• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Dellucci's late homer allows Indians to rally

Jun 10, 2007 - 5:38 AM CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- Even when Travis Hafner hits balls softly, he gets positive results.

Hafner plated the decisive run with a slow roller as the Cleveland Indians rallied for an 8-6 triumph in 11 innings over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday night.

After Franklin Gutierrez, the third right fielder of the night for the Indians, made a game-saving catch against the right field fence with two runners on in the 10th , the offense took over.

"Hafner hit it in the right spot," Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said. "He hustled down the line and Casey (Blake) hustled to second to break up the double play. The catch by Gutierrez was as good a catch as you'll see with the game on the line. I didn't think he had a chance."

"He hit it good but I just ran to the fence and stretched out my arm," Gutierrez said.

Cincinnati manager Jerry Narron put the game in the win column when the ball was first hit.

"I thought (Alex) Gonzalez had the game won but he made a great catch," Narron said.

Josh Barfield started the winning rally when he led off the 11th with a base hit to right off Victor Santos (1-2). After a sacrifice by Mike Rouse, Grady Sizemore fell behind 1-2 before working a walk and Casey Blake was hit by a pitch.

Hafner then hit a slow roller to the hole between short and third for a fielder's choice RBI groundout that provided a 7-6 lead. Victor Martinez followed with a sharp single to center field, scoring Sizemore.

"I hit the ball hard three times," said Hafner, who hit six grand slams last season. "But (I'll take) the weak ground ball."

Hafner was 0-for-2 with the bases loaded Saturday and 0-for-5 overall but drove in two key runs.

Tom Mastny (4-2) worked a scoreless 10th for the win and Joe Borowski a perfect 11th for his 18th save. Following prospect phenom Homer Bailey's win in his major league debut on Friday, Cincinnati seemed poised to win a second straight contest against their intrastate rivals until David Dellucci struck in the eighth.

After getting the benefit of two close ball calls that would have led to a strikeout, Dellucci drilled a belt-high fastball from reliever Gary Majewski the other way over the left field fence to tie the game at 6-6.

"It was a sinker up. It didn't do much and he stayed on it," Majewski said.

The blast followed a single by Jhonny Peralta off the chest of third baseman Edwin Encarnacion and helped him overcome Friday's folly, when he took a called third strike from Bailey with the bases loaded in the fifth inning to end the threat.

"I try not to live in the past," said Delluci. As much as I'd like to have last night back. I think it's important we stay in the present. The pitches tonight were close but they were balls. I saw the ball well and got a good pitch to drive. I was lucky it went out."

It was the third blast of the night for the Indians, who got a leadoff blast in the first by Sizemore and a fourth-inning shot by Peralta.

The Reds jumped to a 3-1 second-inning lead on a two-run homer by Jeff Conine - his fourth of the season and second in two nights - against Cleveland starter Jeremy Sowers and a solo blast by rookie Josh Hamilton, who hit his first of the season against a fellow lefthander.

Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 15th homer of the season off Cleveland reliever Rafael Perez and 578th of his career in the seventh for a 6-4 edge and moved within five homers of Mark McGwire for seventh on the all-time list.

Matt Belisle, who was the victim of a blown save for the second straight start, pitched six innings. He allowed three runs, five hits and a season-high three runs.

Sowers, who was drafted in the first round by both Ohio teams, allowed five runs and seven hits in four innings. The lefthander was staked to an early lead when Sizemore led off the game with his fourth leadoff blast of the season and 11th all-time.