Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto was scratched from Tuesday’s game and placed on the COVID-19 list more than two hours before a road contest against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Reds manager David Bell said Votto displayed symptoms. He said Votto hadn’t tested positive for the virus.

“We’re precautionary as far as being able to put him on that COVID IL, which is really a day-to-day thing until we know more,” Bell told reporters.

Votto, 38, tested positive for COVID-19 in March of 2021.

The six-time All-Star is off to a slow start with the Reds. Votto is batting just .122 with no homers, three RBIs and 29 strikeouts in 74 at-bats.

The 2010 National League MVP has a .300 career average with 331 homers and 1,068 RBIs in 1,922 games over 16 seasons with Cincinnati.

The Reds entered Tuesday’s game with a major league-worst 3-19 record.

Cincinnati also activated catcher Tyler Stephenson from the 7-day concussion list, recalled utility man Alejo Lopez from Triple-A Louisville and optioned catcher Mark Kolozsvary to the same affiliate.

–Field Level Media

The Chicago Cubs scratched left-hander Drew Smyly from his Tuesday night start against the visiting Chicago White Sox and placed him on the bereavement list.

It wasn’t immediately known what prompted the move. Smyly is required to miss at least three games before he can return.

The Cubs will open the contest with right-hander Scott Effross as part of a bullpen game.

Chicago also recalled right-hander Robert Gsellman from Triple-A Iowa and designated left-hander Locke St. John for assignment.

Smyly is 1-2 with a 2.79 ERA in four starts this season. The 32-year-old is in his first campaign with the Cubs and is 47-41 with a 4.15 ERA in 221 appearances (138 starts) over nine seasons with seven teams.

–Field Level Media

The Cleveland Guardians’ home game against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday was postponed due to inclement weather.

Instead, the Guardians and Padres will play a traditional doubleheader beginning at 1:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday to complete their scheduled two-game series.

Tonight's game has been postponed due to weather and has been rescheduled as part of a traditional doubleheader starting at 1:10 PM on May 4th.

Ticket holders to the postponed game will have the option to exchange into one of six game options, including the doubleheader. pic.twitter.com/tK94PrGSm3

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) May 3, 2022

For Game 1 Wednesday, the Padres will activate right-hander Mike Clevinger from the injured list to make his first start since Sept. 23, 2020. Clevinger spent four-plus years with Cleveland before an Aug. 31, 2020, trade sent him to San Diego. The Guardians will counter with right-hander Zach Plesac.

In the nightcap, Padres rookie left-hander MacKenzie Gore will oppose Guardians righty Cal Quantrill, who was acquired from San Diego as part of the Clevinger deal.

The Pittsburgh Pirates and host Detroit Tigers also saw their Tuesday game postponed due to weather. They will play a doubleheader Wednesday.

–Field Level Media

Pete Alonso had a pair of RBI singles Tuesday afternoon for the host New York Mets, who never trailed in a 5-4 win over the Atlanta Braves in the opener of a doubleheader.

The Mets, who fell in Monday’s series opener and need to win the final three games of the four-game set to extend their franchise-record season-opening streak of series wins to eight, improved their National League-best record to 17-8.

Matt Olson hit a three-run homer in the fifth for the Braves, who have lost three of four.

The Mets built a 2-0 lead against Charlie Morton (1-3) in the first. Travis Jankowski beat out an infield single and Francisco Lindor was hit by a pitch with one out before Alonso and Eduardo Escobar followed with back-to-back RBI singles to right.

The Braves cut the lead in half against David Peterson (1-0) in the top of the second. Adam Duvall walked with one out, went to third on a double by Dansby Swanson down the third base line and scored on Travis Demeritte’s sacrifice fly.

The Mets scored twice in the second without hitting the ball out of the infield. Lindor drove home Luis Guillorme with an RBI fielder’s choice and Alonso scored Jankowski with an infield single.

Canha lofted a sacrifice fly in the fourth before the Braves broke out in the fifth. Demeritte led off with a single and Guillermo Heredia struck out before Peterson threw away a potential double play ball following a comebacker by Albies. Olson homered to deep right field on the next pitch.

But a trio of relievers — Adam Ottavino, Drew Smith and Edwin Diaz — preserved the lead for Peterson with four innings of one-hit ball. Diaz earned his fifth save by working around a two-out single by Orlando Arcia.

Peterson allowed four hits and three walks while striking out six.

Jankowski had two hits and a stolen base.

Morton recovered from the slow start to throw 5 2/3 innings. He allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits and three walks with three strikeouts.

–Field Level Media

Tuesday night’s game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and host Detroit Tigers was postponed due to inclement weather.

The game was been rescheduled as part of a traditional doubleheader for Wednesday. First pitch for the first game is slated for 1:10 p.m. ET and the second game will follow.

Tonight’s game between the Tigers and Pirates has been postponed due to inclement weather. The game will be made up as part of a straight doubleheader tomorrow, starting at 1:10 p.m. pic.twitter.com/P6biV2Cuqy

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) May 3, 2022

Detroit will start right-hander Michael Pineda in Game 1. The Tigers said they will recall right-handed pitching prospect Alex Faedo to fill the 27th roster spot for the doubleheader and start the second game, which would be his major league debut.

The Pirates will counter with left-handed relief pitcher Dillon Peters to start Game 1, potentially as an opener. Fellow lefty Jose Quintana, who was originally slated to start Wednesday, will get the ball for the second game.

The teams are playing a two-game series.

–Field Level Media

The New York Mets placed right-hander Trevor May on the 10-day injured list Tuesday after an MRI exam detected a triceps strain in his pitching arm.

May aggravated the injury during a relief appearance on Monday in which he gave up two runs in one inning against the Atlanta Braves.

It marked the third time in four appearances that May gave up two runs, and he expressed frustration after the contest.

“It’s hard to compete when you’re just worried about whether or not something’s going to hurt to throw,” May said. “It’s to the point where I’m not very comfortable throwing my best pitches and taking too much time between pitches to reset and try to get a little bit of energy to throw another one.

“By the end of (Monday’s outing), I was just hoping that the ball was hit at somebody. That’s no way to throw in a major league game. I don’t deserve it, but my teammates definitely don’t deserve that.”

May, 32, is 1-0 with an 8.64 ERA in eight relief appearances this season. He has allowed 13 hits in just 8 1/3 innings.

May went 7-3 with a 3.59 ERA in 68 relief appearances last season in his first campaign with the Mets.

He spent his first six seasons with the Minnesota Twins. Overall, he is 31-24 with a 4.40 ERA in 291 appearances (26 starts).

New York recalled right-hander Adonis Medina from Triple-A Syracuse to fill the roster opening. Medina, 25, had a 3.00 ERA in three appearances (one start) at Syracuse and also tossed a scoreless inning of relief against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 23.

–Field Level Media