Cleveland-Cincinnati: Indians Swept by Reds

Cliff Lee gave up five earned runs, and the Cleveland Indians left Cincinnati with broom marks on their backs. The Reds finished off the Tribe with a 6-4 victory and a sweep of the three-game series.

The Indians couldn’t get out of Cincinnati fast enough. The first inning highlighted why Cleveland lost all three games. In the top of the first, Grady Sizemore walked, and Jamey Carroll singled, giving Cleveland runners on first and second with nobody out. Could they push a run across the plate?

Nope. A David Dellucci strikeout and a Victor Martinez lineout into a double play closed out the Tribe half of the inning with no scoring.

Jump to the Reds half of the very same inning. Ryan Freel singled, and Paul Janish walked.  Runners on first and second, nobody out. Sound familiar? The story begins the same, but the ending is different.

Indians catcher Martinez was charged with a passed ball, moving up the runners.  Brandon Phillips grounded out, but advanced both runners with Freel scoring.  There you go, run batted in. The essence of why Cleveland lost this three game set. 

While the offense has been performing better, they are not getting the clutch hits to bring people in. The Indians stranded nine runners. The Reds stranded seven. Hmmm...Math geniuses would say the Tribe loses by two.

Cliff Lee raised his ERA to an unheard of 1.37 (GASP), and recorded his first loss of the season. 

In addition to the one run in the first, Cincinnati scored one in the fourth, plated two in the fifth, and finished off the Indians in the sixth with two more. Adam Dunn and Joey Votto each had homers for the Reds. Michael Aubrey homered for the Indians.

The Tribe scored one in the fourth, one in the sixth, and two in the seventh to round out their four tallies.

The Indians fall back to .500. They relinquished first place to the Chicago White Sox in the process. 

C.C. Sabathia and Jose Contreras go at it on Tuesday evening at 8:11 PM, when the Indians travel to Chicago to take on the White Sox.