Reds roll to fifth win in row

Tyler Naquin hit another leadoff home run and the high-scoring Reds kept rolling, backing Luis Castillo to rout the Pirates 11-4 Wednesday in Cincinnati for their fifth consecutive win.

The Reds have started the season 5-1 for the first time since 2016. They outscored the Pirates 30-8 in the three-game sweep.

Their 56 runs are the most in Reds franchise history through the first six games of a season.

Naquin jumped on Chad Kuhl’s first pitch for his second career leadoff home run, and second in as many days. He became the first Reds batter with leadoff home runs in consecutive appearances since Eddie Milner on June 24-25, 1984.

Cardinals 7, Marlins 0

Yadier Molina hit a two-run homer and Dylan Carlson added a grand slam as St. Louis finished a three-game sweep that dropped host Miami to 1-5 for the first time since 2015.

Jack Flaherty (1-0) allowed one hit in six innings. Genesis Cabrera and Jordan Hicks finished the three-hitter.

Braves 7, Nationals 6, Game 1 Braves 2, Nationals 0, Game 2

Pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval hit a two-run homer in the seventh and final inning to lift host Washington to a doubleheader sweep.

Stephen Strasburg allowed one hit and had eight strikeouts in six scoreless innings in Game 2 for the Nationals.

Ronald Acuna Jr. doubled and had a pair of singles in the Braves’ win in Game 1.

Indians 4, Royals 2

Jose Ramirez’s second two-run homer of the game snapped a tie in the eighth against Greg Holland. Shane Bieber struck out 12 for the second consecutive game, allowing two runs and three hits in 6„ innings for host Cleveland.

This and that

The postponed season-opening series between the Nationals and Mets has been rescheduled, with two of the games moved to June and the other to September.

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was held out of the lineup with soreness in his left side.