ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Rookie Sal Stewart homered, doubled, stole a base and scored twice as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-1 on Monday night for their fourth straight win.
Stewart put Cincinnati on the board with in the first inning, ending Jesse Scholtens’ scoreless streak to start the season at 9 2/3 innings.
With his eighth homer, Stewart matched Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox for the lead among major league rookies and St. Louis’ Jordan Walker for the National League lead. Stewart has the rookie lead in RBIs (21) and extra-base hits (13).
The 23-year-old first baseman also snagged a line drive with the bases loaded for the final out.
Rhett Lowder (3-1) needed 33 pitches to get through the first inning, issuing a bases-loaded walk to Yandy Díaz. He settled in from there, allowing five hits and two walks in six innings.
Three relievers worked an inning apiece for Cincinnati. The Reds entered the game with a bullpen ERA of 2.31, the best in the majors.
Scholtens (1-1) allowed five runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.
TJ Friedl doubled in the third and scored on Elly De La Cruz’s single. Eugenio Suárez added a two-run double in the sixth for Cincinnati.
In the seventh, Stewart hit a two-out double, stole third and scored on a wild pitch by Trevor Martin.
Cincinnati’s Ke’Bryan Hayes ended a career-worst 0-for-33 slump with a single in the sixth, ending the longest active streak in the majors. He went 1 for 4 and is batting .071.
Up next
Right-hander Chase Burns (1-1, 2.42 ERA) starts for Cincinnati on Tuesday against Tampa Bay lefty Steven Matz (3-0, 3.80).
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