Zach Cole hit a three-run homer during a five-run ninth inning and the visiting Houston Astros beat Cincinnati 10-0 on Friday, sending the Reds to their eighth straight defeat.
Zach Dezenzo, Yordan Alvarez and Christian Vazquez also homered for Houston, which opened the three-game series by recording its third shutout of the season.
Mike Burrows (2-4) allowed three hits with one walk and six strikeouts over a career-high seven innings. He retired the last 11 batters he faced.
The Reds were outhit 13-5 while being blanked for the fourth time this season. Cincinnati has lost nine of its last 10 to fall into last place in the National League Central.
Vazquez followed Cole’s homer in the ninth with a solo shot against Tony Santillan. The Astros continued their onslaught against position player Jose Trevino, who made his fourth pitching appearance of the season.
Houston set the tone with two runs in the second inning against Nick Lodolo (0-1), who was making his season debut after dealing with a blister on his left index finger.
Lodolo retired the first two batters in the second before Brice Matthews tripled and scored when Dezenzo deposited a 1-2 sinker into the right field seats.
Cincinnati’s best scoring threat came when it loaded the bases with one out in the fourth. Burrows escaped the jam when Spencer Steer flied out and Tyler Stephenson struck out on three pitches.
Houston added to its lead in the sixth when Jose Altuve was hit by a pitch with one out and Alvarez followed with a two-run homer to right center. The 407-foot blast was Alvarez’s team-leading 13th homer of the season.
Lodolo allowed four runs on five hits over 5 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out two.
Houston tacked on a run in the eighth inning against Tejay Antone when Altuve hit a leadoff double, moved to third on Alvarez’s groundout and scored on Isaac Paredes’ groundout to second.
