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.

–Field Level Media

The San Diego Padres started the season by dropping four of their first five games before getting on a roll.

The Padres have won 14 of their last 17 games, including a four-game home sweep of Colorado as part of an eight-game winning streak. The Rockies can exact some revenge when they host the Padres in the opener of a three-game set on Tuesday in Denver.

San Diego right-hander Randy Vasquez (1-0, 2.49 ERA) goes to the mound on Tuesday. Colorado has not named a starter for the series opener.

The Padres were off Monday while the Rockies dropped a 12-3 decision to the Los Angeles Dodgers to end a four-game wraparound series.

Vasquez is making his second start of the season against Colorado and the eighth in his career. In his previous seven outings against the Rockies, he is 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA. He allowed just one run and struck out eight in 5 2/3 innings on April 9 in San Diego.

While the Padres have piled up the wins since late March, there is another ongoing streak that could make history this week. Closer Mason Miller is close to breaking the club’s consecutive scoreless innings record held by Cla Meredith.

Miller’s streak of 32 2/3 scoreless innings is one behind Meredith, who established the mark from July 18 to Sept. 12, 2006.

If he doesn’t allow a run in his next full inning, he’ll also tie Chris Short for eighth place among relievers for the longest streak since 1961. Gregg Olson holds the record with 41 shutout innings from Aug 4, 1989, to May 4, 1990, with Baltimore.

“This season is off to a good start,” Miller told MLB.com. “I finished last season strong. The two aren’t necessarily connected.”

If he is to continue the streak on the road, he’ll have to do it on the high altitude of Denver or when San Diego plays Arizona in Mexico City on Saturday and Sunday.

Colorado may derail those plans after a confidence-building series against the Dodgers. Like the Padres, Los Angeles was rolling heading to Denver before the Rockies split the series.

There’s much more optimism in Colorado surrounding this season after losing 119 games in 2025. The Rockies shook up their roster, and some of the early returns are positive. Troy Johnston and TJ Rumfield have played well in their first year with the team, and Edouard Julien has been a catalyst when he’s in the lineup.

Julien had three hits in a 9-6 win over the Dodgers on Sunday and is batting .259 heading into this three-game series.

“Eddie’s been great for us since day one,” manager Warren Schaeffer said. “We knew that he was going to be an on-base machine. That’s what he’s done in his career. The type of hitter he is, he takes walks, he swings at the balls in the strike zone. That’s what we like at the top.”

–Field Level Media