CINCINNATI (AP) — Carlos Beltran and David Freese homered again on Tuesday night, and Kyle Lohse provided another stingy performance, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 3-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. The defending World Series champions are 5-1 for the first time since 2008. Beltran, counted on to help make up for the loss of Albert Pujols, hit his third homer off Mike Leake (0-1). Freese, the World Series MVP, added a two-run shot off Leake — also his third. St. Louis came into the game leading the majors with nine homers. Lohse (2-0) has made impressive starts in Florida’s summery warmth and Cincinnati’s April chill. The right-hander beat the Marlins 4-1 last Wednesday. He gave up four hits and Joey Votto’s sacrifice fly in six innings on Tuesday. Game 3 of the three-game series begins Wednesday morning on KJAN.