Cardinals’ Pineiro baffles Reds, 7-2

ST. LOUIS -- Joel Pineiro (2-2) ended with seven innings of one-hit ball, letting his defense take care of several hard-hit shots, and the St. Louis Cardinals jumped on Cincinnati Reds rookie Johnny Cueto (1-3) early in a 7-2 victory Tuesday night.

In their first two at-bats, Troy Glaus and Rick Ankiel combined for four hits and five runs batted in as the Cardinals scored three runs in the first inning and four in the second.

The Cardinals’ Skip Schumaker tied his career best with four hits.

St. Louis is 17-11 and tied the franchise record for wins in April.

“It’s good to get early success and have a little extra confidence,” Manager Tony La Russa said. “This is a tough-minded bunch. Nobody’s going to celebrate, we’re in it for the long haul and I’m telling you, this is going to be a very tough division.”

Cueto gave up seven runs, six earned, and eight hits in 1 2/3 innings in his sixth start.