Reds Continue Losing Ways, Indians Complete Sweep


The Cincinnati Reds were swept by the Cleveland Indians. In the process of losing a 7-2 decision to the Tribe, the Reds managed to lose their starting pitcher. Tim Adleman backed off the mound and grimaced in pain. He left the game in the fourth frame with a strained left oblique muscle. The Reds luck keeps going from bad to worse.

The Ohio Cup was a foregone conclusion, by the time the final game rolled around. But, that still didn’t stop the Indians from pounding Reds pitching. The Indians captured two games in Cleveland and two at Great American Ball Park to take the home-and-home series. During the intrastate rivalry, the Tribe outscored the Reds 43-16.

Carlos Santana smashed a couple of two-run homers, to power Cleveland’s win. The long balls came in the fourth and fifth inning.

Reds Continue
[Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images]

“We seem to get contributions all over the place, which I think is kind of how we have to be,” Indians manager Terry Francona said, via MLB.com. “We’ve got to keep the line moving and play like that. We did OK, but now we’ll move quickly to the next team.”

The Indians have managed to keep possession of the Ohio Cup, by winning nine of the last 10 games played.

After the Reds lost for the seventh time in eight games, manager Bryan Price struggled to contain his frustration. He was emotionally charged, via Cincinnati Reds.

“We talk the same story every day here. It’s a fact, we have to pitch better if we’re really going to be able to stay away from losing streaks and be able to keep our head above water. If we can’t pitch, we’re not going to compete very well.”

The Reds were able to give their faithful a glimmer of hope, in the fourth inning. Joey Votto smashed Josh Tomlin’s first pitch over the center-field wall. Billy Hamilton scored and the Reds had tied the game. That’s the only offense the Redlegs could muster against the Tribe. Entering the game, Cincinnati had a 0.300 batting average on Tomlin. That stat was of no use to the struggling Reds.

Tomlin was a thorn in the Reds’ side, on the mound and at the plate. The right-hander went 2-for-3 at the plate, with a double and a single. He scored the go-ahead run, to put the Indians up 3-2. He finished the night going 7.2 innings and striking out seven.

“I hate to say it, because his head will be so big it won’t be able to get through the door,” Francona said, “but that’s pretty impressive. That’s pretty impressive. It’s hard enough to get hits as a player, let alone as somebody who hasn’t been hitting. That was impressive.”

Reds Continue
[Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images]

There was nothing impressive or inspiring about the Reds’ fourth consecutive loss. Losing Adleman put even more strain on a bullpen that needs to improve. He’s scheduled to have an MRI on Friday. Finding his replacement will be the fun part. The Reds already have an entire starting rotation on the disabled list.

The most likely candidates will be Robert Stephenson or Cody Reed. Stephenson has started two games for the Reds this season, going 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA. At Triple-A Louisville, Stephenson is 3-2 with a 2.80 ERA in six starts. His most recent start was Saturday. Reed is 2-2 with a 2.08 ERA in six starts for the Bats.

Whoever fills the void will hopefully be able to go deeper into games. Reds starters have been averaging a tad over five frames per start. At that clip, the Reds will tax the bullpen even further.

The interleague homestand continues, when the Reds host the Seattle Mariners on Friday. The three-game set gets underway at 7:10 p.m. EST.

[Photo by John Minchillo/AP Images]

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