| 1 | CINCINNATI (AP) -- The mound was slippery, the rain was steady, the bullpen was exhausted. |
| 2 | Michael Wacha overcame all of it for another win. |
| 3 | Wacha gave St. Louis' tired bullpen a respite by throwing seven innings in the rain Thursday, and the Cardinals pulled away to a 3-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, taking yet another series from their NL Central rival. |
| 4 | The Cardinals improved to 30 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2013 season. |
| 5 | They have the best record in the major leagues at 69-39. |
| 6 | ''It's August already,'' Wacha said. |
| 7 | They took two of three in Cincinnati and have won 15 of their last 18 series together. |
| 8 | The Reds were shut out for the last 18 innings. |
| 9 | 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. |
| 10 | 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. |
| 11 | ''Absolutely had to happen,'' manager Mike Matheny said. |
| 12 | The right-hander allowed four hits and a pair of walks, allowing only two runners to reach second base as he beat the Reds for the third time this season. |
| 13 | It was impressive considering the start of the game got pushed back twice and there were long delays between innings while the grounds crew worked on the field. |
| 14 | ''It's pretty tough pitching in that kind of stuff, but we've got to deal with it,'' said Wacha, who threw 102 pitches. |
| 15 | 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. |
| 16 | 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. |
| 17 | There was a long delay after the sixth inning to spread a drying compound around the infield. |
| 18 | Lorenzen, one of five rookies in the Reds' rotation, gave up three runs in five innings. |
| 19 | He hasn't won since June 21, going 0-5 in seven starts. |
| 20 | In his last four starts, he's allowed 20 runs in 18 innings. |
| 21 | Grichuk went 0 for 4, ending his hitting streak at eight games. |
| 22 | Cincinnati's Brandon Phillips extended his hitting streak to seven games. |
| 23 | It was the Cardinals' 11th shutout of the season, fourth-most in the NL. |
| 24 | Last year, they had 23 shutouts. |
| 25 | ... The Reds' streak of 18 innings without a run matches their longest of the season - they also did it in June. |
| 26 | ... Wacha has given up only two runs in 20 1-3 innings against the Reds this season. |
| 27 | It was the 13th rain delay at Great American Ball Park this season, totaling 18 hours, 41 minutes. |
| 28 | Cardinals: LF Stephen Piscotty was hit in the left thigh by one of Lorenzen's pitches while trying to bunt in the fifth inning. |
| 29 | He stayed in the game. |
| 30 | Reds: CF Billy Hamilton got a day off. |
| 31 | He has one hit in his last 15 at-bats. |
| 32 | Cardinals: St. Louis goes to Milwaukee for a three-game series. |
| 33 | Lance Lynn (8-6) is 7-3 career against the Brewers with a 2.53 ERA. |
| 34 | The seven wins are his most against any opponent. |
| 35 | Reds: Cincinnati starts a 10-game trip against the Diamondbacks, the Padres and the Dodgers. |
| 36 | Raisel Iglesias (2-3) tries for his first back-to-back wins in the majors, making his first appearance against Arizona. |