Greene allows one run through seven innings, Candelario homers as Reds beat Cardinals 4-1

CINCINNATI (AP) — Hunter Greene allowed one run through seven innings, Jeimer Candelario hit a two-run homer and the Cincinnati Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-1 on Tuesday night to secure a win of the series between the NL Central rivals.

The hard-throwing Greene (9-4) allowed four hits while striking out eight and walking one in notching his third straight win in a game played in one hour and 59 minutes.

“My body felt really good,” the All-Star pitcher said. “(I was) able to get to all of my pitches. My release point felt great. Just felt super athletic and loose.”

Greene was asked if he has staked his claim of being considered the Reds' ace.

“That's for the people to decide,” he said. “I've already made up my mind of being one. I feel like my process has been solid. I've been as consistent as I could be. But there's still a lot of work to put in, and the season's not over yet.”

Reds manager David Bell likes Greene's confidence and aggressiveness. Greene was still hitting 99 mph in his last inning of work.

“He's pitching great,” Bell said. “I thought tonight (was) just another step of attacking, conviction behind his pitches. I know (Reds) hitters pick up on that, and it's just attack, attack, attack. I thought he did it with his best fastball tonight.”

Spencer Steer had a two-out, RBI single in the first inning. Ty France led off the second with a homer off the roof of the Cardinals bullpen in right, his 11th of the season.

Candelario smashed his 19th homer with two outs in the sixth.

“I was just looking for a quality AB,” Candelario said. “I'm just putting myself in a great position to hit the ball hard and see what happens.”

Cardinals starter Erick Fedde (8-6) went six innings, giving up four runs and six hits and striking out two. He allowed both of Cincinnati's home runs.

Nolan Arenado led off the seventh with a 400-foot homer into the left-field seats to cut the Reds lead to three in what would be Greene's last inning.

Tony Santillan retired the Cardinals in order in the eighth, and Alexis Diaz got them in the ninth for his 24th save in 26 tries. He has 17 in a row.

Cincinnati won the series opener on Monday night 6-1.

“We haven’t come through in certain situations,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. "You have to grind out at-bats. Moving forward we have to be better. Greene is not a guy you get right against.”

UP NEXT

Cardinals right-hander Kyle Gibson (7-4, 3.99 ERA) faces Reds right-hander Emilio Pagan (2-3, 4.22) in the finale of the three-game series Wednesday night.

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St. Louis Cardinals' Willson Contreras smiles toward the dugout after hitting a double during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)

St. Louis Cardinals' Erick Fedde delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)

Cincinnati Reds' Elly De La Cruz fields a ground ball against St. Louis Cardinals' Masyn Winn during the third inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol watches play during the third inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)

Cincinnati Reds Ty France rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)

St. Louis Cardinals' Masyn Winn catches a line drive during the second inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)

Cincinnati Reds' TJ Friedl is picked off first as St. Louis Cardinals' Paul Goldschmidt makes the tag during the third inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)

Cincinnati Reds' TJ Friedl hits a single during the third inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)

Cincinnati Reds' Hunter Greene delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)

LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Lawyers representing 100 survivors and family members of victims of the deadliest shooting in Maine history have begun the formal process of suing the Army and an Army hospital for failing to act to stop the reservist responsible for the tragedy, attorneys announced Tuesday.

The individual notices of claim say the Army was aware of the reservist's mental health decline that left him paranoid, delusional and expressing homicidal ideations, producing a “hit list” of those he wanted to attack.

“It is difficult to conceive of a case in which Army personnel could have more warning signs and opportunities to intervene to prevent a service member from committing a mass shooting than what happened in the case of Army Reservist Robert Card,” lawyers wrote in their notices mailed Friday.

The notices of claim by four law firms are a required step in suing the federal government. The Army will have six months to determine whether to respond, after which a lawsuit may be filed.

Eighteen people were killed when the 40-year-old Card opened fire at two locations he'd frequented — a bowling alley and a cornhole league hosted by a bar and grill — on Oct. 25, 2023. Another 13 people were injured. Card was found dead two days later from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

An independent commission appointed by Maine's governor concluded that there were ample opportunities to intervene by both civilian law enforcement and the Army. For now, lawyers for victims and family and friends who suffered loss are focusing on the Army, and not a private hospital that treated Card or civilian law enforcement.

The Department of Defense, U.S. Army and Army Keller Hospital “broke its promises, failed to act reasonably, violated its own polices and procedures and disregarded directives and orders,” the claim said.

In September 2023, when Card threatened to “shoot up” an armory and his friend warned of "a mass shooting,” the Army failed to provide critical background about two doctors recommending that Card not have access to weapons when it requested that local law enforcement officers check on his well being. Card's commanding officer even downplayed the threat by undercutting the credibility of the soldier who issued the warning, and by declining to share all information at his disposal, the claims said.

Cynthia Young, whose husband William and 14-year-old son Aaron were killed at the bowling alley, said in a statement that pain and trauma never goes away. “As terrible as the shooting was it’s even more tragic that there were many opportunities to prevent this and they were not taken,” she added.

The filings said there may have been a time when mass shootings were so rare that they couldn’t be predicted but “that has not been true in America for decades.”

“Mass shootings, like what happened in Lewiston, are an epidemic in America. Consequently, those in positions of responsibility and authority are required to appreciate the warning signs and behaviors that telegraph the risk of mass violence, take them seriously, and act to prevent their occurrence," the claims said.

FILE - A man photographs a make-shift memorial at the base of the Lewiston sign at Veteran's Memorial Park, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)

FILE - A woman visits a makeshift memorial outside Sparetime Bowling Alley, the site of a mass shooting, Oct. 28, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

FILE - Rain-soaked memorials for those who died in a mass shooting sit along the roadside by Schemengees Bar & Grille, Oct. 30, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)

FILE - Law enforcement personnel are staged in a school parking lot during a manhunt for Robert Card in the aftermath of a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, Oct. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

FILE — In this image taken from New York State Police body camera video that was obtained by WMTW-TV 8 in Portland, Maine, New York State Police interview Army reservist Robert Card, the man responsible for Maine's deadliest mass shooting, at Camp Smith, in Cortlandt, N.Y., July 16, 2023. (WMTW-TV 8/New York State Police via AP, File)

FILE - Law enforcement gather outside Schemengee's Bar and Grille, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)