Indians Put in Different Reliever Than Terry Francona Asked For in Loss vs. Reds

The Cleveland Indians owe part of their 7-4 defeat to the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday to a miscommunication between manager Terry Francona and pitching coach Carl Willis.

According to The Athletic's Zack Meisel, Francona intended to bring Oliver Perez into the game in the ninth inning, only for Willis to mistakenly call Dan Otero down from the bullpen:

"When I saw OT coming through the gate—and again, it's not that I don't think he can pitch—just not the guy I was expecting," Francona said, per The Athletic's C. Trent Rosecrans. "I know Carl's beating himself up right now, but that one lands on me."

The Indians allowed seven runs in the ninth inning to spoil Trevor Bauer's excellent start. Although Otero was only charged with one earned run, he allowed a three-run double to Joey Votto that gave the Reds a 6-4 lead.

The coaching gaffe sums up a season in which the Indians bullpen ranks 28th in ERA (5.13) and FIP (4.71), per FanGraphs.