CINCINNATI (AP) — Ben Lively earned his first victory as a starter since 2017, Kevin Newman drove in three runs and Cincinnati had its highest hit total in almost a year in a 10-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night.

Rookie shortstop Matt McClain hit the second homer of his big league career and Spencer Steer had a career-best four hits with two RBIs for Cincinnati, which pounded out 18 hits, the team’s highest total since posting 20 against the Chicago Cubs last May 26.

Lively’s last win as a starter came as a member of the Phillies on Sept. 29, 2017, against the Mets. A fourth-round draft pick by the Reds in 2013, Lively spent time with the Phillies and two seasons as a reliever for the Royals before a two-year stint in South Korea.

Lively (2-2) worked six innings, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out eight. It was the 31-year-old right-hander’s longest effort since April 20, 2018, when he also went six inning for the Phillies in a 2-1 win over Pittsburgh.

The Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan and Lars Nootbaar homered, hitting leadoff shots in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively.

St. Louis left-hander Steven Matz remained winless after giving up up four runs in the first inning. Matz (0-6) allowed a season-high 11 hits and matched a season high by allowing six earned runs.

The Reds scored in the first inning for the fifth straight game when Tyler Stephenson plated two runs with a single. Newman’s two-out, two-run double made the score 4-0.

Cardinals right fielder Oscar Mercado appeared to rob McClain of an extra-base hit in the fourth inning, but the ball popped out of his mitt and into the stands for a solo homer, making the score 6-1.

St. Louis second baseman Nolan Gorman extended his career-best hitting streak to 14 games with a single in the third.

TRAINERS ROOM

Cardinals: OF Dylan Carlson (left ankle sprain) took some swings Wednesday from the right side. He will swing from the left side in a few days. …. OF Tyler O’Neill (lower back strain) hit off a tee Wednesday. He has had two setbacks in his recovery.

Reds: OF TJ Friedl, who returned on Tuesday after missing 10 games with a left oblique strain, was given a day off on Wednesday to ease him back into action. He was available off the bench.

UP NEXT

Reds RHP Luke Weaver (1-2, 6.54) will make his first start against his former team, while Cardinals RHP Miles Mikolas (2-1, 4.77) is looking for his first win at Great American Ball Park since April 14, 2018.

St. Louis						Cincinnati
	ab	r	h	bi			ab	r	h	bi
Nootbaar cf	5	1	2	2		India 2b	4	2	2	0
Goldschmidt dh	4	0	1	0		McLain ss	5	2	2	1
Knizner ph	1	0	0	0		Steer 1b	5	2	4	2
Gorman 2b	4	0	1	0		Stephenson c	5	2	2	2
Arenado 3b	3	0	0	0		Senzel lf	3	2	2	1
Yepez lf	0	0	0	0		Fairchild rf	5	0	3	1
Contreras c	3	0	0	0		Newman 3b	4	0	2	3
Barrera ph-c	1	0	0	0		Maile dh	5	0	1	0
Donovan 1b-3b	3	1	1	1		Barrero cf	4	0	0	0
Edman ss	4	0	1	0
Burleson lf-1b	3	1	1	0
Mercado rf	4	0	1	0
Totals	35	3	8	3		Totals	40	10	18	10

St. Louis	000	110	001	—	3
Cincinnati	401	102	20x	—	10

E–Mercado (1). LOB–St. Louis 9, Cincinnati 10. 2B–Mercado (3), Newman (3), Stephenson (8), Fairchild (8), McLain (4). HR–Donovan (4), Nootbaar (4), McLain (2). SB–Newman (2), Fairchild (4). SF–Senzel (2).

	IP		H	R	ER	BB	SO

St. Louis
Matz L,0-6	4		11	6	6	2	2
Stratton	1	2-3	4	2	2	0	2
Cabrera	2	1-3	3	2	2	1	2

Cincinnati
Lively W,2-2	6		5	2	2	2	8
Herget	2		1	0	0	1	0
Salazar	1		2	1	1	1	1

WP–Herget.

Umpires–Home, Ryan Additon; First, Dan Merzel; Second, Lance Barksdale; Third, Will Little.

T–2:39. A–12,626 (43,891).