MLB Final Score: Cleveland Indians 5, Cincinnati Reds 2

This wasn't a perfect game by any stretch of the imagination, but at least some things got righted.

• Justin Masterson got through six innings. At times he looked great, at times he looked bad, and sometimes he just didn't have much BABIP luck, such as the bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning, but he escaped from that jam thanks to a 1-2-3 double play and a end-of-the-bat flyout to preserve a 2-1 lead.
  
• The Indians torpedoed a chance at a big inning in the fourth by making two outs on the bases. That's why three consecutive doubles only resulted in one run. Nick Swisher got thrown out at the plate, then Jason Giambi took off for third on a full count to Santana.
  
• However, Swisher and Giambi would redeem themselves the next time they came to the plate. After the first two batters of the inning were retired, Cabrera and Swisher hit consecutive singles, and then Giambi line a three-run homer over the right field fence.
  
• That pushed the lead to 5-1, giving the bullpen some breathing room. Cody Allen, Joe Smith, and Vinnie Pestano were tabbed to pitch the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings even though the Indians were up four runs, and for the most part they did their jobs. Both Allen and Smith pitched scoreless innings, but Pestano allowed a leadoff homer to Xavier Paul before retiring the next three Reds. More importantly, Pestano's pitches had more life to them, and with Chris Perez out for at least the next two weeks, Vinnie will be closing through the remainder of this brutal stretch of the schedule.

Source: FanGraphs

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