By: Jordan Bastian
GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Reds officially began their quest for a second straight National League Central crown on Sunday, opening their Spring Training slate against a familiar foe under a bright blue Arizona sky.
They trumped the Indians -- Cincinnati's neighbors to the north -- with a two-run rally in the ninth, leading to a 7-6 victory in the first game within this year's Battle of Ohio. Cincinnati and Cleveland will face each other three more times during Cactus League play this spring before meeting six times during Interleague Play in the regular season.
Corky Miller's RBI double off Indians pitching prospect Alex White put the Reds ahead for good.
"We looked pretty good," Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker said. "We played good defense, ran the bases well and had some timely hitting. Our young guys came back and won it for us late."
Cincinnati broke through with the game's first run in the fifth inning, when outfielder Jay Bruce sent a towering fly ball to left field. Cleveland's Travis Buck misplayed the ball for an error that allowed Bruce to reach second base. Bruce then stole third and scored on a groundout by Jonny Gomes to put the Reds ahead, 1-0.
The Indians countered in the sixth inning, when Jason Donald -- the front-runner for the vacancy at third base -- doubled to left field off Reds pitcher Carlos Fisher. Donald advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and later scored on an RBI single off the bat of shortstop Adam Everett, tying the game at 1.
In the seventh inning, the Tribe broke through for five runs off Reds pitcher Donnie Joseph to push to a 6-1 lead. The outburst was highlighted by a two-run home run by outfielder Ezequiel Carrera. That followed a two-run double for Tribe prospect Lonnie Chisenhall, who projects to open the season at third base for Triple-A Columbus.
"Joseph got roughed up a little bit," Baker said. "He was probably a little nervous. He left some balls down over the heart of the plate after he got a little wild. Other than that, everybody looked pretty good."
Indians starter Josh Tomlin, who is vying for the fifth spot in Cleveland's rotation, allowed no runs and one hit in two innings of work. The right-hander needed just 17 pitches to quiet Cincinnati's bats, ending with one strikeout and five outs via grounders. Lefty Aaron Laffey -- also a rotation candidate -- logged one scoreless frame.
"We saw a lot of good things today," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "Tomlin came out as usual and threw strikes and made things easy for himself. Some of the guys swung the bat well, especially some of the young kids late in the game."
The Reds sent left-hander Matt Maloney -- a bullpen candidate -- to the mound as Sunday's starter in place of Edinson Volquez, who sat out due to visa issues. Maloney worked two innings, striking out two and allowing no runs. Righty Sam LeCure followed with four strikeouts in two scoreless relief frames.
Back to-back homers by Dave Sappelt and Chris Valaika cut the Indians' lead to one in a four-run eighth.
Reds up next: It will be Cincinnati's Cactus League home opener when they meet the Indians again at 3:05 p.m. ET on Monday at Goodyear Ballpark. Bronson Arroyo, a 17-game winner last season, will make his debut, but undoubtedly there will be a lot of interest in Aroldis Chapman. The left-hander is slated to follow Arroyo and make his first relief appearance of the season. Dontrelle Willis will also see his first game action in a Reds uniform. Also scheduled to pitch are Francisco Cordero, Jose Arredondo, Nick Masset and Bill Bray.
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