Indians 7, Reds 3
Indians now 18-23
The Indians are finally treating us to some fun baseball. We're getting solid starting pitching, timely hitting, home runs, and a functional bullpen. Let's enjoy it!
It was Carlos Carrasco, Brandon Moss, and Jason Kipnis leading the charge Friday evening in the Indians 7-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. With the win, the Indians have now won four straight games and move to just five games below .500.
The offense shined much of the night for the Tribe, racking up 11 hits and earning eight free passes. The Indians got started in the second inning, using singles from David Murphy and Kipnis, along with three walks from Reds starter Mike Leake, to score two runs and take an early lead.
After the Reds tied it up in the top of the third, a Brandon Moss frozen rope of a home run in the bottom of the inning gave the Indians a lead they would not relinquish again. Moss was at it again in the fourth, with a double to right field that scored Michael Bourn and Jason Kipnis. Leake was done after just four innings of work, allowing five runs and 12 baserunners. His ERA, which just two starts ago was sitting nicely at 2.38, now is a rather unflattering 4.14.
Moss finished with two hits and three RBI's, while Kipnis stayed amazingly hot with three hits and two RBI's of his own. Kipnis has now raised his average to .337 on the season, which is remarkable since he was hitting .218 at the start of this month. With an .893 OPS, Kipnis is showing just how dangerous he can be at the plate when healthy and locked in.
Tribe starter Carlos Carrasco struggled with his command at times, but gutted out a very respectful performance to earn the win. Carrasco went six innings, allowing two runs on four hits while throwing 110 pitches. He struck out seven, including striking out the side in his last inning. Reds hitters were off balance much of the night against Carrasco and shared many a kind word with home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez about his interpretation of the strike zone. Surprisingly enough, Gonzalez didn't pull an #UmpShow and toss any Cincinnati players. With the win, Carrasco moves to 5-4 on the year.
Nick Hagadone and Zach McAllister threw scoreless innings in relief, while fountain of youth, Scott Atchison, allowed one run in the ninth. It was a good sign that Cody Allen wasn't needed in the game, giving him more rest after a busy series in Chicago.
The Battle for Ohio continues tomorrow afternoon, with Corey Kluber and Anthony DeSciafani scheduled to start on the mound. Kluber is coming off two dynamite outings that included 30 strikeouts and only one walk (holy smokes!). DeSciafani is a young right-hander who has been hit hard lately, going 0-4 in his last five starts. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 ET.
Win Expectancy Chart
Source: FanGraphs
Roll Call
Total Comments: 191
Total Commenters: 21
# | Commenter | # Comments |
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1 | PyroKinesis | 40 |
2 | Ryan Y | 39 |
3 | Vachos | 24 |
4 | westbrook | 17 |
5 | Schneau | 13 |
6 | BuenosAires_Dawg | 11 |
7 | USSChoo | 8 |
8 | DPS | 7 |
9 | Denver Tribe Fan | 5 |
10 | mjschaefer | 5 |
11 | RabbiHick | 4 |
12 | Jorge3000 | 4 |
13 | LosIndios | 3 |
14 | mtg8 | 2 |
15 | bmgiblinindians | 2 |
16 | Jason Philipps | 2 |
17 | 9James | 1 |
18 | emily522 | 1 |
19 | Tribe2013 | 1 |
20 | keenej | 1 |
21 | emd2k3 | 1 |