The Cincinnati Reds (71-62) and St. Louis Cardinals (67-63) played a doubleheader, games 2 and 3 of the series, at Great American Ballpark on Wednesday. Game 1 was a pitcher's duel won by Jon Lester and the Cardinals.

A doubleheader was necessary after Game 2 was rained out on Tuesday night.

In the first game of the doubleheader, the Cardinals looked to Miles Mikolas (0-1, 2.70 ERA) on the mound. Mikolas has missed most of this season, returning last week in Pittsburgh.

While the Reds went with Wade Miley (11-4, 2.74 ERA) on the mound.  Miley had won 7 straight starts for the Reds.

Back and Forth Affair in Cincy

Unlike Game 1 of this series, the offense was not at a premium. These NL Central rivals traded leads throughout the contest.

Paul Goldschmidt got the party started by mashing a 435-foot home run in the first inning. Goldschmidt homered in the first inning of Game 1 as well.

Harrison Bader led off the second inning with a homer of his own to put the Cardinals up 3-0 early on.

Then in the bottom of the second inning, the Reds' offense woke up. Tucker Barnhart drove Joey Votto in with a single to left-center. Then pitcher Wade Miley hit a double and drove in two runs to give the Reds a 3-2 advantage.

The Cardinals would not allow the Reds to hold a lead for long though. In the third, Edmundo Sosa tied the game by bringing Nolan Arenado in to score via a sacrifice fly.

The Reds would take the lead right back in the bottom of the third. After Nick Castellanos reached on an infield single, Votto drove him in with a double and gave the Reds a 4-3 lead.

The third inning would be Mikolas' last inning on the mound. He pitched 3 innings, allowed 5 hits, 4 runs, walked 1, and struck out 3 on 55 pitches.

Then in the fourth, Goldschmidt would come up big yet again. Goldschmidt hit a 2-run blast to center to give the Cardinals a 5-4 lead.

Miley was pulled after giving up the lead in the fourth. He pitched 4 innings, allowed 12 hits, 5 runs, walked 1, and struck out 2 on 66 pitches.

After both starters left the game, both offenses cooled down. The bullpens did a great job of keeping both teams in the game and limiting the offense.

Giovanny Gallegos was able to close the door in the seventh inning and the Cardinals earned the 5-4 win. Gallegos earned his third save of the campaign.

Cardinals Gaining Momentum

After a big win in Game 1 of this series on Monday, the Cardinals were able to stay hot on Wednesday and get another big win. They were able to do so with big hits from Goldschmidt and very good pitching.

Goldschmidt went 2-2 with 2 homeruns and 3 RBIs. He also drew 2 walks. Goldschmidt led the way for an offense that had 12 hits and 3 home runs. All 3 homers and all 5 runs scored came against Wade Miley.

"They came out swinging," Miley said. "I didn't execute my pitches. I didn't make adjustments. I'm not going looking for any answers. It was just a bad day. The last Goldschmidt at-bat, I'd like to have back."

With the win, the Cardinals find themselves just 2 games outside of the NL Wildcard. Goldschmidt knows the Cardinals need to focus on the games in front of them, not the playoffs.

"I doubt if many guys try make it bigger than it is," the first baseman said. "We'll try to do that throughout the rest of the season."

Miles Mikolas had a shaky day on the mound. In his third start since returning from injury, he lasted just 3 innings and gave up all 4 of the Reds' runs.

"I thought he was way better than his line," Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. "We had to hit for him in the fourth inning. The fourth inning is like the sixth inning of a nine-inning game. Miley did his part with a ball down the line, and some balls found holes."