the Padres and the Dodgers. Raisel Iglesias (2-3) tries for his first back-to-back wins in the majors, making his first appearance against Arizona.
