Three Solo Homers Not Enough To Win

Casey Blake, Travis Hafner and Jhonny Peralta all hit home runs for the Indians on Friday night. Good news, right? Well, not exactly. They were all solo shots and so a solo homer by the Reds' Adam Dunn and two-run shot by ex-Indian Brandon Phillips put the Tribe into a 3-3 in Cincinnati. The Reds won it 4-3 with a bases-loaded walk by Dunn in the eighth inning off reliever Jensen Lewis.

Jeremy Sowers (5.23 ERA) was called up from Triple-A Buffalo to start. Outfielder Jason Tyner, just called up on Sunday, was designated for assignment to make roster room for the left-hander.

Sowers gave up Phillips' two-run homer in the first inning, breaking the consecutive innings streak of not allowing an earned run by Cleveland starting pitchers at 52.

The homer was Phillips' eighth of the season and Dunn hit his eighth in the third to make it 3-0.

Rookie right-hander Johnny Cueto held the Indians hitless until Blake (.229) opened the sixth with his third homer. Hafner (.228), not in the lineup because the DH is not used in interleague games played in National League ballparks, then pinch-hit for Sowers and hit the third pitch for his fourth homer.

One out later, Peralta (.222) hit his eighth of the season to tie it 3-3.

Jorge Julio (3.14 ERA) fanned two in pitching a perfect sixth. Rafael Perez (3.50 ERA) fanned two and gave up two hits over 1 1/3 innings.

Lewis (0-2, 3.13 ERA) came on with one out and none on in the eighth. He walked Phillips, who went to third on a double by Joey Votto. He then walked both Edwin Encarnacion and Dunn to force in the go-ahead run.

The Indians did nothing in the ninth against Reds closer Francisco Cordero. Blake watched a 2-2 pitch go past for strike three; Jamey Carroll (.172) and Grady Sizemore (.261) then both swung and missed on 2-2 pitches.