Reds, Tribe have playoffs on mind as Ohio Cup starts
Series opener features Indians' new ace Kluber, Reds All-Star Simon

By Caitlin Swieca / MLB.com | 8/3/2014 4:38 PM ET

With both the Reds and Indians looking to fight their way back into their league's respective playoff pictures, the four-game Ohio Cup series will open on Monday with a marquee pitching matchup as Alfredo Simon will duel Corey Kluber.

Simon, like the rest of his team, has somewhat struggled since his appearance in the All-Star Game. He's 0-3 in three starts, but he showed huge improvement in his last outing against Arizona, when he went seven innings and allowed two earned runs.

"When I go out there, I just try to do my job," Simon said after that start. "I just try to throw a quality game and I know [our hitters] are struggling right now and we aren't scoring a lot of runs right now, but I don't focus on the hitting, I just focus on throwing my seven innings, doing my job."

Kluber has been more convincing since the All-Star break, continuing his strong season by hurling a total of 26 2/3 innings and allowing two earned runs in the process. He was brilliant in his last start, throwing his first shutout and needing only 85 pitches (69 strikes) to do it.

"It's almost just as good as a perfect game or no-hitter," Indians catcher Yan Gomes said of Kluber's precise performance. "I was actually getting kind of nervous in the ninth. I'm like, 'This is good -- can't mess this up.'"

After the team dealt Justin Masterson to St. Louis, the start was a sign that Kluber is ready to step in as the leader of the Tribe's pitching staff.

"I think he really stepped up today," said pitching coach Mickey Callaway. "We're looking for him to be a leader, especially now that Masty's gone. There's a big void to fill there because Masty did such a good job of that. I think Kluber's that guy, and a little part of me thinks that he went out there and pitched like that because he knows that he's going to step up and do what he can do to lead this staff."

Reds: Diaz earning more responsibility in Reds bullpen
The way Reds reliever Jumbo Diaz has pitched since his first callup following 12 seasons of Minor League baseball, it's easy to wonder why the 30-year-old wasn't promoted sooner.

Following a rocky debut vs. Toronto on June 20, Diaz has a 1.23 ERA with two earned runs allowed over 14 2/3 innings pitched. On Saturday vs. the Marlins, the right-hander worked 1 2/3 scoreless innings before Cincinnati lost 2-1 in 10 innings.

As he's pitched well, Diaz has gotten to work in more and more high-profile situations. He was used Saturday to finish the eighth inning and work the ninth as Jonathan Broxton was unavailable. Manager Bryan Price isn't afraid to use him to set up, or even to close should Aroldis Chapman or Broxton not be available.

"The other part of it that has been impressive has been his demeanor," Price said. "Maybe that's just the maturity of a 30-year-old man with a lot of life experience in this game. He's embraced this opportunity, he's early to the ballpark. He's not cavalier about it. He's been very, very focused on maintaining his in-season shape and fitness. We haven't been as consistent out of our bullpen in 2014 as we were in '12 and '13, so he's given us a real boost."

Indians: Gomes expected back in lineup Monday
Yan Gomes was out of the Indians' starting lineup for the second day in a row due to neck stiffness on Sunday, giving first-year man Roberto Perez the starting nod at catcher in his place. Cleveland manager Terry Francona revealed that Gomes began experiencing discomfort on Friday, when he was removed in the sixth inning of the Tribe's blowout 12-2 win over the Rangers.

"It got worse as the night went on, but we got him out of there because we had the lead," Francona said before Sunday's tilt with Texas.

Gomes, hitting .281 with 14 home runs on the year, has played in 95 of the Tribe's first 110 games. Though the neck injury appears minor, the Indians are opting to remain cautious given the Brazilian backstop's heavy workload this season. The club believes he could be back in action by Monday after he pinch-hit in the ninth inning on Sunday.

Worth noting
• This will be Kluber's first career start against the Reds, but he's 3-1 in his career in Interleague Play with a 2.00 ERA.

• After losing their first four series after the All-Star break, the Reds' win over Miami on Sunday earned them their first series win in the second half.

Caitlin Swieca is an associate reporter for MLB.com. Follow her on Twitter at @CaitlinSwieca. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Hannahan ready to contribute wherever he can

By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | 8/3/2014 1:15 P.M. ET

MIAMI -- Reds backup first baseman Jack Hannahan has been off of the disabled list for one week as of Sunday, and has reported no issues with his surgically repaired right shoulder. Hannahan had missed all season until his July 27 activation.

"It's good. It's something I feel like I can maintain and fill in where they need me to give guys breaks or come up and pinch-hit," Hannahan said. "It's at the point where it's going to be until I can get to the offseason and give it the proper rest it needs to completely bounce back."

