Choo Moves Up, Tribe Falls Down

The Indians’ freefall continued on Friday Night at Progressive Field in the “Ohio Cup.”  Jake Westbrook, who had been dominant is his previous two starts, was unable to last past the 5th inning.  Westbrook gave up four runs, three of which came via the longball.  In the 3rd inning Laynce Nix hit a solo homer to right.  The following frame, DH Jonny Gomes hit a two run homer to left.  The Reds 4th run would cross later in the inning as Laynce Nix scored again on a Ryan Hanigan single.

Westbrook was hit hard in the 5th inning but managed to escape unscathed.  His night, however, was over.  It was an inefficient start for the veteran who had been stellar recently but is still rounding into final form after the long layoff from Tommy John surgery.  Despite his early exit, the damage on the scoreboard was somewhat contained and the Tribe remained within striking distance.

Shin-Soo Choo, one of the few bright spots this season, was moved up in the order to the 2nd spot behind Trevor Crowe with Cabrera and Sizemore on the DL.  Choo addressed the shift in the lineup, “Whatever helps the team…I like three, and I’d like to stay there, but I understand the situation. In the majors, I’ll hit in the nine-hole or eight-hole if it’s best for the team. It really doesn’t matter to me.”  Choo delivered in the 2 spot, going 2 for 4 with 2 homers and 3 RBI.  His solo shot in the first put the Tribe in front and his 2 run homer in the 5th tied the game at 4 after Westbrook had kept the game within reach.

Aside from Choo, there was little offensive output from the lineup against Reds starter Bronson Arroyo.  The 6 through 9 spots went a combined 0 for 13 – but hey, they did draw 3 walks.  With Choo as the only offensive threat, his homer to tie the game was quickly rendered moot as the Indians bullpen was forced into 4 innings of work.

Aaron Laffey obliged the Reds on this evening.  Laffey has been shaky of late and this trend continued.  Laffey walked the first batter he faced, Jonny Gomes, who immediately scored on a Nix double.  Orlando Cabrera singled later in the inning to score Nix as the Reds took a 6-4 lead and never looked back.

With the score still at 6-4, Kerry Wood entered in the top of the 9th to get some work.  Wood gave up 5 earned in a third of an inning in his last outing.  It ending with him tossing his glove into the stands as he entered the dugout amid a chorus of boos.  “I’d be booing, too,” Wood said. “I was terrible. I didn’t do my job. I didn’t do what I was supposed to do, and the fans were upset. You understand booing is part of the game, and you can’t worry about it. Everybody hears their fair share.”  Wood’s struggles continued Friday although the outing was far less eventful.  This time Tribe killer Brandon Philips hit a solo bomb to center off of Wood.  It finished the scoring with a 7-4 final.

The Reds are only a half game back of the NL central lead and have dominated the Tribe in interleague play as of late.  While the all-time record between the two Ohio clubs stands at an even 32-32, the Indians are just 3-10 versus the Reds over the past two years.  The series continues tonight as the Indians look to snap a 5 game skid in what looks to be the most well-attended home series of the season to date.  Young ace Johnny Cueto goes for the Reds while Fausto Carmona pitches for the Tribe at 7:05 this evening.