CHICAGO -- Anthony Rizzo called his first two at-bats a battle. The last one was a whole lot better. The first baseman capped his return to the Cubs lineup with a walk-off home run in the ninth inning that gave Chicago a 1-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night. Rizzo had missed the last 18 games due to a back problem but led off the ninth by driving a 1-0 pitch from Pedro Villarreal (0-1) over the wall in centre field. Rizzos homer was his 31st of the season and gave Hector Rondon (4-4) the win after he pitched a scoreless inning of relief. "The game is over (with) one swing of the bat, and its a good feeling," Rizzo said. Thanks to the end of the minor-league season, Rizzo didnt get a chance to go on a rehab assignment before returning to work off some rust. It showed when he struck out against Alfredo Simon in his first two at-bats. He was credited with an infield single in the sixth. In the ninth, Rizzo looked as though he had never left. "He certainly made the adjustment in his last at-bat," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said. Chicago starter Travis Wood didnt get run support and couldnt earn his ninth win despite producing one of his best outings. Wood threw six scoreless innings and allowed three hits. Simon gave up five hits in seven innings. The Reds right-hander, who is 3-0 against the Cubs this season, was a pleasant first-half surprise but had been struggling recently. He was 2-7 with a 4.96 ERA in the second half before a strong outing on Monday. "This is my first season with the Reds to be a starter and I want to show them I can be a starter for a real long time here," Simon said. "I try to finish strong." He might have earned a win if Cubs centre fielder Arismendy Alcantara didnt run down Kristopher Negrons drive to right-centre with two outs in the eighth when speedy Billy Hamilton was on first. "The ball that Negron hit, he absolutely crushed that ball out to right-centre," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "Alcantara made a great catch." Cubs right fielder Jorge Soler went 1 for 3 after he missed a weekend series in Pittsburgh due to the birth of a child. TRAINERS ROOM Reds: 1B Joey Votto took infield during pregame warmups but didnt take part in batting practice. Votto (left quadriceps) hasnt played for the Reds since July 5 but did take underhand flips in a batting cage on Sunday. Cubs: Renteria said SS Starlin Castro (sprained left ankle) is improving but "hes not likely to be able to come back" this season. Renteria also said starting pitcher Edwin Jackson (right lat strain) will throw a simulated game this week. UP NEXT Reds: RHP Johnny Cueto and Cubs RHP Jake Arrieta will face off on Tuesday. Cueto (18-8) will attempt to match Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw for the most wins in baseball this season. Cueto is 5-1 with a 1.84 ERA in his last nine starts against the Cubs. Arrieta (8-5) leads the Cubs with a 2.82 ERA. MINOR MATTERS The Cubs named Single-A Kane Countys Jen-Ho Tseng their minor league pitcher of the year, and Triple-A Iowas Kris Bryant their player of the year. Chicago general manager Jed Hoyer said "its way too early to speculate" whether Bryant will make next seasons opening day roster. YOUTH MOVEMENT Recent call-ups SS Jake Elmore, RF Yorman Rodriguez and LF Jason Bourgeois were in the lineup as part of a look-see for some of Cincinnatis younger players. "This is a great opportunity for them to play and for us to get a little more evaluation time before spring training in 2015," Price said. Jeff Teague Jersey .Y. -- AJ Allmendingers journey is almost complete. Karl-Anthony Towns Jersey . James Erskine said Tuesday that Thorpe was "quite sick" in a Sydney hospital but dismissed media reports the swimmer might lose the use of his left arm. "Hes not in the intensive care," Erskine said. http://www.cheaptimberwolvesjerseys.com/...ui-dieng-jersey. Trailing 2-1 from the first leg, Fiorentina levelled on aggregate in the 14th minute when Joaquin Sanchez Rodriguez headed back a long ball from David Pizarro and Pasqual smashed home an angled volley. Jimmy Butler Jersey . - The Jacksonville Jaguars are leaning more toward playing injured quarterback Blake Bortles against Tennessee on Thursday night. Cheap Timberwolves Jerseys China . Nathan Beaulieu, Tomas Jurco, Danick Gauthier and Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and an assist each as the Sea Dogs extended the longest streak in the Canadian Hockey League this season. GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Coyotes knew Mike Ribeiro had behavioural issues when they signed him before last season, but hoped a reunion with coach Dave Tippett would help him. It didnt, at least not to the Coyotes satisfaction. The Coyotes initiated a buyout of the final three years of Ribeiros contract on Friday, parting ways with their top off-season acquisition from a year ago. "Mike had some real behavioural issues we felt we could not tolerate going forward," Coyotes general manager Don Maloney said. The Coyotes had sought a playmaking centre for years and appeared to have landed one when they signed Ribeiro to a four-year, $22 million contract last off-season. He was one of the top free agents on the market last year and was considered a major couup for the franchises new ownership group, IceArizona, which had agreed on a lease agreement to keep the team in Glendale just three days earlier.dddddddddddd The 34-year-old Ribeiro showed flashes of the brilliance he had in Washington, where he played at a point-per-game pace during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. But as the season wore on, Ribeiro became less effective and struggled with personal problems despite playing for Tippett, his former coach in Dallas. Ribeiro was a healthy scratch in games against Pittsburgh and New Jersey late in the season while the Coyotes were fighting for a playoff spot and was largely ineffective down the stretch. He finished with 16 goals and 31 assists in 80 games. The Coyotes became the Arizona Coyotes on Friday. ' ' '