CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Even the lopsided ones come with last-inning frights for the Cincinnati Reds. Devin Mesoraco homered and drove in three runs, and Mike Leake pitched into the seventh inning and doubled home a run, leading the Reds to a 9-5 victory on Tuesday night that ended their six-game losing streak against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Reds held on in the ninth, needing their closer to finish off only their third win in the last 11 games. They are 17-33 since the All-Star break, sliding out of contention. "The good thing was we stayed resilient," manager Bryan Price said. The Cardinals lost for only the second time in 11 games but maintained their 4 1/2-game lead over Pittsburgh in the NL Central. St. Louis is 10-4 against the Reds and 40-25 overall in the division. Leake (11-11) was coming off his worst start of the season, giving up a season-high seven runs and three homers during a 9-7 loss in Baltimore last Thursday. Against the Cardinals, Leake allowed three runs and eight hits. He also doubled home a run in the fourth off Michael Wacha (5-6) for a 3-1 lead. His fifth double of the season was his 68th career hit, the most by any pitcher in the majors since his debut in 2010. Aroldis Chapman relieved with two on and two outs in the ninth and fanned Mark Ellis on a 101 mph fastball to end it, getting his 31st save in 33 chances. Mesoraco hit his 23rd homer in the first inning, a two-run shot. He also doubled home a run in the fifth as Cincinnati scored four times, knocking Wacha out of the game. "Thats the first time Ive faced Wacha, and I wasnt quite sure what to expect," Mesoraco said. "On 3-2 he threw me a curveball in the middle of the plate. I wasnt sure it was going to be a home run, but the ball was carrying tonight." Wacha made his second start since returning from a shoulder problem that had sidelined him since mid-June and gave up six hits, six runs and three walks. Down 7-1, the Cardinals sent nine batters to the plate in the seventh inning. Tony Cruz and Jon Jay had RBI singles, and Jumbo Diaz walked Jhonny Peralta with the bases loaded, cutting it to 7-4. First baseman Brayan Pena made a diving stop of A.J. Pierzynskis line drive to end the rally. "We had some diving plays," Leake said. "This was one of the best games weve played so far." Chris Heiseys two-run single in the eighth let Cincinnati pull away. STAR PLAY Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong saved a run in the fourth when he sprinted into right field and made an over-the-shoulder catch of Billy Hamiltons fly, holding onto the ball as he tumbled on the ground. MESORACO AND BENCH Mesoraco has hit 22 of his 23 homers while catching, the most by a Reds catcher since Johnny Bench hit 23 in 1980. His other homer came as a designated hitter. STATS Wong extended his hitting streak to six games. ... Wacha allowed five earned runs for the first time this season. ... RHP Sam Tuivailala made his big league debut and gave up two runs and retired two batters. ... Xavier Scruggs got his first career hit. ... Reds SS Zack Cozart snapped an 0 for 16 slump. ... It was the first time this season that the Reds won a game when they allowed 14 hits. TRAINERS ROOM Cardinals: Manager Mike Matheny is gradually increasing Wachas pitch counts. Matheny says getting him back is "like getting a new player" for down the stretch. He threw 70 pitches on Tuesday, 44 for strikes. Reds: Starter Dylan Axelrod is likely done for the season with a strained right oblique, sustained on his seventh pitch Monday night. ... 1B Joey Votto took ground balls for a second straight day on Tuesday. The Reds are trying to get him ready to play the final week of the season. He has been on the disabled list since July 8 with strained muscles above his left knee. UP NEXT Cardinals: St. Louis is 10-4 against the Reds this season. John Lackey (13-9) starts the third of their four-game series on Wednesday. Reds: Alfredo Simon (13-10) is 1-7 with a 5.27 ERA in 10 starts since his first All-Star game. Brad Peacock Astros Jersey . The Extreme Heat Policy was enacted at Melbourne Park just before 2 p.m. Thursday, suspending all matches on outer courts until the early evening and requiring the closure of the retractable roofs at Rod Laver and Hisense arenas before play could continue on the show courts. Andy Pettitte Jersey . - All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers looked spry enough in pregame warmups Sunday for Green Bays divisional playoff game against Dallas. http://www.baseballastrosproshop.com/josh-reddick-astros-jersey/ .com) - Rick Nash scored twice and Derek Stepan chipped in a goal with one assist as the New York Rangers claimed a 5-2 decision over Calgary at the Saddledome. Houston Astros Jerseys .com) - Rakeem Christmas scored 21 points, B. Robinson Chirinos Astros Jersey .C. -- After a listless first half, the Washington Wizards used a big third quarter run to beat the Charlotte Bobcats Bradley Beal scored 21 points and the Wizards used a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take control of what had been a close game and beat the Bobcats 97-83 on Tuesday night.Paris, France (SportsNetwork.com) - Serena Williams highlighted Sundays winners in the first round of the French Open. The world No. 1 Williams began her title defense at Roland Garros with a 6-2, 6-1 win over French wild card Alize Lim on Court Chatrier. Williams was erratic at times, piling up 36 unforced errors, but the 17-time Grand Slam singles champion saved all seven break points she faced and fired 37 winners to just seven for Lim, who was making her debut in the main draw of a major. "I was a little nervous, as I always am in my first rounds. Its kind of always hard for me to shake those nerves," Williams said. The American beat Maria Sharapova last year to capture her second career French Open crown. She also won this clay-court tournament in 2002, beating older sister Venus in the final. Another former champion, Italian Francesca Schiavone, was ousted on Day 1, losing 6-3, 6-3 to Croatias Ajla Tomljanovic. Schiavone won the French Open title in 2010 and was the runner-up to Li Na the next year.dddddddddddd Third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland advanced, defeating Chinas Shuai Zhang 6-3, 6-0 on the red clay at Stade Roland Garros. Radwanskas best result at the French Open was a spot in the quarterfinals last year. Venus, an owner of seven Grand Slam singles titles, moved into the second round after posting a 6-4, 6-1 win over 17-year-old Swiss Belinda Bencic. The 29th-seeded Venus played her 58th career match at Roland Garros, the most among active players. Other seeded winners included No. 8 Angelique Kerber of Germany, No. 14 Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain and No. 31 Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia. Romanian Monica Niculescu rallied to beat 25th-seeded Estonian Kaia Kanepi 5-7, 6-3, 6-1. American Varvara Lepchenko, Austrian Yvonne Meusburger, French wild card Claire Feuerstein, Slovakian Anna Schmiedlova, Spaniard Garbine Muguruza, Swede Johanna Larsson and Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova also moved into the second round. ' ' '