Sal Stewart slugged a two-run homer as the National League Central-leading Cincinnati Reds won for the fourth straight time, topping the Tampa Bay Rays 6-1 on Monday in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The first baseman went deep in the first inning, his eighth of the season, to provide all the offense the visitors needed. Cincinnati improved to 4-0 on a six-game road trip, logging its sixth win in seven games.
Stewart added a double, scored twice, stole a base and made two fine defensive plays in the ninth. Cincinnati’s Rece Hinds doubled in two runs.
After a slow start, the Reds’ Rhett Lowder (3-1) settled in and gave up one run on five hits in six innings. He fanned three and walked two to help Cincinnati improve to 9-2 on the road.
Tampa Bay’s Chandler Simpson was 2-for-5 with a run, but the Rays managed just six hits as they took their third loss in four games.
Jesse Scholtens (1-1) yielded five runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out six without a walk.
Cincinnati entered with a .202 team batting average and .178 with runners in scoring position — the worst in baseball. However, Stewart improved those numbers by taking Scholtens’ 93 mph sinker deep on a 3-2 offering, belting it 424 feet to center to plate Matt McClain, who had doubled.
Lowder allowed the first four batters to reach in the bottom of the first, with Yandy Diaz producing an RBI walk. However, the right-hander retired the next three batters, including Jake Fraley and Cedric Mullins on called third strikes.
The Reds added a run when Elly De La Cruz was jammed but managed a bloop single to right to score TJ Friedl for a 3-1 lead in the third.
In the sixth, the Reds took advantage of a defensive mistake by third baseman Junior Caminero, who fielded a potential double-play grounder but instead threw to first base to let two runners to move into scoring position with two outs. Hinds followed with a double to left for a 5-1 lead.
Making his major league debut, Cincinnati reliever Trevor Martin wild-pitched home Stewart for the final run after a two-out double and stolen base in the seventh.
Martin permitted the one run in 2 1/3 innings.
