Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright (2-1) yielded one run on seven hits in eight innings of work Sunday to defeat the Reds.
The one run Wainright allowed came in the third inning via an RBI single from Brandon Phillips.
Wainright struck out four and walked two.
"When you think careful, you end up making a mistake and you don't throw pitches with conviction," Wainwright said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I wanted to pitch (Bruce) tough. I wanted to throw him pitches he could swing at. If you give in right there he can hit a tank bomb and all of sudden you’re down 4-1."
The right hander lowered his ERA to 1.72 with Sunday's performance.
Wainright's next start is set for Saturday in Milwaukee.