CLEVELAND, Ohio — This time the rain stayed away for the most part, and it was the Cleveland Indians who showered the Cincinnati Reds with home runs in a 9-3 win at Progressive Field.
José Ramírez drove in a run with an RBI triple in the third and added a two-run home run in the fourth against Reds starter Luis Castillo as the Indians evened the season series at three wins each and retained the Ohio Cup for the seventh consecutive season.
Cleveland’s win snapped a five-game unbeaten streak for the Reds, who had won 10 of their last 12. It also lifted the Indians’ record back to the .500 mark at 55-55.
Cleveland is 69-54 all-time against the Reds and has won 23 of 33 meetings dating back to 2015, outscoring Cincinnati 212-117 in that span. Monday’s game was a makeup of the May 9 game that was washed out by rain. Thought the skies threatened for a few innings, play was never stopped.
Joey Votto put the Reds in front 1-0 in the first with a two-out RBI single against Cleveland starter Sam Hentges. But Hentges settled in and completed two innings, allowing four hits and a walk with one strikeout.
After back-to-back singles by Aristides Aquino and Tucker Barnhart in the second, Hentges escaped trouble by getting Reds second baseman Jonathan India to ground into an inning-ending double play.
From there, Cleveland’s offense took over, scoring eight unanswered runs to seize control. Castillo (L, 6-11, 4.53) hit Bradley Zimmer on the elbow to lead off the second and Wilson Ramos followed with his second home run in just his second game with Cleveland.
Added to the Indians’ roster over the weekend when Roberto Perez went on the injured list with a sore back, Ramos had three hits an an RBI in his Cleveland debut on Friday.
Amed Rosario collected hits in his first three plate appearances, including an RBI triple to the base of the left field wall that scored Myles Straw in the second. Rosario was aboard for Ramírez’s team-leading 25th home run in the fourth.
Ramírez entered the game with 312 extra-base hits since 2017, the most in the majors during that span, with Cincinnati’s Nicholas Castellanos trailing (311). Rosario later added a one-out double in the eighth, giving him a team-high four games with at least four hits.
Acting manager DeMarlo Hale saod Rosario will benefit from getting an extra day off here and there after Andres Gimenez rejoined the club.
“We asked a lot of him every day to go out there and be a shortstop,” Hale said. “It showed tonight that he had a good night and it’s about kind of keeping him fresh down the stretch, really trying to aid in him continuing to have a good year.”
In the seventh, Zimmer did something no other Indians hitter has accomplished in the StatCast era (since 2015). His 471 solo home run off Reds reliever Justin Wilson sailed over the trees and into the monument park in center field.
It was the longest home run ever recorded by a Cleveland batter since Major League Baseball began tracking home run distances with StatCast technology. The previous leader was Edwin Encarnacion’s 466-foot blast into the second deck at Camden Yards against Baltimore on June 20, 2017.
Zimmer’s blast is tied for the tenth longest home run in the majors this season. He is hitting .300 since July 8, tops on the Indians and has hit in all four games of the club’s current homestand with a pair of home runs and four RBI.
“I’ve always enjoyed hitting here,” Zimmer said. “Some guys have a visual thing, the batter’s eye, whatever. I just feel comfortable at home. There’s something to be said about playing at home, regardless, in front of your own fans. I think I just see the ball well here.”
Four Cleveland relievers followed Hentges to the mound, allowing two runs on five hits over the final seven frames. Blake Parker and Nick Wittgren worked scoreless innings, while Justin Garza and Nick Sandlin surrendered a run apiece on one hit each.
Garza (W, 2-0, 2.35) picked up his second big league win, striking out the side in the third after walking Jesse Winker to lead off the inning.
“He made some adjustments because the first batter he faced, he wasn’t in the zone but he made the adjustments,” Hale said. “I really thought Parker and Wittgren were very efficient. I don’t think they threw more than 20 pitches. We kind of gave the bullpen a little rest, the other guys, which I think was much needed.”
Reds pitcher Wade Miley, who went 1-1 in two starts against the Indians, including his first career no-hitter on May 7, was named the Ohio Cup Most Outstanding Player.
Next: The Indians welcome Oakland to town for a three-game series against the Athletics at Progressive Field. Right-hander Triston McKenzie (1-5, 5.89 ERA) will take the mound for Cleveland while lefty Sean Manaea (8-7, 3.26) gets the start for the A’s. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. The game will air on Bally Sports Great Lakes, WTAM 1100 AM, WMMS 100.7 FM and the Indians Radio Network.
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