Travis Buck turned on a fastball and drove it over the right field wall, giving the Tribe a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the 7th inning. That 2-run homer was all the Indians were able to muster on Saturday afternoon, but the brilliance of Josh Tomlin overshadowed Cleveland's offensive struggles.
Tomlin completely stifled the Reds as the young right-hander improved to 6-1. Scott Rolen's RBI groundout in the 7th accounted for the only Cincinnati run off Tomlin, who hurled 7 dominant frames.
Homer Bailey was actually outdueling Tomlin until that fateful 7th inning. Bailey yielded a lead-off single to Asdrubal Cabrera, and, after recording 2 outs, he grooved a 1st pitch heater that Buck drilled into the right field seats.
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| Buck's clutch 2-out homer propelled the Indians to a 2-zip lead in the Battle of Ohio |
Tomlin appeared capable of throwing a complete game, but Manny Acta decided to play it safe by turning to his reliable bullpen. Acta's decision was proven correct when Vinnie Pestano and Chris Perez combined to hold the Reds scoreless over the contest's final 2 innings. Pestano struck out the side in the 8th, and Perez used a double play and a strikeout to work around a pair of walks in the 9th.
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