Colby Rasmus homers, Cardinals rough up Bronson Arroyo for 10-1 victory over Reds

Cardinals pound Arroyo, beat Reds 10-1

CINCINNATI — Colby Rasmus’ homer started St. Louis’ eight-run onslaught against slumping right-hander Bronson Arroyo, and the Cardinals got another solid start from Chris Carpenter for a 10-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.

Rasmus hit a two-run homer in the first off Arroyo (8-8), who is 1-5 in his last seven starts. A throwing error by third baseman Edwin Encarnacion let in a pair of runs in the fifth inning, helping the Cardinals pull ahead 8-0 with Arroyo on the mound.

Carpenter (6-3) bounced back from his worst start of the season, a 6-3 loss to the Giants on Tuesday. The right-hander gave up a run and five hits in seven innings, fanning Laynce Nix on a 94 mph fastball with his 104th and final pitch.

The Cardinals have won four of five. They visit NL Central rivals Milwaukee and Chicago before returning home for the 80th All-Star game at Busch Stadium on July 14.

Albert Pujols, who got the most votes in All-Star balloting and leads the majors with 31 homers and 82 RBIs, had a single and an intentional walk as part of the Cardinals’ balanced offense — every starter had a hit. Catcher Yadier Molina, who also will start for the NL, singled twice and drove in a pair of runs.

The Reds viewed the weekend series as a chance to show they’re more than just a break-even team. They lost two of three to the Cardinals, completing a 3-3 homestand that left them 40-40 overall — 20-20 at home, 20-20 on the road.

Rasmus’ second homer in two games left him with 10, the most by an NL rookie, and added to Arroyo’s history of slow starts. The right-hander has given up 20 earned runs in his 17 opening innings, by far his worst result for any inning.

Carpenter, only a 3-for-19 hitter this season, singled for his first RBI in the fourth inning. The Cardinals broke it open with four runs in the fifth, when the Reds intentionally walked Pujols to load the bases with no outs. Ryan Ludwick then hit a grounder to Encarnacion, whose off-balance throw was wide of home plate, letting in a pair of runs.

Encarnacion had a team-high 23 errors last season. He’s been sidelined most of this season by a broken wrist and has four errors.

Carpenter took his shutout into the seventh, when Jay Bruce had an RBI triple.

NOTES: The nine-run win matched the CArdinals’ most lopsided. They beat the Tigers 11-2 on June 16. … Pujols also leads the majors in intentional walks. He got his 29th on Sunday, five shy of the team record he set last season. … Chris Duncan’s pinch-hit single broke an 0-for-15 slide. … Cincinnati’s Joey Votto extended his hitting streak to eight games. Since coming off the DL on June 23, the first baseman has gone 19 for 50 (.380) in a dozen games.