CINCINNATI – Amed Rosario had already hit the ball hard three times tonight, with only minimal production to show for it. By the time he stepped up to the plate a fourth time to face Nick Lodolo, the veteran Nationals infielder had to like his chances of doing it again. And perhaps finally having something real to show for it.

Sure enough, Rosario delivered. His three-run homer to center in the top of the sixth gave the Nats a lead they would not relinquish during what wound up a satisfying, 11-6 victory over the Reds.

That big blast capped a four-RBI night for Rosario, who got the nod at third base against Cincinnati’s left-handed starter and got four chances to face him. His first two at-bats produced loud outs, both in the air to center field. His third found the gap in left-center for an RBI double. But it was his fourth that made the most impact, literally and figuratively.

Stepping to the plate with two on and one out in a tie game, with Lodolo still on the mound for the Reds, Rosario saw a belt-high changeup over the plate and belted it 408 feet to center field. He cruised around the bases to cheers from the visitors’ dugout.

“I was prepared since my first at-bat,” Rosario said, via interpreter Mauricio Ortiz. “But of course towards the second and third, I kind of knew what he was going to throw.”

The Nationals didn’t let up after that. Nathaniel Lowe added an RBI single in the sixth. Jacob Young executed a safety squeeze for his long-awaited second RBI of the season in the seventh. Riley Adams, who already enjoyed a positive night throwing out two basestealers, came through at the plate with a two-run single in the eighth. And Lowe delivered another RBI single in the ninth, becoming the team’s 23rd batter to reach base in this game and provide his bullpen with some extra cushion.

“I think that’s one thing we could’ve been doing better,” said left fielder James Wood, who notched four of his team’s 15 hits. “I think we’ve been putting up runs early, but I think finishing and putting up runs throughout the game was big for us.”

The beleaguered bullpen, meanwhile, came through with another strong performance in the wake of some other recent ones, with Andrew Chafin, Jose A. Ferrer, Jackson Rutledge and Eduardo Salazar combining to record the final 11 outs without making things too interesting.

The Nationals have been looking for early offense all week on the road, and they actually got it tonight, jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead thanks to a string of quality plate appearances in the top of the first. Singles by CJ Abrams and Wood, plus a walk drawn by Lowe, loaded the bases. Alex Call (RBI single) and Luis García Jr. (sacrifice fly) then each drove in a run to give their team the early advantage against Lodolo.

“These guys are relentless,” said manager Davey Martinez, whose team managed only one run in Friday’s loss. “If we lose a game, they come back ready to play the next day. That’s a great sign for us.”

There were, however, missed opportunities to add to that tally. The Nats stranded runners in scoring position in the first, third and fourth innings, with Dylan Crews among the primary culprits. The rookie right fielder grounded out with two on and two out in the first, then popped out with two on and two out in the third. That left Crews a dismal 0-for-22 with runners in scoring position to begin the season.

The Nationals were already trailing by that point, because Trevor Williams had already given back the two runs, plus another, through his first two innings on the mound. The veteran right-hander gave up some loud contact of his own in the bottom of the first, including a two-run double into the left field corner by Spencer Steer. One inning later, it was a leadoff walk and two subsequent singles that plagued Williams and made this a 3-2 game.

But just when it looked like their starter wouldn’t be long for this outing, Williams responded with three straight scoreless frames, salvaging the start and remaining in the game until his teammates retook the lead.

“I’m glad that I was able to give us a chance to win,” Williams said. “Us scoring two runs in the first inning was huge, and we kept the pressure on, pretty much all day.”

Martinez doesn’t often let Williams face a lineup three times, but with his pitch count only 79 at the end of the fifth, he kept his starter out there for the bottom of the sixth. And quickly paid the price for it when Williams served up a solo homer to Jake Fraley that trimmed the lead to 7-4.

Thus did Chafin make his highly anticipated Nationals debut and authored an outing to remember, recording back-to-back strikeouts with his trademark slider to preserve the lead and bridge the gap to the back of the bullpen.

“It felt like it should,” said the veteran lefty, who spent the last month with the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate before signing with the Nats this week. “Just the normal level of emotions, I guess you would say. It was exciting to be able to jog back out and be in a stadium where the seats go all the way around. This is where I feel like I should be.”