Reds 1, Cardinals 0: Johnny Cueto dominated through eight innings to win a pitchers’ duel with Lance Lynn as host Cincinnati took three of four from St. Louis.

Brandon Phillips walked and scored the only run in the eighth inning on a fielder's choice while Aroldis Chapman finished it off for his 33rd save as the Reds recorded their first three-game winning streak since Aug. 5-7. Cueto (18-8) allowed three singles and a walk while striking out seven, retiring the final 14 men he faced to become baseball's second 18-game winner in 2014.

Lynn (15-9) was charged with a run and three hits with six strikeouts in eight innings for the Cardinals, whose lead in the National League Central was reduced to 2 1/2 games over Pittsburgh. The right-hander, who won his first three starts against the Reds this year, retired 15 in a row at one point and struck out four straight before issuing the walk to Phillips to begin the eighth.

After Matt Adams led off the top of the fourth with a base hit, neither team had a player reach safely until Phillips worked the five-pitch walk against Lynn. Jay Bruce singled Phillips to third and Phillips raced home when Jon Jay failed to come up with a sinking liner off the bat of Ramon Santiago, getting only a force at second.

Cueto walked Matt Carpenter to begin the game and hit Jay with a pitch before striking out Matt Holliday and Adams to help escape the jam. Bruce robbed Adams of a home run with a leaping grab over the wall in right to begin the seventh and Chapman worked around a two-out walk in the ninth.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Reds won a series with their NL Central rivals for just the second time in their last 13 chances. ... Chapman saved all three Cincinnati wins in the series on consecutive days. ... St. Louis returns home to open a three-game series with Colorado on Friday while the Reds head to Milwaukee for three games.