Hannahan, who usually plays third base also, has yet to make any throws across the diamond. But the Reds needed a veteran hitter, and his shoulder had improved just enough to allow him to play first base and hit. He can throw pain-free from first base.

Through four games, including two starts, Hannahan was 0-for-9 with four strikeouts.

"In the situation we were in, I felt comfortable throwing to turn a double play from first base," Hannahan said. "I felt comfortable swinging the bat. It's what they needed up here. I'm confident that can strengthen up my arm to where I can give Todd [Frazier] a break over at third base if he needs one, later in the year."

Parra's back tested fielding bunt single

MIAMI -- Whether he realized it at the time or not, Reds lefty reliever Manny Parra had to test his recently injured back in his first outing back after a long layoff.

Parra, who pitched for the first time since July 20 on Saturday vs. the Marlins after back spasms kept him out, had to bend over to field a perfectly executed two-out bunt single from Jordany Valdespin in the eighth inning that rolled between the mound and the first-base line.

"I guess I didn't think about it, so that's good. I wasn't worried about it. It was just a great bunt," Parra said on Sunday.

Taking over in a tight 1-1 game, Parra had already retired the first two batters he faced, including leadoff batter and pinch-hitter Donovan Solano with a strikeout. Parra exited after Valdespin's hit.

"As soon as the pitcher's spot was leading off, the guy who was going to hit, we knew it'd be Solano because he was 2-for-4 with two doubles off of [Parra]," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "And then he comes in there and makes some great pitches to get him out, [after] almost two weeks of inactivity. It's not like he's been able to go out there and throw bullpens and keep his delivery in shape. It was a very impressive outing."

"It's interesting to go out there after that long. It was a big situation, so I wasn't thinking about that, but afterwards, I was pretty happy," said Parra, who hasn't allowed a run since May 25.

Diaz earning more responsibility in Reds' bullpen

MIAMI -- The way Reds reliever Jumbo Diaz has pitched since his first callup following 12 seasons of Minor League baseball, it's easy to wonder why the 30-year-old wasn't promoted sooner.

Following a rocky debut vs. Toronto on June 20, Diaz entered Sunday with a 1.23 ERA with two earned runs allowed over 14 2/3 innings. On Saturday vs. the Marlins, the right-hander worked 1 2/3 scoreless innings before Cincinnati lost 2-1 in 10 innings.

"It's impressive. The thing that's unusual -- I think the stuff has always been there," Reds manager Bryan Price said on Sunday. "He's always had the velocity. There's nothing new to the velocity; he throws strikes. He has three pitches, he gets lefties out.

"I don't know if it was just the weight and they didn't want to put him out there at 340, 350 pounds or if he's just been more efficient with the weight loss. I know he ran some really good numbers for us before the weight loss -- noteworthy numbers -- but he was never really a topic of conversation whenever we talked about guys in our system at being options of helping us at this level."

Diaz dropped from 347 pounds to 278 pounds in the past offseason, a drop of 69 pounds.

As he's pitched well, Diaz has gotten to work in more and more high-profile situations. He was used Saturday to finish the eighth inning and work the ninth as Jonathan Broxton was unavailable. Price isn't afraid to use him to set up, or even to close, should Aroldis Chapman or Broxton not be available.

"The other part of it that has been impressive has been his demeanor," Price said. "Maybe that's just the maturity of a 30-year-old man with a lot of life experience in this game. He's embraced this opportunity. He's early to the ballpark, he's not cavalier about it. He's been very, very focused on maintaining his in-season shape and fitness. … We haven't been as consistent out of our bullpen in 2014 as we were in '12 and '13, so he's given us a real boost."

Mark Sheldon is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Mark My Word, and follow him on Twitter @m_sheldon. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Jumbo Diaz has become a big contributor in bullpen
C. Trent Rosecrans, crosecrans@enquirer.com 8:10 p.m. EDT August 3, 2014


Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Jumbo Diaz (70) reacts after getting out of the ninth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Great American Ball Park.(Photo: The Enquirer/Jeff Swinger)

MIAMI – After Jumbo Diaz give up two home runs in his big league debut, Reds starter Johnny Cueto went up to him and offered him some advice.

"You have good stuff, use your pitches – throw your slider, changeup and fastball. Get comfortable and have fun in the game," Diaz remembered the Reds ace telling him.

And while happy and enjoying his first big-league experience in his debut on June 20, Diaz said he was nervous. And after such a long road to the big leagues – Diaz was signed by the Dodgers out of the Dominican Republic as a 17-year old in 2001 and after 12 minor-league seasons and five different organizations, why wouldn't he be nervous?

