Reds-Indians Goulash Of A Game

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Xavier Paul’s two-run, first-inning single was the biggest hit of the night in an 8-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians Tuesday night in “The Battle of Ohio.” Credit: Reid Compton-USA TODAY Sports

CINCINNATI–Sometimes baseball games just unfold in the strangest of fashions, when the nine innings play out as if it’s a preplanned test to see if one of everything in the rule book can be included.

Such was Tuesday night’s Cincinnati Reds-Cleveland Indians game at Great American Ball Park, won 8-2 by the Reds. Cincinnati had 18 hits and left 12 men on base. At times it seemed as if Cincy might score 20 runs.

There was a pickoff at second base, a tag at home plate, a tag at first base that wasn’t (sorry umps, you blew a phantom tag on Brandon Phillips). There were hit batsmen, errors, stolen bases on indifference, a surprise bunt, a dropped third strike where the batter was safe at first, and yes, Nick Swisher did score.

Enough Indians players struck out (11) for free pizza to be won by the 28,812 in attendance for a 3-hour, 28-minute game that had no bottom of the ninth. A pitcher dropped a mini-popup as a runner from third ran all of the way to within 10 feet of home, screeched on the brakes like a cartoon character, and ran all of the way back to third so as not to be doubled off. Only to discover after he turned around about that pitcher miscue and that if he kept running he would have crossed the plate safely.

Indians starter Zack McAllister gave up three runs in the first inning and the way he was going it seemed certain he was going to be seeking a spot in the witness protection program soon. The reason he only gave up those few runs is because center fielder Michael Bourn went back, back, back to the center field wall to spear a shot and other fielders picked him up, too. McAllister definitely owed for the post-game ice-cream cones.

Then around the third inning McAllister figured out that his 75 mph change-up was working and he gained some semblance of control. Going into the Reds’ seventh inning it was only 3-1 despite what seemed like complete domination.

But that was the end of that. In the home half of the seventh the Reds sent nine men to the plate, ripped off six sharply hit singles, and scored four runs. Despite all of those other slightly out-of-kilter doings the reason this game did not get out of hand with wild numbers is that there were no home runs or triples.

Cincinnati outfielder Xavier Paul, who clouted a two-run single in the first and collected three hits in all, agreed that this was a somewhat peculiar affair.

“We had a few weird plays,” Paul said. “You’re going to have some of those games. Every once in a  blue moon you just have those sometimes.”

Cincinnati is 14-3 on its most recent stretch, counting two straight wins over the Indians, with two to go as the series shifted to Cleveland Wednesday night. This quartet of games is called “The Battle of Ohio,” though unofficially it was mentioned in the clubhouse Tuesday night that no one had seen the trophy cup lately.

The players were quite conscious of all of the ups and downs and spins around the block in the Tuesday contest.

“That was a wild game,” Reds shortstop Zack Cozart said. “Then it was a ballgame. Then we put the dagger in.”

The game had a happy ending for the Reds–and for fans of pizza–but Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker, who worries more than a grandmother who views all glasses as half empty, couldn’t shake the picture of so many missed chances to score.

“There were lots of opportunities, especially early,” Baker said. “I didn’t like the way that game was going (when it was 3-1). It was getting a little hairy there. We were leaving them out there. We’ve got to play championship baseball.”

With a 33-19 record through Tuesday, the Reds have been playing championship baseball–as predicted this season–but there is no daylight in the National League Central Division standings because the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates are playing just about as well.

Still, it was a lot better to be the Reds than to be the Indians after this one.