Cincinnati, OH (Best E Casino) - Edinson Volquez hurled seven innings of shutout ball and the Cincinnati Reds salvaged the final contest of a three- game series with a 7-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Volquez (15-5) put together his second consecutive strong start, allowing just three hits and four walks with four strikeouts. Brandon Phillips hit a three- run homer while Chris Dickerson and Edwin Encarnacion had three-hit games with a run scored each. Jay Bruce added two hits and an RBI for Cincinnati, which won for just the fourth time in their last 16 games.

Kyle Lohse (13-6) took the loss surrendering three runs on seven hits and three walks with two strikeouts for the Cards. The surprise right-hander has now won just once in six starts after a 12-2 start. Ryan Ludwick and Skip Schumaker had two hits and an RBI each while Troy Glaus added an RBI hit in defeat.

The Cardinals remain on the edge of contention in the NL-Central, trailing the first-place Chicago Cubs by 7 1/2 games and the second-place Milwaukee Brewers by two games in the divison and the wild card race. St. Louis had won four straight and six of eight overall coming into the game.

Cincinnati got a pair of runs in the first, staking Volquez to an early lead. Dickerson led off with a single and moved to third on a double to left from Jerry Hairston Jr. Bruce came through with an RBI single and Javier Valentin plated a run two batters later with a force out at second.

St. Louis loaded the bases with one away in the sixth on back-to-back singles from Schumaker and Ludwick followed by a walk to Albert Pujols. Volquez bared down though and retired both Rick Ankiel and Glaus swinging to escape the jam.

The Reds then added a run to their lead in the bottom half when Encarnacion lined a double to center and scored on a Jeff Keppinger RBI single to center.

Cincy added some insurance in the seventh with a three-run homer from Phillips. Phillips turned on a second-pitch fastball from Jaime Garcia sending the ball just over the wall in left.

St. Louis immediately capitalized on Volquez's departure in the eighth off David Weathers. Pujols managed an infield single and Ankiel walked before a Glaus single through the right side plated Pujols.

Cincinnati remained in control, however, getting an RBI single from pinch- hitter Joey Votto off Ryan Franklin in the home half.

Francisco Cordero pitched a rocky ninth in the non-save situation, yielding two runs on four hits with RBI hits from Schumaker and Ludwick.

Game Notes

St. Louis leads the season series 6-3 including a 4-2 mark in Cincinnati...The Reds head to Chicago for a three-game series starting Tuesday while St. Louis returns home to a rare two days off sandwiched around a two-game series with Pittsburgh before hosting Atlanta and Milwaukee as part of a seven-game homestand.