But since then, he's taken Cueto's advice to heart and Cueto's been proven correct.

Since Diaz's debut against the Blue Jays, he's given up just two runs in 14 games. Batters are hitting just .104 against him in that stretch, and he's struck out 17 batters in 14 2/3 innings with just four walks.

In Saturday's loss to the Diamondbacks, Reds manager Bryan Price brought Diaz into a tie game in the eighth inning with a runner on first and the Marlins' most dangerous hitter, Giancarlo Stanton, up to the plate. Diaz got Stanton to ground out to end the inning and then struck out the side in the ninth to force extra innings.

"There's not a situation I wouldn't bring him into right now," Price said of Diaz.

In the hierarchy of the bullpen, Price said Diaz is now third on the list of closers, behind Aroldis Chapman (102 career saves) and Jonathan Broxton (117 career saves).

In retrospect, the Reds could have certainly used Diaz earlier in the season as part of what has been an inconsistent bullpen. Diaz was one of the last cuts of spring.

"When they sent me down to Louisville on the last day of spring training, I knew I had to keep focus and keep doing what I was doing," Diaz said.

Diaz is now doing everything he can to stay up -- keeping up with his conditioning and maintaining his weight, throwing strikes and getting outs. The way he's gone about his business has not gone unnoticed.

"The other part of it that has been impressive has been his demeanor," Price said. "Maybe that's just the maturity of a 30-year-old man with a lot of life experience in this game. He's embraced this opportunity, he's early to the ballpark, he's not cavalier about it. He's been very, very focused on maintaining his in-season shape and fitness. He's been a boost. He's been a real boost."

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/m.../13553791/

Parra put into fire immediately after layoff
C. Trent Rosecrans, crosecrans@enquirer.com 8:29 p.m. EDT August 3, 2014


Manny Parra.(Photo: Jeff Swinger/The Cincinnati Enquirer)

MIAMI – Manager Bryan Price said the ideal situation for Manny Parra to make his first appearance in nearly two weeks would have been with a four- or five-run lead. Instead, he had the left-hander make his first appearance since July 20 in the eighth inning of Saturday's game against the Marlins in a tie game with a pinch-hitter and then the top of the lineup scheduled to bat.

Even worse, Price was pretty sure the Marlins would send up Donavan Solano to pinch-hit as soon as Parra was announced since Solano entered the game 2-for-4 with two doubles in his career against Parra. Solano did pinch-hit, but Parra struck him out. He then got the next batter, leadoff man Christian Yelich, to ground out before left-hander Jordany Valdespin recorded his first base hit of the season off of a left-hander with a bunt single off of Parra.

At that point, Price got Parra, who had been bothered by back spasms, out of the game. But Parra did his job and Diaz then did his to keep the game tied.

"It's interesting, you go out there after that long and wonder – it's a big situation, so I wasn't thinking about (my back)," Parra said. "I was pretty happy with it."

So too was Price.

"(Parra) comes in there and makes some great pitches to get (Solano) out," Price said. "For almost two weeks of inactivity. It's not like he's been able to go out there and throw bullpens and keep his delivery in shape. It was a very impressive outing."

RUNNING REDLEGS: The Reds stole three bases in the first four innings on Sunday and were caught stealing once.

Todd Frazier was caught stealing to end the first inning when he guessed wrong on Jacob Turner's first move and was thrown out.

However, the rest of the Reds' three stolen bases attempts were successful –starting with Billy Hamilton's 43rd stolen base of the season in the third, followed by Jay Bruce's 10th of the season in that same inning. Both scored that inning, as did Kristopher Negron in the fourth after stealing second.

The Reds have 92 stolen bases, the second-most in the National League behind the Dodgers, who entered Sunday's game with 99 steals.

Hamilton's second in the National League to the Dodgers' Dee Gordon, who leads the league with 51 steals.

Last year the Reds attempted just 102 steals all season.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/m.../13554613/

Indians rout Reds, 7-1, in Ohio Cup opener
C. Trent Rosecrans, crosecrans@enquirer.com 12:26 a.m. EDT August 5, 2014


Cincinnati Reds pitching coach Jeff Pico (56) talks with starting pitcher Alfredo Simon (31) after Simon gave up a three run home run during the fourth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field.(Photo: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports)

CLEVELAND -- In this season in general and in the 17 games since the All-Star break in particular, the Reds have found many different ways to lose games.

But Monday's 7-1 loss to the Indians was different, at least for Reds manager Bryan Price.

