CINCINNATI (AP) — Joey Votto hit a two-run, go-ahead homer, Nick Castellanos also connected and the Cincinnati Reds beat Cleveland 3-2 Monday night as the Indians played again without ill manager Terry Francona.
Sonny Gray shook off a tough start to the game to complete six strong innings, and Cincinnati ended a six-game home losing streak against their in-state rival.
Votto snapped an 0-for-11 skid when he followed Shogo Akiyama’s leadoff single in the sixth with a no-doubt shot off Zach Plesac.
The 2010 NL MVP sat out a doubleheader Sunday after self-reporting coronavirus symptoms, but he was cleared to return to the lineup Monday and hit his third homer following a negative test.
Francona will miss at least the club’s next game because of a gastrointestinal issue that has bothered him for months.
Francona was scheduled to be checked Monday by doctors at the Cleveland Clinic. Team President Chris Antonetti said the team will “take it one step at a time” and that it’s too early to know when the 61-year-old manager will return.
He’ll remain in Cleveland during the two-game series in Cincinnati.
Cleveland returns home Wednesday for two more with the Reds before a three-game trip to Chicago to face the White Sox.