Reds top Cardinals

Associated Press

CINCINNATI -- Adam Dunn led off two straight innings with home runs and the Cincinnati Reds overpowered slumping Mark Mulder before holding on for a 7-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday.

Dunn moved into a tie for the NL lead with his 19th and 20th home runs to help the Reds improve to 2-0 under interim manager Jerry Narron, who was promoted from bench coach on Tuesday to replace the fired Dave Miley.

Reds starter Ramon Ortiz (3-5) didn't allow a hit in his first career appearance against St. Louis until Mark Grudzielanek led off the fifth with his seventh home run of the season. Ortiz gave up five hits and three runs in seven innings for his second win in his last three starts.

David Weathers pitched 1 2-3 innings of effective relief before Kent Mercker struck out Jim Edmonds for the final out in the ninth for his first save in three tries. The save was his first since Aug. 27, 2003, for Atlanta against the New York Mets.

Mulder (8-5), who is 1-4 in his last five starts after going 7-0 in his previous eight, allowed season highs of 12 hits and seven runs in four innings. His previous season highs were 11 hits, by the Reds in his 6-5 loss on April 13, and six runs by Cincinnati and two other teams.

Joe Randa gave the Reds a 1-0 lead by driving in Rich Aurilia from second base with a two-out single in the first. Mulder gave up three hits in the inning, which matched the total he gave up over seven shutout innings in the Cardinals' 7-3 win over the Reds on May 4.

Dunn sparked Cincinnati's four-run second by leading off with his 19th homer. Aurilia added an RBI single and Ken Griffey Jr. hit a two-run double to the base of the center-field fence.

Dunn led off the third inning with his second homer, giving him four multihomer games this season and 13 in his career. Jason LaRue followed with a single, moved to third on Ortiz's double and scored on Aurilia's one-out single to center.

The Cardinals added two runs after Grudzielanek's homer in the fifth and scored three in the eighth.

Notes: Dunn's homers gave him six this season off left-handers, including his last three. The left-handed hitter went into the game hitting .162 against left-handers ... Randa extended his hitting streak to eight games (10-for-29, .345) ... Ortiz's double was his second career hit and first for extra bases in 42 at-bats ... Edmonds started for the first time on the nine-game road trip and extended his hitting streak to five games (7-for-19, .368). He missed the previous eight games with a hairline fracture of his left middle rib ... The Cardinals had won six consecutive series before dropping two of three in Cincinnati.