"What was disappointing and unacceptable tonight was that we didn't have our head in the game at all, especially in the first five innings," Price said afterward. "We had two guys who didn't remember how many outs there were, we had a pitcher that didn't cover first base on a ground ball to the right side. We had five base runners in the first three innings, and with that three-run homer, it seemed like the game was over.

"We did rally a bit and come to life a bit in the last couple of innings offensively and with a little bit of energy in the dugout, but it was unacceptable. We haven't done that much this year, but what happened tonight was unacceptable from an effort and mental perspective, it's not the way we play, it's not the way we'll play again. But we need a lot better than that."

While a four-run deficit – which the Reds faced after Lonnie Chisenhall's three-run homer in the fourth inning – has seemed insurmountable for the Reds this season and especially in the second half, it was more so after the fifth inning, when the Reds went in order in three straight innings.

The Reds finished with eight hits – not an insignificant number for a team that's struggled so much all season at the plate. But they never got the big hit – leaving two men on in five different innings and scoring just one run.

The Indians didn't wait long to get on the board as Jason Kipnis led off the bottom of the first with a double. Mike Aviles sacrificed him to third and then Michael Brantley drove him in with a ground out to first – a play Pena had to make himself because starter Alfredo Simon didn't cover first.

Simon cruised through the second and third before the Indians opened the fourth with three straight hits, singles by Brantley and Carlos Santana and then a home run to straight-away center by Lonnie Chisenhall.

At that point, Price said, the dugout changed.


Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Carlos Contreras (53) pitches during the sixth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. (Photo: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports)

"Today there wasn't any energy. I don't know what it was," Price said. "It's unlike our club and that's why I think it's an anomaly and something we won't see as a recurring issue or we'll have a big problem here and I don't anticipate that."

Simon lost his fourth straight start since the All-Star break, breaking the team's string of nine straight quality starts. He gave up five runs on six hits in five innings. He walked three, and hit a batter.

Simon was one of the many feel-good stories of what appears more and more to be an overachieving first half for the Reds, moving from the starting rotation from the bullpen at the end of spring, only when Brett Marshall injured his finger in the last week in Arizona.

Simon was the first starter in the National League to earn 10 wins and was 12-3 with a 2.70 ERA when he was selected for his first All-Star team as a replacement for teammate Johnny Cueto.

He struggled in his first two starts, going just five innings at Yankee Stadium before not making it out of the fifth in the Reds' July 25 loss to the Nationals. That appearance -- 4 1/3 innings pitched and three runs on nine hits -- was the last time a Reds starter didn't throw a quality start.

He bounced back against the Marlins on Saturday, but didn't get the win, despite allowing just two runs in seven innings.

Simon dismissed any talk that he was tired despite the fact he's pitched a career-high 138 innings in his first full season as a starter.

"I feel great but I think I was just getting behind in the count today and when I tried to throw a strike, they took advantage of that," Simon said. "All of my offspeed pitches didn't work really good today, so that's why I tried to throw fastballs in the middle and they just hit it."

Price agreed, saying Simon's problem was getting behind batters and then giving them pitches to hit as he tried to get back in the count.

The Reds had chances to take the lead in both the first and the third, but couldn't come up with the hits when they needed them. In all, they left 11 runners on base and had just one hit in 11 tries with a runner in scoring position – that was Pena's one-out double in the eighth that made it 5-1 and kept the Reds from being shut out for the first time since the break.

The Reds have now lost 10 straight at Progressive Field and haven't won a road interleague game in six tries this season.

"We as a team we didn't play the way we play," Pena said. "It's one thing for us to get beat and then you have to tip your hat to the other guy, but it's another thing for us to beat ourselves. For us to look outside, that's not going to help us, the thing we need to do is look inside, it's all of us together. That's what we're going to do."

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/m.../13606193/

Reds' Price hasn't lost faith in struggling J.J. Hoover
C. Trent Rosecrans, crosecrans@enquirer.com 6:48 p.m. EDT August 4, 2014


Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher J.J. Hoover (60) has allowed runs in each of his last four appearances and seven of his last eight.(Photo: The Enquirer/Gary Landers)

MIAMI -- The numbers are gruesome -- a 1-8 record and 5.55 ERA -- but Reds manager Bryan Price still has confidence in reliever J.J. Hoover.

Hoover's allowed runs in each of his last four appearances and seven of his last eight. It's a far cry from the guy many saw as a future closer as recently as this spring.

"I've seen Hoov at his best," Price said on Monday. "I saw him in 2012 and be a big impact guy for a team that went to the playoffs and I saw him last year in a very good bullpen pitching some big innings, so I have a hard time losing the faith."

