CLEVELAND — The Reds opened the game with back-to-back homers for the first time in 18 years and hit two more to take a 7-2 victory over the Indians Wednesday afternoon.
Their four homers – all solo shots – were one more than they had hit in the last nine games and helped them break out of a June slump.
Nick Senzel led off with his fifth homer and Joey Votto tagged Indians starter Zach Plesac (1-2) for his sixth.
Alex Ochoa and Barry Larkin were the last Reds to lead off with back-to-back homers on June 26, 2001.
Eugenio Suarez hit his 15th homer in the sixth inning, and Curt Casali hit his third homer in the seventh.
Reds starter Anthony DeSclafani (3-3) went 5 2/3 innings and held the Indians to one run on four hits.
Senzel and Jose Peraza walked away unhurt following a violent collision in the outfield in the bottom of the first.
''We got lucky,'' manager David Bell said.
Indians leadoff hitter Francisco Lindor sent a bloop into the outfield that Senzel caught on the run before slamming into a charging Peraza.
Senzel was struck in the face by Peraza's elbow and crumpled to the ground.
''It happens when you're trying to get outs,'' Senzel said. ''I have a better chance coming in on the ball than he does going back. Right off the jump you can't call it because you don't know if you can catch it. Then you're going for it. You call him off. It was just too late.''
The Reds had their biggest scoring output since May 28 in an 11-6 win over the Pirates.
Jose Iglesias contributed two doubles and two RBI. Iglesias scored on Peraza’s double in the fifth inning and added a two-run double in the eighth inning after Derek Dietrich doubled and Yasiel Puig singled.
Indians slugger Carlos Santana hit his 14th homer off Michael Lorenzen in the eighth.
Votto left the game in the fifth inning with lower back stiffness. After the game, the Toronto native was wearing a Toronto Raptors T-shirt and said he doesn't think he'll miss any time.
Tyler Mahle (2-6, 4.21 ERA) starts the opener of a three-game series Friday against Texas. He suffered consecutive tough losses last month, when the Reds batted .070 (4 of 57) while being shut out twice.
