MVN - Most Valuable Network

Jensen Lewis walks home winning run in birthday return to Cincinnati

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
CLEVELAND	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0		3	5	0
Cincinnati	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	X		4	8	2
W: David Weathers (1-2), L: Jensen Lewis (0-2) S: Francisco Cordero (8) HR: Cin: Brandon Phillips (8), Adam Dunn (8), Casey Blake (3), Travis Hafner (4), Jhonny Peralta (7)

Jensen Lewis gave up a double and three walks, including walking home the winning run, as the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Cleveland Indians 4-3 at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati.

Lewis, who had grown up in the Cincinnati area, was celebrating his 24th birthday on Friday night. It wasn’t a homecoming birthday that he’ll likely want to remember. Lewis relieved lefty Rafael Perez with one-out in the bottom of the eighth inning. he walked his first batter, Brandon Phillips on a 3-2 pitch. Joey Votto followed with a double, putting runners on second and third. Lewis than walked Edwin Encarnacion to load the bases. Lewis pulled off the walking trifecta, when he walked Adam Dunn on another 3-2 pitch to allow Brandon Phillips to score the winning run for the Reds on the first day of interleague play.

Jeremy Sowers struggled early on in this ballgame. In the first inning, former Indian Brandon Phillips launched a first pitch fastball into the second deck in left to give the Reds an early 2-0 lead. In the second, Reds’ slugger Adam Dunn hit an offspeed pitch into the Tribe bullpen for a 3-0 lead.

Sowers continued to struggle throughout the game, but buckled down when he had to. In the third, he gave up a leadoff double to Jerry Hairston Jr., and Ken Griffey Jr. followed up with a single. Hairston tried to score, but was thrown out at the plate. Sowers settled down after that, but the Tribe was in a 3-0 hole.

How about that Tribe offense! Cincinnati starter Johnny Cueto no-hit the Indians through five innings. Ironically the only baserunner in those five innings was Jeremy Sowers, who somehow drew a walk. Cueto had struck out the side in the fifth, and seemed to be grooving. Then came the sixth.

Casey Blake led off the the sixth inning with a home run, the Indians’ first run and hit of the game. Travis Hafner, benched because the Indians were playing in a National League park, pinch-hit for starter Sowers, and followed Blake’s homer with one of his own. Cueto got Grady Sizemore to ground out, before giving up his third home run in four batters, when Jhonny Peralta hit his third home run in three games. It could have been a bigger inning, when David Dellucci walked, and Victor Martinez made it to first on an error, still with only one-out left. The Indians couldn’t capitalize, however, and failed to score another run that inning.

The Indians put pressure on the Reds again in the seventh inning. Casey Blake doubled with one out, and Grady Sizemore was intentionally walked with two outs. Peralta was safe at first on another error by the Reds to load the bases for David Dellucci. Dellucci ultimately grounded out to end the inning and the threat.

Cleveland managed five hits all night. At least three of them were home runs. Unfortunately, when Tribe pitching gives up three or more runs, there’s not much hope for this offense…yet.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 16th, 2008 at 11:27 pm and is filed under Casey Blake, Ken Griffey Jr., Travis Hafner, Jeremy Sowers, Jensen Lewis, Rafael Perez, Jerry Hairston Jr., Tribe Loss, Johnny Cueto, David Weathers, James Pete, Victor Martinez, Cleveland Indians, David Dellucci, Cincinnati Reds, Brandon Phillips, Jhonny Peralta, Edwin Encarnacion, Grady Sizemore, Adam Dunn, Joey Votto, Tribe Report. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.