Battle Of Ohio: Asdrubal Cabrera Goes 5-For-5 With 2 Homers, 5 RBI; Tribe Sweeps Reds, 12-4

Asdrubal Cabrera went 5-for-5 with two homers and five RBI, Michael Brantley added three hits and two ribbies, and Shin-Soo Choo drove in a pair as the Indians finished off a sweep of the Cincinnati Reds in the first round of the 2011 Battle of Ohio with a 12-4 win at Progressive Field that saw the Tribe improve to 29-15 and maintain a seven-game lead in the American League Central.

Carlos Carrasco (3-2, 5.16 ERA) hung around long enough to get the victory, going six innings and surrendering all four runs — including home runs from Joey Votto and Jay Bruce. Carrasco struck out three and walked only one while allowing six hits in winning his second straight.

Chad Durbin came on with a man at second and nobody out in the seventh and worked around an error to shut the door and keep the lead at 8-4, before Cleveland put it away with a four-run seventh.

Rafael Perez worked a scoreless eighth, and Josh Judy made his major league debut in the ninth, giving up a single and a double but keeping the Reds off the board.

After Votto gave Cincinnati the lead with his blast to the bleachers in the first, Asdrubal connected off of losing pitcher Edinson Volquez (3-2, 6.35 ERA) with Brantley aboard to put the Tribe ahead.

Choo then doubled, and after Carlos Santana was retired for the first out, but moved Choo to third, Travis Buck walked, and then things got interesting.

Buck broke for second with Orlando Cabrera batting, then put on the brakes as Choo bluffed for home, drawing a throw to the plate. As Choo headed back to third, Reds’ catcher Ramon Hernandez uncorked a throw into left field that hugged the line all the way to the wall, allowing both Choo and Buck to score and giving the Indians a 4-1 lead.

Choo drove in Brantley with a single in the second to make it 5-1, though it could have been more, as the Indians failed to further add to their lead with runners at first and third and none out.

But the Tribe came through in the third when Brantley hit a sacrifice fly to score Austin Kearns, who had reached on a hit by pitch. Then Asdrubal Cabrera singled to score Jack Hannahan, who had walked, and Cleveland was up 7-1 and Volquez’s day was done.

Volquez allowed seven runs — six earned — in only 2.2 innings, with seven hits, four walks, and the hit-batsman.

The Reds got a run back in the fourth on Bruce’s homer, then added two in the sixth to get to within 7-4. In that sixth, Joey Votto doubled in his second run of the game, and a Brandon Phillips ground out cut the Indians’ lead to three.

Asdrubal Cabrera hit his second homer in the bottom of the sixth off of Sam LeCure to make the lead 8-4, and then in the bottom of the seventh, with one out, Kearns tripled off of new reliever Jordan Smith and scored on Hannahan’s double to make it 9-4. Lou Marson walked and Brantley doubled, scoring Hannahan and moving Marson to third. Asdrubal drove in his fifth run of the afternoon with a single, and the final run of the inning — and the game — scored when Choo hit a sac fly.

The Indians now welcome the Boston Red Sox to town for a three-game set beginning Monday night at 7:05, as the Tribe looks to move to 19-4 at home.

The Indians find a way to keep winning even as players keep going to the DL. With Alex White now out of action with an injured finger on his pitching hand, that makes three Clevelanders lost in the last week, with White joining Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner.

The Tribe has recalled RHP Josh Judy from Columbus to temporarily shore up the pen until the expected return of Mitch Talbot in time for Talbot to start against the Red Sox on Wednesday, which would be perfect timing to take what would have been White’s turn in the rotation.

On Sunday the Indians go for a sweep over the Reds with Carlos Carrasco taking the hill against Cincinnati’s Edinson Volquez. Carraco won his last start, winning in Kansas City on Tuesday to even his record at 2-2, a victory which lowered Carrasco’s ERA to 5.03.

In the Tuesday win, Carrasco went 5.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits, walking two and fanning five.

Sunday’s 1:05 start will be Carrasco’s first-ever inter-league game, so he has obviously never faced Cincinnati.

Volquez (3-1, 5.59 ERA) will be making his third career start against Cleveland. In his two previous starts, Volquez is 1-1 with a high 9.39 ERA in only 7.2 innings.

In his last start for the Reds, Volquez went six innings and surrendered three runs but was not involved in the decision in a Cincinnati win over the Cubs.

