CINCINNATI • Catcher Yadier Molina, playing in the only place that loathes him as much as St. Louis loves him, had the hits that helped put the Cardinals ahead and the catch that kept them there Saturday night at Great American Ball Park.

Molina homered and singled as the Cardinals picked apart Cincinnati’s pitching for a 6-3 victory, and he was able to snare a foul tip that silenced the Reds’ best uprising. Each hit brought the usual boo from a mostly partisan crowd of 41,585, large enough for the second sellout of the season in Cincy. But his catch caught the crowd speechless. With the tying runs in scoring position, Todd Frazier nicked a two-strike 100-mph pitch just enough that Molina only had time to react to the ball at the tip of his mitt. He was able to maintain a hold on the baseball for a strikeout and end the threat.

It was that kind of attention to detail that carried the Cardinals.

Defensive gems from Molina and second baseman Mark Ellis foiled the Reds’ lineup. Jon Jay, who wasn’t even supposed to play Saturday, had two RBI singles, both off lefthanded pitchers that the Cardinals had intended for him to avoid. And Jaime Garcia continued hinting at what health could mean for him and, by extension, the Cardinals rotation. The lefty struck out seven and pitched 5 2/3 innings before yielding the lead to the bullpen.