Indians Win a Wild One 8-7 Over the Reds in Cincinnati; Three Takeaways from the Win

The Indians and Reds engaged in one of the more entertaining games of the 2017 MLB season thus far on Tuesday night, with the Tribe bats doing enough for a hard fought 8-7 win.

Four homers and some clutch 9th inning pitching was enough to get the Tribe back to their winning ways, and after a homestand to forget the team did a nice job, going on the road and winning four of five games against the Astros and Reds.

Now it's back to Progressive Field starting on Wednesday for two more against their Ohio rivals before starting a weekend series with the Royals and then four games against Oakland.

Here's three takeaways from the 8-7 win over the Reds at The Great American Ballpark in Cincy on Tuesday night.

1. Plate Power

The Indians hit four homers on Tuesday night in the one-run win, with Francisco Lindor's solo shot getting the team going in the first inning. It was already Lindor's 10th blast of the season.

Then after the Reds took a 3-1 lead the Indians bats got going again, as Edwin Encarnación connected for the first of his two homers on the night, a two-run blast in the third to give the Indians a 5-3 lead.

Hot hitting Yan Gomes then hit a solo shot in the third to make it 6-3, and later in the 5th it was Encarnación again, a solo homer to make it 7-3 at the time.

For Encarnación, it was homers number 8 and 9 on the season, and it's starting to look like he's getting hot at the plate, something the team is really looking for from their big offseason pickup.

2. Pen Problems

It's hard to be critical of what's been the biggest bright spot of the team thus far in 2017 that being the bullpen, but Tuesday was clearly not one of their better nights.

After Carlos Carrasco 6.1 innings allowing four runs on five hits, the pen allowed the Reds right back into the game, with Boone Logan allowing a run, and then Bryan Shaw allowing two runs to tie the game at the time at seven.

Both Logan and Shaw boat ERA's under 3, but it was cringe worthy watching them struggle to get anyone out, leaving it up to the usual tandem of Andrew Miller, who got credit for the win, and then Cody Allen to clean up a 9th inning mess to eventually get the win.

In a game that had so many ups and downs, it was good to see the pen do enough in the end to get the win, but it could have been a lot easier if Logan and Shaw would have done their jobs in the first place.

3. Overpowering the Reds

It use to be a big deal in beating the Reds, as back in the day the 'rivalry' between Ohio teams in the Indians and Reds was a much more hyped thing.

Now it's basically an afterthought, as the Indians have done their part in separating themselves in the series against Cincinnati, winning seven of the last eight between two teams.

They will have a chance to do more damage as they will meet over the next two days in Cleveland, playing a pair on Wednesday and Thursday at Progressive Field.

It's the first of a long nine-game homestand for the Indians, and they will come home with a 24-20 mark, just one game back still of the Twins in the AL Central.

What's been perplexing is the teams' play at home this season, as they have had their issues, including their last homestand in which they lost four of six to the Twins and Rays.

Hopefully for the Indians they will start the nine games on a high note against a team they usually have success with in Cincinnati at 6:10pm on Wednesday.