The Tribe has opened up a seven-game lead over the Royals and the Tigers, which is good news when players are on the mend. A little cushion is nice, but a seven-game cushion…well, that is really nice.

Tomorrow the Boston Red Sox come to town for the first of three games as the Indians return to play against the American League until late June, while the Reds, losers of four in a row, will move on to Philadelphia. It doesn’t get easier for Cincinnati, and Cleveland would love to send the Reds to Philly on a down-note.

Sometimes all it takes is one swing of the bat — or a drag bunt. And sometimes, the most unlikely of heroes can make a victory extra-special.

When it happens two days in a row, it can signify a season that is headed toward being extra-special.

After Ezequiel Carrera drove in the winning run on Friday night with a drag bunt base-hit in his first career at-bat, Travis Buck came through this afternoon with his first home run as an Indian — a two-run blast off of Homer Bailey with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to erase a Cincinnati lead — and the Tribe won their second straight over the Reds with a 2-1 victory that gave Josh Tomlin his sixth win of the season in seven decisions.

Before Buck’s blast, it was looking grim for Cleveland, after the Reds grabbed the lead in the top of the seventh when Orlando Cabrera misplayed a potential inning-ending double play into an RBI ground out from Scott Rolen that scored Brandon Phillips.

But in the bottom half of the seventh, Asdrubal Cabrera led off with a single, and after Shin-Soo Choo and Carlos Santana were retired, Buck came through.

Tomlin went seven innings and surrendered that one slightly-tainted run, giving up only three hits, walking one and fanning three, in dropping his ERA to 2.42.

Vinnie Pestano pitched the eighth for the Tribe, allowing one hit but striking out three, and then in the ninth, Chris Perez allowed a lead-off walk but then got Phillips to bounce into a double play. After again putting a man aboard with another walk, Rolen struck out to end the game, giving Perez his 12th save of the season.

Bailey was the hard-luck loser for the Reds, dropping to 3-1 on the season with a 2.08 ERA.

Tomorrow this first inter-league match-up of the season will conclude with a 1:05 start. Carlos Carrasco is slated to go for the Indians against the Reds’ Edinson Volquez.

(Sports Network) – Homer Bailey aims to keep his 2011 record unblemished this afternoon when he takes the mound for the Reds against the Cleveland Indians in the middle contest of a three-game series.

Bailey began the year on the 15-day disabled list with an impingement in his right shoulder, but he’s been spectacular since his season debut May 5 against Houston. In his three starts, the 25-year-old right-hander has given up just four earned runs over 19 innings for an ERA of 1.89. He’s also fanned 16 batters and walked just four.

In his most recent start, Monday against the Cubs, Bailey allowed three earned runs and six hits over six innings. He left the game trailing, 4-0, but the Reds scored seven times in the bottom of the sixth inning to put him in line for the win.

Bailey’s last start against the Indians ended early. Nearly a year to the day, May 23, 2010, Bailey left that contest at Progressive Field with inflammation in his right shoulder and went on the DL the following day. He’s 2-0 in his career against Cleveland, but has a 7.56 ERA in those four starts.

Last time out, the Indians supported Josh Tomlin with a bevy of runs. They’ll try to do the same this afternoon. Tomlin, who has yet to give up more than three runs in any of his eight starts this year, threw six innings in a 19-1 victory at Kansas City on Monday. Tomlin is the only Indians pitcher in club history to go at least five innings in each of his first 20 appearances with the club.

This will be Tomlin’s first appearance against a National League team.

In his first major league at-bat, Ezequiel Carrera dragged a bunt single down the first-base line to score the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, lifting the Indians to a dramatic 5-4 victory over the Reds on Friday.

The opener of this series had a little bit of everything, including a no-hit bid that Reds starter Travis Wood carried into the sixth inning before the wheels fell off during a four-run Indians rally that tied the game.

On as a pinch-hitter with two outs, Carrera dragged a first-pitch fastball from Nick Masset that first baseman Joey Votto fielded near the line. Votto reached to tag the 23-year-old, but Carrera danced around his glove to score Shin-Soo Choo from third.

“We had Joey (Votto) playing in front of the bag figuring he might bunt, which he did, but he made a perfect bunt,” said Reds manager Dusty Baker.

