CINCINNATI — Cardinals right-hander Kyle Gibson took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning on the road in the bandbox the Cincinnati Reds call home, and Nolan Arenado and Nolan Gorman each smashed home runs as the Cardinals bounced back and avenged a series-opening loss on Monday.

Arenado’s first home run against a left-handed pitcher in 111 plate appearances helped ignite a 13-hit performance as the Cardinals defeated the Reds 7-1 in the second game of a three-game series Tuesday night at Great American Ball Park.

The win evened the series at one game apiece and set up a rubber match on Wednesday afternoon. The Cardinals (26-27) also pulled back within a game of a .500 record.

Gibson (4-2) allowed one run on two hits and two walks in six innings. He allowed one home run and struck out six. His five no-hit innings matched Sonny Gray’s outing against the Baltimore Orioles on May 21 for the longest a Cardinals starter has gone into a game this season without having allowed a hit.

Arenado went 1 for 4 with a home run and a walk, a positive sign for the All-Star third baseman who’d been slumping badly at the plate.

Gorman’s home run was the 50th of his career, the first he’s hit at Great American Ball Park.

First baseman Paul Goldschmidt (2 for 4, walk), rookie catcher Ivan Herrera (3 for 5, RBI) and utility player Brendan Donovan (2 for 3) had multi-hit games. Donovan left the game after he doubled and went to third on a fielding error in the seventh inning.

Herrera’s RBI single in the eighth inning scored Goldschmidt and snapped an 0-for-14 stretch with runners in scoring position for the Cardinals.

Rookie shortstop Masyn Winn went 1 for 5 with two RBIs and extended his hitting streak to 17 games, which tied Jordan Walker and Albert Pujols for the second-longest hitting streak by a rookie in club history.

Arenado goes deep

One day after Arenado spoke in blunt, raw terms about his struggles at the plate, including his inability to pull the ball to left field in the air, he smacked his fourth home run of the season in the fourth inning.

Arenado expressed frustration with his swing and characterized it as “not good” and said, “I haven’t felt like me all year,” following Monday’s series opener.

He entered the day in an 0-for-10 stretch, and he’d batted .194 in his previous 15 games.

Prior to Tuesday's game, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol expressed confidence that Arenado would pull out of his funk at the plate.

“Nado is one of the best players in the big leagues," Marmol said. "He’s one of the most feared hitters in that box. By the time this done, it will be no different. I trust him a ton. I think he’s going to come out of this and prove a lot of people wrong.”

Asked if the confidence he expressed was because of Arenado’s track record — the eight-time All-Star is also a five-time Silver Slugger Award winner — Marmol explained that his reasoning went beyond statistics.

“His competitive track record,” Marmol replied. “Not just what’s on the back of his baseball card. When you’re a competitor and you care as much as he does, you find ways out of these types of situations. And I’m betting on Nolan doing exactly that.”

Arenado hit a 1-0 fastball from Reds starting pitcher Andrew Abbott, a left-hander, an estimated 390 feet to left field for a two-run home run. The ball came off Arenado’s bat with an exit velocity of 107.5 mph and gave him his first home run since May 13 in Anaheim, Calif. That was the hardest exit velocity on a ball hit by Arenado this season.

It gave Arenado his first home run against a left-hander in 111 plate appearances, dating back to July 18, 2023.

Gibson unhittable through 5

Gibson didn’t allow a hit through the first five innings against the Reds. The veteran allowed just two walks in the first five innings and struck out six in that same span.

He retired eight Reds batters to start the game, and he sat down 14 of 15 to start his outing.

The first hit he allowed came on a Will Benson home run that led off the sixth inning. Gibson allowed one more hit in the inning, a two-out double into right field by Jeimer Candelario. The inning ended on a line out to Arenado by Spencer Steer.

Through six innings, Gibson got 15 swings and misses on 95 pitches. Five of those swings and misses came on his sweeper.

Benson’s sixth-inning home run snapped a stretch of 12 scoreless innings for Gibson. He didn’t allow a run in his previous start against the Baltimore Orioles. He’d gone four innings before that outing got shortened by a rain delay. He also didn’t allow a run in the final three innings of his start against the Boston Red Sox on May 17.

Cardinals bats bounce back

After they were held to just five hits on Monday afternoon coming off a short turnaround from their rain-delayed game on Sunday night, the Cardinals scored the first three runs and six in the first seven innings on Tuesday.

Prior to Arenado’s two-run home run in the fourth inning, the Cardinals took a 1-0 lead on Winn’s RBI double to center field. Donovan, who singled with two outs, scored on the double to give the Cardinals the advantage.

Prior to Arenado’s home run, Herrera swatted a single that landed in front of Reds center fielder Benson. That put Herrera aboard for the two-run blast.

The Cardinals tacked on three runs in the seventh inning after Gibson gave up the solo homer in the bottom of the sixth.

The first three batters of the seventh inning reached for the Cardinals. Carlson walked, and Gorman smoked a two-run home run an estimated 415 feet to right field one pitch after his bunt attempt rolled foul.

Donovan then advanced to third on a double into the right field corner and a fielding error by Red right fielder Jake Fraley. Michael Siani entered the game to run for Donovan, and he scored on an RBI ground out by Winn.

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