Velocity is hardly the only part of pitching, but that's not been an issue for him this season. According to FanGraphs.com, his fastball is the same as it's ever been, averaging 92.9 mph this year and 92.7 last season. He has a higher strikeout rate (10.54 strikeouts per nine innings in 2014 compared to 9.14 last season) and a higher walk rate (4.81 walks per nine in 2014 versus 3.55 last season), but what's most noticeable is the jump in his home run rates. He's given up nine home runs in 48 2/3 innings this season -- including a two-run homer to the Marlins' Garrett Jones on Sunday -- more than he'd given up in his first two years in the big leagues (eight in 96 2/3 innings).

Hoover is actually giving up fewer line drives this season (17.4 percent vs. 21.3 percent in 2013) and more fly balls (53.8 percent vs. 47.9 percent) -- and more of those fly balls are leaving parks (12.7 percent of those fly balls turn into home runs this season instead of 7.4 percent last year).

The other stat that jumps out that's different this year is the batting average on balls in play, where hitters are hitting .302 on balls they put in play against him as opposed to .244 a season ago.

"He's missed a lot more arm side this year, the mistakes that he's made have been hit, where other times they've been fouled off," Price said. "We've really focused on getting him down in the zone early because he's been vulnerable in some of those early-count elevation mistakes that have gotten hit, not so much deeper in the count. Statistics would suggest the deeper he goes, the better opportunity he has of getting the batter out."

Batters are jumping on his first pitch -- hitting three of the nine homers again him on the first pitch -- hitting .583/.560/1.125 on the first pitch.

While Hoover is throwing more sliders than he has in the past, it's been a pretty good pitch for him.

"He's become more of a four-pitch pitcher and we're still trying to determine whether that's a good thing or a bad thing," Price said. "He's using the slider more, and it's been an effective pitch. When you're sharp, you can pitch with two pitches, he's got that good overhand curveball and the fastball."

INJURY UPDATES: Price said his reports on Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto and Tony Cingrani are good -- but there's still no change in the timetables for their returns.

Phillips has the most definite return date, the six-week timetable from his July 11 surgery is still looking good. He's taking infield and doing his conditioning, but still can't swing a bat. Phillips has joined the team for the road trip to Miami and Cleveland and been working out along the way.

"He might not be in great baseball shape, but he'll be in great shape," Price said. "You have to play a bit to get yourself to get in that baseball condition."

Votto, meanwhile, is still working out in Cincinnati. He had a second platelet-rich plasma injection more than a week ago.

"Whenever they get into those PRP injections, there's going to be additional soreness involved with that therapy, so he's having to work his way through that, as well as the issues with the injury as well," Price said. "But we're getting very good reports on his progress."

There's more tangible results on Cingrani, who has been on the disabled list since being sent down to Triple-A. There he's been hampered by a sore left shoulder, but he's started throwing again in Cincinnati recently.

"He did initiate a throwing program without discomfort," Price said. "He tried to initiate it seven-to-10 days ago and there was still some discomfort, or there was discomfort in some of the exercises he was doing, so they did get really invested in the throwing program. In just the last couple of days, he started playing catch with Logan (Ondrusek) in Cincinnati. From the reports I got, he had no discomfort."

FRAZIER FINE: Todd Frazier was fine after having his foot stepped on ruing Sunday's win in Miami, but his left shoe can't say the same.

Frazier's left foot was stepped on by the Marlins Jordany Valdespin during an attempted double play in the third inning. Valdespin was called safe and the Reds challenged the call, saying Valdespin stepped on Frazier's foot, not the bag.

All they'd have to do is looked at the left Nike, where there was a two-inch gash in the material just above the swoosh. It's mainly a cosmetic problem, which is good, because Frazier didn't pack a pair of backup spikes for the six-game road trip.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/m.../13598767/

In return, Tomlin opposes tough foe in Cueto
Indians righty, Reds ace take mound as clubs continue Ohio Cup

By Alex Smith / MLB.com | 8/4/2014 10:52 PM ET

Cleveland plans to recall Josh Tomlin on Tuesday to start against Cincinnati. The move will fill Zach McAllister's vacated rotation spot after he was designated for assignment Friday and eventually optioned to Triple-A Columbus.

Tomlin (5-7, 4.47 ERA) made one start for Columbus on Thursday and allowed two runs -- on solo homers -- but struck out five over five innings. The outing was intentionally limited, Tribe manager Terry Francona said.

"We thought he could wiggle his way through a Triple-A lineup -- because he's smart -- and we didn't want to tax him a lot," Francona said Saturday.

