SAN LUIS — Ryan Helsley closed the duel to earn his 29th consecutive save, the best number in the majors, while Alec Burleson drove in the only run of the duel that the St. Louis Cardinals won 1-0 on Friday against the Cincinnati Reds .
Helsley finished the ninth inning with three men. Left-hander Brendan Donovan jumped to make a catch in front of the left field wall to end the game.
Helsley has not blown a save opportunity since March 30. That was his first appearance of the season, against the Dodgers in Los Angeles.
But in that match, Helsley ended up taking the victory.
With one more save, Helsley will tie the Cardinals’ record of 30 saves, which Hall of Famer Lee Smith set in 1993 before the All-Star break.
Andre Pallante (4-3) pitched 5 1/3 innings, limiting the Reds to just four hits. He struck out five and walked three, while hitting one pitch.
Dominican Frankie Montás (3-6), who signed as a free agent for this season, allowed one run and two hits in six innings.
For the Reds, the Dominicans Elly de la Cruz 3-0, Noelvi Marte 4-0, Santiago Espinal 4-0.
For the Cardinals, Venezuelan Willson Contreras 3-1.
