Cleveland, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Brandon Moss homered and knocked in three runs to help the Cleveland Indians beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-3 in the opener of a three-game interleague series at Progressive Field.
Jason Kipnis was 3-for-4 with a walk, two RBI and two runs scored for the Indians, who have won a season-best four games in a row. Cleveland starter Carlos Carrasco (5-4) gave up two runs on four hits, walked two and struck out seven in six innings.
"When you start having a little bit of success, I certainly think it helps with the confidence," said Cleveland manager Terry Francona.
Todd Frazier had two hits and drove in a run for Cincinnati, which has dropped a season-high six straight games. Reds starter Mike Leake (2-3) allowed five runs on seven hits and walked five with no strikeouts in four innings.
An RBI groundout by Billy Hamilton gave Cincinnati a 1-0 lead in the second, but the Indians answered with two runs in the home half of the inning.
Leake issued three consecutive walks, including one to Michael Bourn with the bases loaded. Kipnis followed with a bloop single to center field to score Jose Ramirez. Leake avoided further damage by getting Carlos Santana to hit into a forceout at home and Michael Brantley to ground into a fielder's choice.
"(Leake) was around the zone, a lot of close pitches, but wasn't able to make the pitches he needed to and used a lot of pitches in the (second) inning," said Cincinnati manager Bryan Price.
The Reds tied it at 2-2 on doubles by Brandon Phillips and Frazier in the third, only to see the Indians reclaim the lead on Moss' leadoff home run in the bottom of the inning. Moss plated a pair with a two-out double in the fourth to put Cleveland up 5-2.
In the seventh, Kipnis singled home Roberto Perez, who tripled, and scored on a double by Santana, who snapped an 0-for-25 slump.
Frazier scored on a wild pitch by Scott Atchison in the ninth.
Game Notes
Kipnis has hit safely in 18 of 20 games this month ... Cleveland improved to 3-11 in series openers this season ... The Indians were 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base.
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