Joey Votto homers, Luis Castillo spins gem in Reds 6-1 win over Marlins

Joey Votto swatted his 27th homer of this 2021 season on Thursday, doing so with a 3-run variety off Miami Marlins starter Nick Neidert that flipped the scoreboard and sent the Cincinnati Reds on their way to a 6-1 victory. It feels like we just keep writing that over and over again every night, but it’s the kind of thing that I believe we’ll look back on over the years with a kind of reverence that keeps it refreshing each time anyway.

That homer helped back another excellent start by Luis Castillo against his former club, with solid bullpen outings from Michael Lorenzen and Tony Santillan backing him up to lead the Reds to a win in the series opener, one that hopefully kicks the godawful taste of losing 2 of 3 to the Chicago Cubs out of the palette.

Jonathan India socked an RBI-double, a double that scored Aristides Aquino after a double of his own. Tyler Naquin continued his hit streak, Nick Castellanos drove in a run, and Kyle Farmer got in on the action with a ribbie-double (and a later single), too.

Nice win, Reds. Nice 6-1 win.

Tony Graphanino

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star(s) of the Game

We’re splitting the vote here, folks. That’s just what happens when two studs to studly work.

Joey Votto gets some dap, he of the 3-run dinger that turned the tides against the Marlins (it’s an ocean current joke, please laugh).

So, too, does Luis Castillo, who fired 7 IP of 1 ER ball, fanning 7 against a lone walk and scattering 8 hits (many dinky) in his 99 pitch outing.

Other Notes

• Nick Senzel is back on the IL, and his option to AAA Louisville over the weekend that sounded so damn odd and silly has now been ‘reversed,’ somehow. Basically, his knee still isn’t right and somehow he managed to slip that knowledge past the powers that be for a few days, and the entire thing has me rolling my eyes back in my head so hard they’re almost looking forward again. MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon has more on it.
• Elieser Hernandez will start for Miami on Friday opposite Sonny Gray when these two clubs match up again. First pitch at GABP is again set for 7:10 PM ET.
• Tunes.