In June, Tomlin worked a brilliant complete game one-hitter against the Mariners, but has since posted a 6.45 ERA and allowed six home runs over his last four starts. In addition to the struggles, the workload has also been a concern for Tomlin, who missed almost all of 2013 while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Tomlin has already logged 126 2/3 innings between Cleveland and Columbus. But with Justin Masterson a member of the Cardinals and McAllister working through confidence issues on the mound, the Indians will gladly welcome Tomlin back to the rotation if he can regain his effectiveness.

"He's about as accountable as any person you're going to meet," Francona said. "To say we're excited he's coming back is an understatement. It's hard not to pull for him."

Tomlin will likely need a strong performance to win his first start back, because Cincy starter Johnny Cueto (12-6, 2.05 ERA) has been lights-out. In fact, the righty has not allowed more than three earned runs in his past 10 starts -- a period in which his ERA (2.16) has been higher than his season total.

Cueto's numbers are downright impressive. His ERA is good for second place in the National League, and third in the Major Leagues behind Clayton Kershaw and Felix Hernandez. He's also second in the NL and seventh in MLB with 166 strikeouts.

He's carrying a rotation that needs to pick it up a notch if the Reds -- hovering around .500 -- want to make a serious playoff run.

"The only thing that we have to do is just stick together," Cueto said through a translator. "We have to continue to grind and stay competitive."

Reds: Hitters focused again
Cincinnati manager Bryan Price sensed that his team lost its focus at the plate coming out of the All-Star break.

"I felt like we were swinging to hit, we're hitting to pull and we're hitting to hit the ball out of the ballpark," Price said before Monday night's 5-1 loss to the Indians in which the Reds notched eight hits. "We should hit our fair share of homers, but not with the approach of hitting homers. I believe we made a much stronger commitment to getting back to what we were doing so well in early June and July."

After his team erupted for 15 hits to beat Miami, 7-3, on Sunday, Price was confident that the tide is changing.

"I don't know what happened in those four days off [for the All-Star break], but we kind of lost our feel and approach and mojo," he said. "Looks like it's heading back in the right direction now."

Indians: Swisher sidelined
Designated hitter Nick Swisher was out of Monday's starting lineup due to soreness in his right wrist, which he hurt while swinging in a sixth-inning at-bat against Texas' Yu Darvish on Sunday. Swisher, who has hit .333 (8-for-24) in his past seven games, hoped to at least be available off the bench by Tuesday.

"Hopefully, I'm back in there [Tuesday]," Swisher said. "But, if we need to take a couple days to get it right, we'll do that. We'll be smart about it."

This has been a tough season for Swisher by almost all measurements. He's hitting a career-worst .212, and his OPS has sagged to .622, well below any of his previous numbers. While he's picked up his average lately, the veteran hasn't showed off much power -- he has two RBIs in his past 15 games.

Worth noting
• Tomlin's ERA rose in each of his past four starts, but he's only given up one walk in that span over 22 1/3 innings.

• The 33-year-old Swisher's power has decreased since he signed with Cleveland. He'd averaged 89 RBIs in his final three seasons with the Yankees before dropping to 63 last year, and with 45 this year, he's on pace for a similar total.

Alex M. Smith is an associate reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @asmiff. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Shots from Santiago, Bruce avenge yesterday's loss
C. Trent Rosecrans, crosecrans@enquirer.com 10:23 p.m. EDT August 5, 2014


Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Johnny Cueto (47) pitched a complete game against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field.(Photo: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports)

CLEVELAND -- If Reds manager Bryan Price was upset with his team's performance in Monday's loss to the Indians, Cleveland manager Terry Francona had to be equally upset with his squad's showing in Tuesday's 9-2 Reds victory at Progressive Field.

The Indians had just one error on the scoreboard, but they had plenty of mistakes, several of them leading to Reds runs.

The Indians' lone error led directly to the game's first run. After Todd Frazier was hit by a pitch with two outs, Ryan Ludwick hit a double to left field, with Frazier advancing to third.

Indians third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall nonchalantly tried to catch the throw from cutoff man man Jose Ramirez. The ball went to the dugout and Frazier broke for home and made a nifty head-first slide to avoid the tag by catcher Yan Gomes.

Cleveland tied it with back-to-back hits by Mike Aviles and Michael Brantley, but as Aviles scored, Brantley went to second and Frazier, playing first base, cut off Jay Bruce's throw from right to get the second out of the inning.

Brayan Pena struck out to start the first, but the ball went past catcher Yan Gomes and Pena was able to make it to first. After a Kristopher Negron single, Pena was forced at third on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Zack Cozart, but Ramon Santiago followed with his first home run of the season to give the Reds a 4-1 lead.

