Indians-Reds: Bases-Loaded Walk Dooms Tribe 4-3

The Cleveland offense dug themselves out of a three run deficit only to lose 4-3 after a bases loaded walk by Jensen Lewis in the bottom of the eighth.

At some point you knew the starting pitching was gong to give up some runs.  Friday was the night. 

Jeremy Sowers took the mound for Cleveland with the monumental task of holding up the stellar starting pitching numbers that have been the recent success of the Tribe. 

He gave up three runs on five hits.  It is not horrible numbers, but nowhere near the zeros Indians' fans we're used to seeing.

The Reds showed they were not going to be shutout victims early.  After a Ken Griffey Jr. walk, Brandon Phillips went yard for a two run lead. 

The long ball stung Sowers again in the second when Adam Dunn took an 0-1 count out of the park, extending Cincinnati’s lead to 3-0.

In the top of the sixth, the Indians’ offense bit back.  Casey Blake opened up Tribe scoring with a homer of his own, and, being a national league ball park and Sowers coming up, Travis Hafner was inserted as a pinch hitter. 

Hafner homered the 1-1 pitch over the right field wall, cutting the deficit to one. 

A Sizemore groundout was the only thing that separated Peralta’s blast from the back-to-back jacks of Blake and Hafner as he went deep, tying the game at three apiece.

That would end the scoring for the Indians on the night.  For the second time this week, the Indians' offense had five hits, all of them for extra bases.  Tonight amounted to three homers and two doubles.

After Ken Griffey Jr. grounded out to start the bottom of the eighth, manager Eric Wedge made a double switch, bringing Lewis in to pitch and putting Jamey Carroll in at second base. 

Lewis walked Brandon Phillips on a 3-2 count, then gave up a double to Votto.  With runners on second and third, Lewis walked the bases full, issuing a free pass to Encarnacion. 

The dagger to the heart was a walk to Adam Dunn, allowing Phillips a free trot home and giving the Reds a 4-3 lead. 

Lewis got out of the inning with no further damage, but it didn’t matter. 

Francisco Cordero came on, striking out Blake Carroll and Sizemore and closed out the game. 

These two meet for the second of the three game set on Saturday.  Game time is 3:55.  The Indians look to get back on track with Fausto Carmona verses Cincinnati’s Aaron Harang. 

Harang is 2-5 on the season with a 3.32 ERA.  Carmona is 4-1 with a 2.40 ERA.