Josh Naylor lined into a triple play in the eighth inning, then let a routine grounder roll through his legs at first base with two outs in the ninth that led to Cincinnati’s tying run as the Reds beat the Cleveland Indians 3-2 in the 10th Saturday.
Pinch-hitter Tyler Stephenson’s single in the 10th won it.
Naylor had a chance to boost Cleveland’s one-run lead in the eighth when he came up with runners at the corners with no outs. He hit a liner to first baseman Joey Votto, who tagged Franmil Reyes as he tried to dive back into the bag and then threw to third to double off Eddie Rosario, who took off because he thought the ball hit the ground and had already crossed the plate.
“We got the break and we made the most of it, and we came back and won,” Reds manager David Bell said. “It definitely could have been a different game if they score a run or two there.”
Pitching with a 2-1 lead, Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase was pumping in 100 mph fastballs and retired the first two batters in the bottom of the ninth. Max Schrock then hit a grounder through Naylor for a two-base error and Jesse Winker followed with an RBI single.
“He just missed the ball. I don’t know what else to tell you,” Indians manager Terry Francona said.
Eugenio Suárez started the Reds 10th as the automatic runner on second and moved to third on Tyler Naquin’s flyout. After an intentional walk, Stephenson singled to deep right off Oliver Perez (0-1).
“Really just looking for a good pitch to hit,” Stephenson said. “I was prepared for it and got a sinker out over (the plate) and hit it to right field. I was on time, and I got it.”
Sean Doolittle (2-0) pitched a scoreless 10th.
Eddie Rosario hit an RBI triple for the Indians in the third. Andres Giménez homered in the fourth.
Sonny Gray made his first appearance of the season for the Reds after being sidelined with a muscle strain in his back. He gave up two runs and six hits, striking out six over 4 1/3 innings.
Tucker Barnhart homered in the Reds second.
Indians starter Triston McKenzie struck out seven and gave up a run on five hits through five innings.
WHOOPS
Votto was thrown out in the fifth when he tried to score from first on a deep single by Naquin. With the ball already relayed to the infield, Votto was sent by third base coach J.R. House and was out by so much he just stopped and let catcher Austin Hedges tag him to end the inning.
GRAY IN, BEDROSIAN OUT
Gray officially came off the disabled list before Saturday’s game, and right-handed reliever Cam Bedrosian was designated for assignment. Bedrosian made the team out of spring training, but had an 11.12 ERA in six appearances.
MORE HELP
To get some more depth in their taxed bullpen, the Indians recalled rookie left-hander Sam Hentges from the alternate training site. To make roster room, they sent outfielder Ben Gamel down. Cleveland used five relievers despite a good start by McKenzie. Hentges wasn’t one of them.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Reds 3B Mike Moustakas isn’t feeling well and was out of the lineup for the second straight day. Utility infielder Alex Blandino was put on the injured list, and outfielder Mark Payton was recalled from the alternate site.
UP NEXT
The Indians send RHP Shane Bieber (1-1), the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, against Reds LHP Wade Miley (2-0) in the finale of the series on Sunday afternoon. Bieber went nine innings in the Indians’ 2-0 win over the White Sox Tuesday, extending his streak of to 15 starts with at least eight strikeouts. Miley gave up two hits and no runs in five innings in the Reds’ 3-0 win over the Giants Monday.
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