Zack Cozart led off the fourth with a triple that bounced high off the wall in left-center field. Neither Cleveland's Aviles in left or Brantley in center played the bounce right and Cozart scooted to a triple. With two outs, the Indians had a shift on Jay Bruce with Jason Kipnis playing in shallow right field. Bruce hit a dribbler to second. It would normally be an easy out, but Kipnis charged, as did Santiago from short. Santiago bobbled the ball and Bruce was safe at first, while Cozart scored easily to make it 5-1.

Then in the fifth, the Reds had Chris Heisey on third and Pena at first and Negron at the plate. Pena attempted a steal of second and when the throw went to second, Pena stopped and Heisey took off. The Indians had no play on Heisey and tagged Pena out, making it 6-1.

All the while, Johnny Cueto was, if not at his best, at his good enough. Cueto went eight innings, gave up two runs on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts.


Cincinnati Reds catcher Brayan Pena (29) reacts after being tagged out at home plate in the ninth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. (Photo: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports)

The Indians got their second run in the seventh, when they had their best chance at a comeback. And the final Indians mistake was only partially the Indians' fault, but it didn't make it any less bizarre. Down 7-1, Cueto walked Chisenhall to start the inning and David Murphy then singled to right.

With those two on first and third and no outs, Yan Gomes doubled to right. Just as Bruce was throwing the ball in, Jumbo Diaz in the Reds' bullpen airmailed a throw to bullpen catcher Nilson Antigua that went over the screen in the Reds' bullpen in right. The ball came to rest around second base, where Bruce's throw went to Cozart (via cutoff man Negron).

At third, Murphy seemed to think Diaz's ball was the ball and broke toward home. That's when Cozart threw to Santiago to get Murphy out at third for the first out of the inning. The next two batters made outs, squandering the Indians' best chance at getting back into the game.

Cueto then cruised through the top of the Indians order in the eighth and the Reds added three more runs in the top of the inning on a Bruce solo homer -- his first since July 8 -- and a two-run double by Negron that was nearly a three-run triple, but Pena was called out at home and the play "stood" after a replay.

Cueto finished off the Indians with a groundout, strikeout and then a walk-off replay when the umpires initially called Murphy safe on a grounder to first, but after a crew chief-initiated replay, he was called out to end the game, giving the Reds their first win at an American League park and first at Progressive Field since 2010.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/m.../13650851/

Cleveland Indians outperformed in all facets by Cincinnati Reds: DMan's Report, Game 113, Tuesday


While Cincinnati Reds right fielder Jay Bruce fields the double hit by Cleveland Indians Yan Gomes along the right field fence in front of the Reds bullpen, an errant throw goes above the mitt of the bullpen catcher onto the field of play to put 2 baseballs on the field of play at the same time in the 8th inning on August 5, 2014 at Progressive Field. (Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer)

Dennis Manoloff, The Plain Dealer

on August 05, 2014 at 11:00 PM
DMAN'S REPORTS: GAME-BY-GAME

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians played the Cincinnati Reds in the finale of a two-game series Tuesday. Here is a capsule look from The Plain Dealer reporter Dennis Manoloff:

Game: 113.

Opponent: Reds.

Location: Progressive Field, Cleveland.

Time of day: Night.

Time elapsed: 2 hours, 48 minutes.

Attendance: 22,068.

Result: Reds 9, Indians 2.

Records: Reds 57-56, Indians 57-56.

Streaks snapped: The Indians had won four in a row.

The Reds won at Progressive Field for the first time in 11 games. The Tribe's 10-game winning streak had been its longest active at home against any opponent.

Time for Skyline Chili: Both teams head to Cincinnati for a two-game series beginning Wednesday night. The Indians lead the all-time series, 45-42, but are 10-19 at Great American Ballpark.

Bottom line, up front: A starting-pitcher mismatch on paper that favored Cincinnati played out as such. Tribe right-hander Josh Tomlin, who entered 5-7 with a 4.47 ERA, allowed six runs -- five earned -- on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. Reds righty Johnny Cueto, who entered at 12-6 with a 2.05 ERA, gave up the two runs on five hits in a 117-pitch complete game.

Cueto, Cincinnati's version of Corey Kluber, has allowed three or fewer runs in 11 consecutive starts.

In one sense, the Indians can dismiss the loss as a blip, coming as it did against a terrific pitcher. But the mismatch of Cueto against Tomlin underscores why many aren't taking the Indians seriously as a contender, even if the math does. The Indians' rotation beyond Kluber and, to a certain extent, Trevor Bauer, is highly problematic.

Embarrassment factor: On Monday night, the Indians and Kluber took it to the Reds, 7-1. Cincinnati manager Bryan Price labeled his club's effort "unacceptable,'' citing multiple mental lapses. Where Tuesday's game was concerned, Indians manager Terry Francona could have done the same. The Tribe made several absent-minded plays, including being victimized by Chris Heisey racing home while plodding Brayan Pena was tagged out between first and second in the fifth.

