CINCINNATI — Luis Castillo, the Cincinnati Reds’ All-Star righthander, had throttled the Cardinals twice this season, holding them to two runs in 12 innings. But it was the Cardinals who worked over Castillo early in the game Friday night, requiring him to throw 52 pitches to escape the first two innings.
The 50th of those pitches was a 3-0 fastball to Dexter Fowler with two on and two out in the second. Instead of Fowler potentially walking to load the bases, the Cardinals’ veteran had the green light to do whatever he saw fit. He saw fit to hit and hit he did, launching his 14th homer, a three-run shot to right center that gave the Cardinals a 4-0 lead.