Indians rally to beat Cincinnati in Battle of Ohio opener

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

From unknown rookie to hero — in a pinch.

Ezequiel Carrera’s first major league at-bat was perfect.

Called up earlier in the day from the minors, pinch-hitter Carrera bunted home Shin-Soo Choo from third base with two outs in the eighth inning, sending the Cleveland Indians to a 5-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night in the Ohio Showdown’s series opener.

“It’s unbelievable,” a grinning Carrera said. “First at-bat, first bunt, a hit, an RBI and we win the game. It’s great. I’m happy.”

Carrera, brought up when Travis Hafner went on the 15-day disabled list, dropped the first pitch from Nick Masset down the first-base line, scoring Choo, who had tripled off Bill Bray (1-1). The speedy Carrera was able to avoid a tag by first baseman Joey Votto for an unforgettable hit, giving the Indians their latest dramatic win in a season that’s already had its share of magical moments.

“It’s awesome,” closer Chris Perez said. “That was special. He’ll never forget it, and I’ll never forget his first big league hit. To be able to put that bunt in and miss the tag, wow. That’s what we’ve been doing here the last couple of years, building depth.”

Vinnie Pestano (1-0) got two outs in the eighth for his first career win. Perez worked the ninth for his 11th save in 12 tries.

The Indians’ last six wins at home have come in their final at-bat — and this one came on a day when Hafner joined Grady Sizemore on the DL. Hafner is expected to miss at least three weeks with a strained muscle on his side.

Cleveland overcame a season-high three errors to improve baseball’s best record to 27-15, including 16-4 at home.

The Indians are entering a crucial stretch with 16 straight games against teams over .500, and they’re going to have to do it without two of their best hitters.

“It seems like we’ve been dropping like flies the last week,” Perez said. “It’s baseball. It’s a long season and we know we’re going to have bumps and bruises, just as long as we stay floating and don’t give too many games back. Two of our big boppers are out and we just need to pick it up.”

Jay Bruce had two hits for the Reds, who lost their third straight after leading 4-0 in the sixth. Travis Wood didn’t allow a hit for 51/3 innings, but then everything unraveled for Cincinnati.

“This is a tough one to lose,” manager Dusty Baker said.