Once they fell behind, 5-1, after 3 1/2, the Indians and their body language suggested they weren't all in. They allowed an offensively challenged opponent to score nine in their house. The Reds out-executed, out-hustled and otherwise outplayed the hosts.

Inexcusable: The Indians -- third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall -- gift-wrapped a run for the Reds in the first.

With Todd Frazier on first and one out, Ryan Ludwick doubled into the left-field corner. Mike Aviles quickly secured the carom and threw to shortstop Jose Ramirez, who tossed to Chisenhall. Frazier was not going to move from third until Chisenhall took his eye off the ball and had it bounce off his glove and roll into foul territory.

As Frazier raced for home, Chisenhall grabbed the ball and made an off-balance throw that actually was in time. But when catcher Yan Gomes caught the ball and put his glove down near the plate, he missed the head-first-sliding Frazier. By the time Gomes located Frazier's body, it was too late -- the hand was in.

Surprise, surprise: Reds No. 9 batter Ramon Santiago ambushed Tomlin with a three-run homer in the second. It gave the Reds a 4-1 lead.

With Cueto on the mound, that translates to Game Over.

Santiago batted with runners on first and second and one out. In preparation for the first pitch, Gomes set up on outer half and obviously wanted it down. Tomlin missed over the plate at the belt, and Santiago hammered it over the right-field wall. Even for a hitter such as Santiago, the pitch was a cookie. Tomlin can't afford to miss over the plate that badly against anybody.

As the ball sailed over the wall, SportsTime Ohio play-by-play man Matt Underwood said: "Are you kidding me?''

The homer was Santiago's first of the season in 50 games and fourth in 223 games since the beginning of 2012.

Tomlin has allowed 17 homers, including four three-run shots. Tomlin has given up more homers than walks (11).

Shift backfires: Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis, pulled in because of a runner at third and none out in the fourth, made a diving stop to his right to deny Santiago an RBI single. Billy Hamilton followed with a swinging strikeout, but the Reds finally cashed when lefty Jay Bruce tapped an outside changeup past Tomlin for an RBI infield single and 5-1 lead. Ramirez, forced to come a long way because the shift had placed Kipnis in short right, fielded but couldn't get the ball out of his glove. If Ramirez had been able to throw, the play would have been bang-bang.

The Indians, as is the case with most teams, are proud of themselves for their adherence to spray charts. But the harsh reality of the two-game series was, Bruce had five hits, and a case could be made that four were made possible because fielders vacated spots because of the shift.

Spotlight on....Indians center fielder Michael Brantley. He entered at .324 with 16 homers and 71 RBI. He had 26 multi-hit games since June 1.

First inning (runner on second, one out) -- 89-mph changeup high, ball; 88 changeup up, called strike. 91 fastball outer half, foul; 88 changeup down, foul; 92 fastball inside corner, RBI single to right.

The skinny: Plate umpire Greg Gibson did Brantley no favors by calling the borderline second pitch a strike. Instead of being in command of the count, Brantley needed to be more defensive. Before the decisive pitch, Reds catcher Pena set up on the outer half. As Cueto began his delivery, Pena hopped to the inside corner. The attempted peripheral-vision deke didn't work, Brantley ripping the fastball into the hole at second. Right fielder Bruce, who possesses a good arm, wanted to erase Mike Aviles attempting to score. However, first baseman Todd Frazier recognized the throw would not get Aviles and jumped to cut it off. Frazier's decision ended up being wise; Aviles was going to score and Frazier trapped Brantley attempting to get to second.

Third inning (runner on first, two outs) -- 92 fastball outer half, foul; 93 fastball inside corner, called strike; 90 hard changeup*, grounder to short/fielder's choice.

The skinny: Cueto evened the head-to-head matchup, 1-1, primarily because a superb second pitch: a comeback fastball, with sink, that was a ball for 50 feet. Entering Tuesday, batters against Cueto were 18-for-125 (.144) with 61 strikeouts after an 0-2 count. Cueto retired Brantley using a hard changeup (*or, Cueto took something off the fastball).

Sixth inning (none on, one out) -- 91 fastball up, ball; 81 curve, grounder to short.

The skinny: Cueto dusted off the curve, and Brantley made solid contact. He wasn't robbed, though. It was a routine groundout.

Eighth inning (none on, two outs): 92 fastball outside corner, grounder to second.

The skinny: Not one of Brantley's finest ABs. Pitch had good tailing action -- but Brantley knew that.

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