Cincinnati Reds
Indians' Carrasco ready to go against Reds (May 23, 2017)
Cincinnati Reds

Indians' Carrasco ready to go against Reds (May 23, 2017)

Published May. 23, 2017 3:00 a.m. ET

CINCINNATI -- The Cleveland Indians got a bit of a scare when right-hander Carlos Carrasco left his May 15 start in the fourth inning due to pectoral tightness.

The injury was not serious, and after a couple of extra days of rest, the 30-year-old right-hander is ready to make his ninth start of the season Tuesday night against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park.

"No issues, he's been fine the whole week," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "We just backed him up a couple days. Once he got examined, he felt pretty good. If something was going the wrong direction, you would get a pretty good indication pretty quickly."

Carrasco (4-2, 2.60 ERA) will be facing the Reds for the first time since July 29, 2015. He is 2-0 lifetime against them with a 4.09 ERA.

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Carrasco allowed five runs on six hits over 3 2/3 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays before the pectoral tightness forced him to exit.

The Reds will counter with rookie left-hander Amir Garrett (3-3, 5.18 ERA), who is facing the Indians for the first time. He turned 25 on May 3.

Cincinnati (21-23) has lost eight of 10 and is dealing with pitching staff inconsistency due to injuries and a parade of young arms. However, there isn't much wrong with the Reds' lineup, which is formidable top to bottom, beginning with leadoff batter Billy Hamilton, who had reached base in 21 straight games, a streak that ended Sunday.

The Reds are averaging more than five runs per game and are batting .265 as a team, which ranks third in the National League.

Scott Schebler homered for a third consecutive game Monday as the Reds beat the Indians 5-1 in the series opener.

"Their whole lineup is swinging it," Francona said. "That's not an issue for them. They've got a pretty deep, balanced lineup. We'll need to score."

The Indians (23-20) swept the first-place Houston Astros over the weekend, a sign that they are getting hot as well, as is Yan Gomes. The catcher has recovered from a slow start to the season to bat .367 since April 17.

"They have a lot of things going for them," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "They already had a good lineup, and they made themselves a lot better by adding (Edwin) Encarnacion. Their pitching, their starters in particular, is something that's allowed them to turn things around, and their bullpen is shutdown. That makes a difference."

Cincinnati has the upper hand in this year's Ohio Cup after winning Monday night. The Reds have won or tied 11 of the 19 series with the Indians, including eight of the past 11, but they lost the last two season series. Last May, the Indians swept the Reds en route to an American League pennant.

The Reds have won 18 of the past 26 games against Cleveland at Great American Ball Park, but they have lost four of the past six games there against the Tribe.

Interleague play doesn't carry as much significance now that the novelty has worn off a bit. The Reds and Indians share a spring training facility in Goodyear, Ariz., so not much bad blood exists to fuel a rivalry between the clubs.

"I'm sure the people of Ohio enjoy it more than I do," Price said. "I'd rather manage against National League teams."

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