TORONTO, ON —

The return of Joey Votto has been long-awaited, but the wait was worth it after he hit a tiebreaking homerun to give the Reds' a lead over Toronto on Sunday.

It seems fitting that Votto would hit a homerun against he Blue Jays after he was asked what sights he wanted to see on his trip back home and he responded, "Sights-wise, the center of the baseball. Parts of the city, somewhere around windows, maybe the second deck. Somewhere around there. That’s what I’m targeting.”

The Reds have been without their star first baseman since May 3 when he was placed on the COVID-19 injured list.

Votto was reassigned to play with the Reds' Triple A affiliate Louisville Bats before returning to the major league club. When he was placed on the injured list, he was hitting .122 with four runs, three RBI's and a double, so far this season.

On May 16, the Reds announced that Votto would continue his rehab assignment in Dayton with the Dayton Dragons, where he started out his MLB career when he first got drafted in 2002.

Votto returned to the Reds' roster on Friday when the team traveled to his hometown of Toronto to face the Blue Jays.

Although the Reds' only won one game out of the three-game series, this win was a meaningful one for the first baseman.

Bally Sports Jim Day asked Votto how much his tiebreaking homerun meant to him, since it was Votto's first home run of the season as well.

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"It has meaning, but I gotta start hitting. So, I could've done it on Mars and it would have felt satisfying. You know, I have to perform well, I've got to fit with these guys. I've got to do my job and you know, I have to do it ASAP and that was ASAP," Votto replied.

Day then teased that it could be Votto's last time playing in the Blue Jay's stadium, but Votto wasn't thinking about that, his mind was set on the game and doing what he did best.

"I wasn't thinking like that," Votto said. "I'm thinking I'm in the middle of competition, our teams tied. I've got to get a good pitch to hit. I'm starting to feel better at the plate. I don't want to get cheated. I want to make sure that I'm being myself and competing well... When you're in the middle of work like this, that's the priority, you know? I'm wearing a Reds uniform right now in a road city. No question about, it has great meaning, but I'm not thinking about that right in the heart of competition."

Votto also spoke about how returning to his hometown means a lot to him because he gets to see and spend time with his family that he doesn't normally see all the time.

"I got to see my mother. You know, you go months, months without seeing family. And it's the nature of our job I wouldn't have any other way, but I got to see my little nephew and my brother and his and his wife. They got to play on the field yesterday after the game. It means a great deal to me to be able to see so many familiar faces and receive a ton of support in my home city," Votto told Day.

The Cincinnati Reds will be back in action at Great American Ball Park on Monday against the Chicago Cubs, where hopefully Votto and the Reds can keep the ball rolling.

CINCINNATI (AP) — Michael Hermosillo homered for the first time since 2018, Ian Happ and Sergio Alcántara also went deep, and the depleted Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-1 on Wednesday, taking two of three from their playoff-contending NL Central rivals.

“If you can come out of there with a series win you feel really good, and it feels like it’s been a little while since we’ve done that,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “That was really just a good offensive team. Our pitching showed up.”

Frank Schwindel and Rafael Ortega also drove in runs for the Cubs, who ended a 12-game skid a day earlier. Schwindel, Chicago’s regular first baseman since Anthony Rizzo was dealt to the Yankees at the deadline, had six hits in the series and is batting .329.

Adrian Sampson, called up from Triple-A Iowa earlier in the day to pitch in the majors for the first time since 2019, held the suddenly quiet Reds to one run and five hits in four innings.

Relievers Manuel Rodríguez (1-2), Rowan Wick, Adam Morgan and Trevor Megill blanked Cincinnati over the final five innings, allowing one hit.

Reds starter Tyler Mahle (10-4) gave up five runs and eight hits in five innings. Jeff Hoffman came on in the sixth and promptly surrendered Alcántara’s homer.

After exploding for 14 runs in the series opener Monday night, Cincinnati managed a single run in each of the last two games.

The Cubs banged out 12 hits and won for the fourth time in 19 games since trading stars Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javier Báez and Craig Kimbrel.

Happ’s first-inning homer was his second in as many games. Hermosillo, called up from Triple-A on Tuesday, slammed a 441-foot, two-run bomb into the upper deck in left field during a four-run second.

Tyler Naquin homered in the second, the only time Cincinnati got a runner past second base. The top five Reds hitters combined to go 1-for-19.

“We know every game takes our best,” Reds manager David Bell said. “Today (Sampson) pitched a good game against us. He threw the ball inside, and did a good job against the top of our lineup.”

BATTLING FOR A ROLE

Sampson said he knew when he was called up that he could stake his claim for a spot in Chicago’s rotation.

“Right now it’s almost ‘Game of Thrones’-esque,” he said. “We’re being asked what kind of role do we want to play in this organization going forward. It’s ours for the taking. If you want it, you got to go get it. I really want this job, and I’m going to do everything I can to be successful.”

IMAGINE THAT

Hermosillo’s only other major league homer was on Sept. 28, 2018, when he was with the Los Angeles Angels. The opposing pitcher for Texas was Sampson.

“I didn’t feel like that was something I should bring up,” Hermosillo said. Sampson said he didn’t realize it until Wednesday.

SHORTSTOP OF THE FUTURE?

The Reds are getting their first good look this season at their top minor league prospect, Jose Barrero, who had been tearing it up in the minors. Barrero — then known as Jose Garcia — was with the major league club last season for 24 games but hit poorly. The 23-year-old was recalled Tuesday after hitting .303 with 17 home runs and 62 RBIs at Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville. He got the start Wednesday and went 2 for 3 with a walk, including a ninth-inning double.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cubs: RHP Adbert Alzolay (hamstring) threw a bullpen session Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Cubs: After a day off, Chicago returns to Wrigley Field to open a weekend series Friday against the Kansas City Royals.

Reds: Right-hander Luis Castillo (6-12, 4.51 ERA) is set to go as Cincinnati opens a four-game set with the Miami Marlins.