Major leagues
José Ramírez hit a two-run homer and an RBI triple, leading the Cleveland Indians to a 9-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night.
Wilson Ramos also hit 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.
Matt Garza (2-0) pitched two scoreless innings. The right-hander was the Indians’ second pitcher and worked the third and fourth, striking out three.
Luis Castillo (6-11) allowed eight runs – including two homers – in 3 1/3 innings. The right-hander lost for the first time since June 20, a span of nine starts.
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.
National League
Rockies say fans was yelling at mascot: The Colorado Rockies said a fan was yelling the name of team mascot Dinger and not a racial slur. The Black player who was batting at the time isn’t so sure.
Miami Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson said he didn’t hear the fan shouting during Sunday’s game at Coors Field. But a day later, he’d reviewed the tape and had a different opinion.
“So I watched the video at least 50 times in the past 15-16 hours,” Brinson said on a Zoom call before Monday night’s game at San Diego. “I watched it a lot, especially when I heard that he said Dinger instead of the N-word.”
“I personally – this is again my personal opinion – I personally keep hearing the N-word. It’s not that I want to hear it, I never want to hear it. Personally I’ve never been called that in person to my face on the baseball field, outside the baseball field, ever, so I don’t know what my reaction would be if I got called that,” he said.
“But to now, saying that again, I haven’t talked to the Rockies or that fan personally, if If that’s the case, then I’m sorry for any backlash or anything he’s getting right now,” he said.
The Rockies said Monday that the fan, who was not identified, was actually hollering at the club’s purple, polka-dotted dinosaur mascot.
“After a thorough investigation that included calls, emails and video clips from concerned fans, media and broadcast partners, the Colorado Rockies have concluded that the fan was indeed yelling for Rockies mascot Dinger in hopes of getting his attention for a photo, and there was never any racial slur that occurred,” the team said in a statement.
“The Rockies remain dedicated to providing an inclusive environment for all fans, players and guests at Coors Field,” the team added, “and any fan using derogatory language of any kind will be ejected.”
American League
Former batboy sues Vizquel: A former minor league batboy has filed a lawsuit accusing longtime major league shortstop Omar Vizquel of sexual harassment during Vizquel’s tenure as manager of the Birmingham Barons, an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.
The 25-year-old man filed suit in U.S. District Court in Alabama on Friday accusing the 11-time Gold Glove winner of exposing himself multiple times and forcing the man to wash his back in the shower in 2019.
The suit says the man is autistic and accuses the White Sox and Double-A Birmingham Barons of violating the Americans With Disabilities Act.
The 54-year-old Vizquel exposed himself to the man “for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification” at least five times while wearing a towel, according to the lawsuit.