Reds manager Bob Boone has a theory: Score five runs, and you win most of the time. The way Elmer Dessens pitched Saturday night, five runs will win every time. Dessens beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-2 before a crowd of 34,158 at Cinergy Field.

        Dessens (4-2) went seven innings, allowing four hits and two runs. He struck out a career-high nine and walked two. The nine strikeouts were the most by a Red this season.

        “Elmer was great,” Boone said. “He came out using his breaking ball. He was starting to lose that at the end. But he and (catcher) Jason LaRue put some pitches in great spots.”

        Even as Dessens lost velocity late in the game, he got better as game went on. He retired 12 of his last 13 batters. Dessens' ERA over his past four starts is 3.00.

        “The last three outings,

        I've been feeling better,” he said.

        The victory snapped a four-game losing streak and got the Reds within 7 1/2 games of the Cardinals in the National League Central. It also broke the Reds' six-game losing streak at Cinergy.

        The win came as great relief to the Reds, who lost a 5-4 stunner the night before when the Cardinals scored three runs in the ninth.

        “I can't tell you what a relief it is,” Sean Casey said, “especially after last night. We've had a lot of 4-3, 3-2, 2-1 games. It was nice to get a lead and relax.”

        The Reds had not won a game by five runs since April 28 in Colorado. A starting pitcher had not won a game at Cinergy since April 20.

        With the way the Reds have been going offensively, they need decent pitching to have a chance. Boone's lineup Saturday had a .159 hitter (Deion Sanders), a .053 hitter (Brandon Larson), a .143 hitter (Bill Selby) and a .213 hitter (Juan Castro).

        But before the crowd — the biggest since Opening Day — could say “Who's Bill Selby?” the Reds had a 3-0 lead. (Selby, signed as a roster filler at Triple-A Louis ville, was the Reds' starting second baseman for the second straight night).

        LaRue, batting second for the first time in his career, and Alex Ochoa hit back-to-back one-out singles.

        After Casey flied to deep right, Ruben Rivera singled to get LaRue home.

        Larson then hit a ball second baseman Fernando Vina fielded, but his throw got through first baseman Craig Paquette. Ochoa scored easily and Rivera came all the way around from first to score.

        That made it 3-0.

        “We had our hitting shoes on a bit,” Boone said. “We got a break. And (third base coach) Ronnie Oester made a real aggressive play to get the third run in. That was big.”

        Dessens had five strikeouts through two innings, but he ran into trouble in the third. Vina singled. Paquette sacrificed him to second. J.D. Drew singled to make it first and third.

        Albert Pujols hit a line drive that Ochoa caught and came up firing. Vina just beat LaRue's sweep tag to score.

        But LaRue ended the inning by throwing out Drew trying to steal. It was the fifth consecutive would-be base stealer LaRue has nailed.

        The Reds got the run back and more in the third.

        LaRue walked and Ochoa singled to get LaRue to third. Casey got them both home with a drive to deep center. Jim Edmonds appeared to have the ball tracked, but he dived and it went over his glove for a double.

        Two outs later, Selby drove one over Edmonds' head for a double to score Casey and make it 6-1.

        “Runs give every pitcher confidence,” Dessens said.

        Edmonds led off the fourth with his eighth home run of the year. It extended to 16 the club-record streak of games in which a Reds pitcher has allowed a homer.

        Castro led off the sixth with a double down the left-field line. He scored when Paquette threw away Dessens' sacrifice.

        “It's nice to get a win for sure,” Boone said.

        “We'll get a little healthier (today). Maybe Dmitri (Young) can play.”

        The Reds can use the help. The hitting is still hurting. Sanders was 0-for-3, dropping his average to .149. He is 0-for-his-last-20. Larson was 0-for-4, dropping his average .043.

Reds 7, Cardinals 2 DAUGHERTY: Reds fans are watching 2003 now Is it Reese's time at shortstop? Reds' injury bug hits minors Definition of desperate? LaRue batting second Reds box, runs

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