CLEVELAND _ The Indians couldn't muster much offense until their final at-bat and a couple of stellar defensive plays weren't enough to prevent Mike Clevinger from being knocked around in a 7-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night at Progressive Field.
Indians hitters were stifled nearly the entire night and entered the final inning trailing 7-1. Still, the Indians (49-40) managed to bring the tying run to the plate in the form of Jose Ramirez with two outs.
Jason Kipnis belted a two-run home run to make it 7-3, Francisco Lindor added a sacrifice fly to score another run and Michael Brantley doubled in a run to cut the Reds' lead to 7-5. That brought up Ramirez, who was struck out by Raisel Iglesias to end the game as the last-moment comeback fell just short.
Prior to the ninth, the Indians went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and 0-for-12 with men on base as the Reds built a commanding lead.
Clevinger (7-4) racked up 11 strikeouts but also gave up plenty of hard contact. He was roughed up for five earned runs on seven hits and three walks in six innings. It was the fourth start this season he reached double-digit strikeouts and the second one in which he allowed five runs.
And that was with the Indians defense taking a couple of runs off the board. With a runner on first and two outs in the first inning, Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett rifled a ball to deep right field. Tyler Naquin, ranging back, tracked it down and make a diving, extended catch to save a run. It was perhaps the best defensive play of the year in Cleveland and left Clevinger with both hands in the air and catcher Yan Gomes offering an emphatic fist pump.
An inning later, Adam Duvall belted a ball to deep center field with a runner on second base. Greg Allen ranged back and hauled it in as he leaped into the wall, again taking a run off the board for the Reds.
The Reds (40-51) took a 1-0 lead in that second inning, though, on Tucker Barnhart's RBI double to right field to score Eugenio Suarez, who opened the inning with a walk.
Two innings later, a leadoff walk came back to bite Clevinger again. This one was drawn by Gennett, who came around to score on Jesse Winker's double to right field. Barnhart then added an RBI single to right field to make it 3-0.
The Indians' Yonder Alonso hit his 13th home run, a solo shot in the fourth, to make it 3-1. But the Reds' Joey Votto answered with his ninth home run, a solo shot the opposite way in the fifth to push the lead to 4-1.
Right fielder Scott Schebler added onto the lead in the seventh and ninth innings with a run-scoring single off Marc Rzepczynski and a home run off Josh Tomlin. It was the 21st home run Tomlin has allowed this season.
Reds starter Anthony DeScalfani (4-1) allowed one run on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
