Spencer Steer homered in consecutive at-bats and drove in five runs, and Elly De La Cruz hit his team-leading 21st homer as the Cincinnati Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1 on Monday night.

Andrew Abbott (10-9) allowed one run and five hits in 6 2/3 innings to snap his three-game losing streak. The left-hander was tagged for 12 earned runs over his previous 13 1/3 innings.

Cardinals starter Sonny Gray (11-7) struck out nine in five innings, but is winless in three career starts against his former club. He gave up six runs and five hits, including three homers.

Abbott retired 11 straight batters during one stretch and finished with six strikeouts. He escaped bases-loaded jams in the second and third.

Steer and De La Cruz homered on successive pitches from Gray to put Cincinnati ahead 3-1 in the third. It was the fifth time this season the Reds hit back-to-back homers.

Steer, who batted leadoff for the third time this year and the fifth time in his career, struck again in the fifth with a three-run shot to make it 6-1.

It was Steer's first career multi-homer game. He has 18 home runs this season.

Gray has given up 17 home runs this season, two shy of his career high set in 2017 with Toronto and 2021 with Cincinnati.

Carlos Marmol was ejected by plate umpire Stu Scheurwater in the fifth after arguing a called ball. It was Marmol's fourth ejection this season and the 13th of his career.

Cardinals RHP Erick Fedde (8-5, 3.28 ERA) pitches Tuesday night, his second start for St. Louis since being acquired from the Chicago White Sox in a trade.

Reds RHP Hunter Greene (8-4, 2.90) had a 24-inning scoreless streak snapped in his last start.