"Adam Wainwright hit 200 innings Saturday afternoon.

He and the Cardinals insist the 200 innings aren't hitting back.

The Cincinnati Reds did their best against Wainwright to clean up any remaining suspense in a division race they again lead by eight games. Employing the unusual mix of three early unearned runs and a pitcher's home run to take down the Cardinals' 17-game winner, the Reds secured a 6-1 win before 44,596 at Busch Stadium and a national television audience.

Wainwright (17-10) entered August having never lost three consecutive major-league starts. Ambushed Saturday by three first-inning runs, he suffered his fourth defeat in as many games, lasting five innings for a second straight outing.

By game's end, shadows had crawled over Busch Stadium and a quickly aging season. The Cardinals, who gave a clean performance in Friday night's 3-2 win, lost their sixth in seven games and returned to eight games behind the division-leading Reds with just 29 left to play.

Frustrated by the experience, Wainwright made a terse pledge: "I won't lose again."

Saturday cut off Wainwright's major-league record of 28 consecutive home starts of at least six innings with three earned runs or less. To his surprise, he got the hook after five innings and 83 pitches.

"The way that game was going, it was probably better to save him some pitches," manager Tony La Russa said.

La Russa said there was nothing wrong with Wainwright's stuff, and he didn't agree with a suggestion that this season's innings may be taking a toll on his pitcher's efficiency or durability.

"If you watch him, he's throwing in the 90s. He's got a great breaking ball," La Russa said. "For me, what I was taught ... you watch to see what happens. They got three first-pitch hits that hurt him. Throwing a first-pitch strike is usually a good thing."

Reds starting pitcher Travis Wood (5-2) pitched seven solid innings but he also hurt Wainwright by turning a first-pitch strike into a 361-foot home run with two outs in the fourth inning."