Hot Reds send Tribe to 7th-straight loss
Associated Press
CINCINNATI
Laynce Nix singled home the tiebreaking run in the sixth inning Saturday night and came around to score on a jarring dive into home, rallying the first-place Cincinnati Reds to their fifth straight win, 6-4 over the free-falling Cleveland Indians.
Nix’s single off Justin Masterson (2-7) was the turning point in a ragged game on a hot, humid night.
Cleveland has lost a season-high seven in a row and 11 of 12, falling a season-low 21 games under .500. The Indians have the third-worst record in the majors at 26-47, on pace to lose 100 games only three years after they won the AL Central and came within one victory of the World Series.
The Reds’ surge has moved them back into first place in the NL Central, a half-game ahead of St. Louis. They haven’t been in first so late in a season since 1999, the last time they made a serious run at the playoffs.
Reds rookie starter Sam LeCure faded fast on a sticky, 88-degree evening with no breeze, failing to make it through the fourth inning. Pitchers regularly worked deep into counts, struggling to keep their hands dry so they could get a grip on their pitches.
Daniel Ray Herrera (1-3) got the final out in the sixth. Left-hander Arthur Rhodes pitched the seventh, tying a major league record with his 33rd straight scoreless appearance. Francisco Cordero gave up a two-out RBI single by Austin Kearns in the ninth before fanning Shelley Duncan for his 20th save in 25 tries.
The Reds have dominated the intrastate rivalry in the last three years, going 13-4. They’ve won four of five this season in the interleague series.