Chris Perez closed the game for Cleveland in the ninth, but not without a little drama. He walked leadoff hitter Fred Lewis and Drew Stubbs hammered a fastball that Choo leaped to catch in front of the wall in right field.

The next batter, Jonny Gomes, hit a liner that Perez caught between his legs, then tossed to first for a force out and game-ending double play.

Five players knocked in a run for the Indians, who are trying to win a series against the Reds for the first time since 2007 — a streak of seven series.

Cincinnati won four of six in this series last season and has won six of its last 10 in Cleveland.

Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - In his first major league at-bat, Ezequiel Carrera dragged a bunt single down the first base line to score the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, lifting the Indians to a dramatic 5-4 victory over the Reds.

The opener of this three-game interleague series had a little bit of everything, including a no-hit bid that Reds starter Travis Wood carried into the sixth inning before the wheels fell off during a four-run Indians rally that tied the game.

On as a pinch-hitter with two outs, Carrera dragged a first-pitch fastball from Nick Masset that first baseman Joey Votto fielded near the line. Votto reached to tag the 23-year-old, but Carrera danced around his glove to score Shin-Soo Choo from third.

Chris Perez closed the game for Cleveland in the ninth, but not without a little drama. He walked leadoff hitter Fred Lewis and Drew Stubbs hammered a fastball that Choo leaped to catch in front of the wall in right field.

The next batter, Jonny Gomes, hit a liner that Perez caught between his legs, then tossed to first for a force out and game-ending double play.

Five players knocked in a run for the Indians, who are trying to win a series against the Reds for the first time since 2007 -- a streak of seven series.

They finally solved Woods in the sixth, when Austin Kearns singled with one out to break up the no-no bid. It was the first of three straight singles, with Kearns scoring on Michael Brantley's base hit to right.

Asdrubal Cabrera walked and Wood hit Choo with a pitch to knock in another run. Logan Ondrusek relieved him and walked Carlos Santana before Shelley Duncan lifted a sacrifice fly to left to score another run, tying the game at 4-4.

Vinnie Pestano (1-0) got two outs in the top of the eighth to earn the win, while Bill Bray (1-1) took the loss after giving up Choo's triple in the eighth and intentionally walking Santana before giving way to Masset.

Indians starter Alex White lasted just three innings before leaving with an injured finger on his throwing hand. The right-hander winced after a pitch in the third, but remained in the game after being looked at by the trainer and throwing a couple of practice pitches.

The Reds then scored two runs to take the lead.

White walked three straight batters to load the bases, but was still almost out of the inning on a Votto grounder that could have been a double play. Instead, first baseman Matt LaPorta fielded it, then threw wide and high to second base, letting Paul Janish and Stubbs to scored for a 2-0 lead.

Frank Herrmann relieved White to start the fourth and remained in the game until the sixth, when he gave up back-to-back singles to Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce. Phillips scored on an error by second baseman Orlando Cabrera, making it 3-0, and Joe Smith relieved Herrmann.

Smith threw a wild pitch, advancing Bruce to third and Scott Rolen to second, and Chris Heisey followed with an RBI single to make it 4-0. Heisey was caught trying to steal second base and Janish grounded out to end the inning.

Orlando Cabrera returned after missing a game to become a U.S. citizen...The Indians placed designated hitter Travis Hafner placed on the disabled list Friday with a strained right oblique...The Reds have lost three straight after being swept at home by the Pirates in two games. The Indians snapped a two- game losing streak after being swept by the White Sox...Cincinnati's last no- hitter was Tom Browning's perfect game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 16, 1988...The Indians haven't been no-hit since Jim Abbott shut them down as a Yankee on September 4, 1993...The Reds went 4-2 in the six-game series last year.

The Indians have placed Travis Hafner on the disabled list with an abdominal problem which Hafner thinks could be an oblique strain, which would sideline him, probably, for a good month.

The Tribe has also recalled Frank Herrmann to take Justin Germano’s spot in the bullpen, and has sent Luis Valbuena right back to Columbus, two days after being recalled.

Ezequiel Carrera takes Valbuena’s spot on the roster.

Hafner was hitting .345 with five homers and 22 RBI. His bat, along with Grady Sizemore’s, will be sorely missed this weekend against the Cincinnati Reds.

Time to toughen up, Indians, and battle through this patch with two of your best on the sidelines.