Ramirez’s huge night helps stop surging Reds
INDIANS 9, REDS 3
CLEVELAND — Jose Ramirez hit a two-run home run and an RBI triple, leading the Cleveland Indians to a 9-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night.
Wilson Ramos also had a two-run homer, Amed Rosario was 4 for 5 with an RBI and Cleveland used five pitchers in a planned bullpen game to end Cincinnati’s five-game winning streak.
Justin Garza (2-0) pitched two scoreless innings. The right-hander was the Indians’ second pitcher and worked the third and fourth, striking out three.
Bradley Zimmer hit a 471-foot homer to center field leading off the seventh — the longest by an Indians player this season — and drove in two runs. The ball landed in a wooded area beyond the 400-foot sign on the wall.
“I was told that the only other person that’s hit a ball out there is Jim Thome, so I figured I’m in good company,” Zimmer said.
Thome hit the longest home run in the ballpark that opened in 1994, a 511-foot drive that also was to center field on July 3, 1999, against Kansas City.
“Sounds like I’ve got some work to do,” said Zimmer, who hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh inning of Sunday’s win against Detroit.
“There were some balls hit today that were at the warning track, and they caught it and I’m like, ‘I thought they hit it pretty well,’ ” interim Indians manager DeMarlo Hale said. “Then when you see Zimmer’s ball, then it’s like OK, that was hit very, very well. You’re talking about over the trees.”
Luis Castillo (6-11) allowed 8 runs — including 2 homers — in 3 1/3 innings. The right-hander lost for the first time since June 20, a span of nine starts.
“The location of the pitches wasn’t there and the batters were able to make you pay,” Castillo said through a translator. “It was a bad night for me.”
The game was the makeup of a rainout at Progressive Field on May 9, a series that began with Reds left-hander Wade Miley pitching a no-hitter. The teams split their six interleague games this season, so Cleveland retained the Ohio Cup for the seventh straight year.
The game was played in a steady rain for several innings.
Ramos’ two-run homer in the second broke a 1-1 tie and was the backup catcher’s second since being called up Friday. Ramos was signed to a minor-league contract last month after being released by Detroit.
Ramirez’s third-inning triple gave Cleveland a 4-1 lead. His 25th home run in the fourth that curled inside the foul pole pushed the lead to 8-1.
Rosario led off the third with an infield hit, and Ramirez followed with a drive to right-center. Aristides Aquino crashed into the wall trying for a leaping catch. Right fielder Nick Castellanos backed up the play but slipped on the wet grass as Rosario scored and Ramirez raced to third.
Both teams scored in the first. Joey Votto’s RBI single gave Cincinnati the lead against starter Sam Hentges. Franmil Reyes’ run-scoring fielder’s choice tied the game.
YANKEES 8, ROYALS 6 (11) New York scored three runs in the top of the 11th inning and held on to defeat Kansas City. DJ LeMahieu had a go-ahead double to score Joey Gallo and Brett Gardner’s single scored two runs in the top of the 11th inning to give the Yankees an 8-5 lead. The Royals had comebacks in the seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th innings, and pulled within 8-6 in the bottom of the 11th inning on Edward Olivares’ RBI single. But Carlos Santana grounded out with runners on first and second to end it.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
WHITE SOX 11, TWINS 1 Eloy Jimenez hit two homers with five RBI for the second straight game, Tim Anderson led off with a home run for the second day in a row, and Chicago cruised past Minnesota. Lucas Giolito pitched two-hit ball for eight innings as the White Sox won their fourth in a row. Center fielder Luis Robert came off the 60-day injured list and delivered an RBI double and single for the AL Central leaders. Jimenez became the first White Sox player with consecutive games of at least two homers and five RBI, and the first in the majors since Bryce Harper for Washington in 2015.