 got the first victory by a Reds starter since May 9. He gave up four hits, including Jason Kipnis' homer, while becoming the first Cincinnati starter in the last 10 games to make it through six innings. The Reds' rotation is last in the NL in ERA and innings pitched. Three relievers closed out a seven-hitter for Cincinnati's second victory in 10 games. Schebler connected off Josh Tomlin (2-6) for his third homer in a span of seven at-bats. It's the first time he's homered in three consecutive games. Adam Duvall and Arismendy Alcantara had RBI singles off Tomlin, who gave up nine hits in 6 1/3 innings. Zack Cozart's two-run single in the seventh off Dan Otero put Cincinnati in control. The Indians were coming off a three-game sweep in Houston, but couldn't get much going against Feldman, who fanned his first five batters. Feldman was coming off his worst performance of the season - seven runs in only 2 2/3 innings of a 7-5 loss to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Wednesday. TRAINER'S ROOMIndians: RHP Corey Kubler threw in the bullpen without a problem and is expected to throw 65-70 pitches for Triple-A Columbus on Thursday. If he comes through that OK, the Indians will consider activating him from the DL. He's been sidelined since May 3 with a strained lower back. Reds: Cozart was back in the lineup after missing one game with a sore right wrist. UP NEXTIndians: RHP Carlos Carrasco (4-2) hasn't pitched since May 15 because of tightness in the front of his shoulder. He's 2-0 against the Reds in three career starts and one relief appearance. Reds: Rookie LHP Amir Garrett (3-3) makes his second start since returning from a stint in the minors. He gave up six runs in four innings of a 9-5 loss to the Cubs last Thursday.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball)
Time: 7:10 PM EDT Venue: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45202 CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Reds hope to get injured starting pitchers Homer Bailey, Anthony DeSclafani or Brandon Finnegan back at some point this summer. Until then, the Reds will attempt to stay afloat with a revolving door of young arms and, for now, an eight-man bullpen. So far, it has been a struggle. Fortunately for Cincinnati, heading into a four-game, home-and-home interleague series with the Cleveland Indians that begins Monday at Great American Ball Park, scoring is not a problem. While the pitching is in disarray, the Reds' everyday lineup is strong, beginning with Billy Hamilton at the top and continuing through myriad hitters with gap power in Joey Votto, Adam Duvall and Scott Schebler. Manager Bryan Price doesn't necessarily think the Reds are a product of the recent upward trend in power numbers throughout baseball but rather a collective skill set in their lineup, which has home run potential throughout." It's a popular discussion that guys are trying to lift the ball," Price said Sunday. "I don't know how many guys we have on our team that try to lift the ball. The power is great. But it's not just the homers, it's the extra-base hits." Coming out of spring training, we were optimistic that we could score runs and have a batting order that top to bottom is strong. I think it's reflective in our team's success offensively." Cincinnati (20-23) scored 22 runs in the weekend series against the Rockies but lost two of three when Colorado scored 26. The Rockies hit four homers in a 6-4 victory on Sunday. Now, the defending American League champion Cleveland Indians come to town for two games beginning Monday night. The Indians (23-19) are beginning to look like a World Series contender again, coming off a three-game sweep at Houston. On Monday night, Reds right-hander Scott Feldman (2-4, 4.29 ERA) will face Indians right-hander Josh Tomlin (2-5, 6.86). Feldman is 2-3 against the Tribe with a 3.02 ERA in six career starts. Tomlin, meanwhile, beat Cincinnati on May 19, 2016, to win a sixth consecutive game. He is 2-2 with a 4.55 ERA against the Reds in five career starts. Cincinnati hopes to have shortstop Zack Cozart back in the lineup after he sat out the Sunday game due to a lingering issue with his left wrist." We're just trying to pay attention to it," Price said. "He should be good to go (Monday). We're pretty optimistic about that. Just paying attention to fact that it has been bothering him a little bit, and we're addressing that." The Reds have won or split 11 of the past 19 series with the Indians, including eight of the past 11. It has been a different story the past two seasons, however, with the Indians winning five of six in 2015 and all four games last year en route to the American League pennant. The Indians hope to get some good news on Monday as well with ace Corey Kluber set to throw a bullpen session. If all goes well, he would make a rehab start on Thursday. He landed on the 10-day disabled list on May 3 due to a lower back strain. Cleveland's offense is getting hot just in time to face in-state rival Cincinnati. Yan Gomes went 2-for-3 with a double, a homer and five RBIs on Sunday to help complete the sweep of the Astros." It's nice to have him in a spot where he's dangerous," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "He feels good about himself. Today was one of those days. If you can get a couple guys doing that, it really helps."
Looking for More Picks?
You can browse all the individual handicapper picks below.
Cleveland Guardians
Cincinnati Reds
Pick Center
MLB
FINAL (5/22/2017)
BigAlsPicks
