MLB Final Score/Recap: Cincinnati Reds run roughshod over Cleveland Indians 8-2

May 28, 2013

Reds 8, Indians 2

Game 51

So what the heck happened in the last week? Well, for one, the Indians have played three very good baseball teams. And two, the bullpen has been awful. So you've been seeing a lot of close games turn into losses late. Or in this case, a small deficit turning into a blowout late.

Zach McAllister was not sharp tonight. He made many mistakes, some of which got punished, but he did let the game get away from him or leave the game early, because having to go to this bullpen in the fourth or fifth inning right now would be disastrous. Zach allowed leadoff hits in five of the six innings he started, but somehow kept the damage to just three runs, all scored off him in the first inning.

The Reds not only have one of the best offenses in the league, but also one of the best pitching staffs, which is quite an accomplishment given their home park. Six pitchers have made starts for the Reds this year, and all six have an ERA+ of at least 119. Mat Latos continued that trend tonight, holding the Tribe offense to one run in 6.1 innings. And unlike Cleveland, Cincinnati has a functional bullpen right now, so there wasn't much of a letup between Latos and the Red relief.

Most of the frustration here has been placed on the bullpen. Over this road trip alone, the Indians have allowed three last at-bat wins to the opposition. That the Indians have been in so many games speaks to how the rest of the team has been playing, but the Indians aren't getting style points for losses. Chris Perez's shoulder doesn't show any serious damage, and Vinnie Pestano has appeared to figure out why he had suddenly lost several mph on his fastball, but tonight even a guy like Bryan Shaw got rocked. Shaw came into a 3-1 game in the seventh inning, and by the time the inning was over he had allowed four runs and the Indians were completely out of the game.

Source: FanGraphs

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