Laffey did it once Sunday, but he couldn't do it a crucial second time, and it cost the rookie left-hander. A five-run, fifth-inning Reds outburst was plenty to give Laffey his fifth loss of the season, as the Reds won the Ohio Cup finale, 9-5, before 37,079 fans at Progressive Field.

Laffey dodged trouble throughout his first four innings, but came away unscathed. In the fifth, though, it caught him. He let the first run in with a wild pitch and allowed back-to-back doubles and Brandon Phillips' RBI single before Edwin Encarnacion's two-run homer.

It proved too many runs to overcome for the hurting Tribe offense.

After a listless first five innings against struggling Reds right-hander Bronson Arroyo, the Tribe put two runs on the board when Grady Sizemore hit his 19th home run of the year and Shin-soo Choo's double, with the assistance of an error from Jerry Hairston, scored Ben Francisco. Sizemore's homer tied him with the Rangers' Josh Hamilton for the American League lead.

That was all the Tribe could manufacture, while the Reds extended their lead with a three-run seventh -- boosted by Ohio Cup MVP Adam Dunn's three-run homer -- ending a disappointing 2-4 homestand for the Tribe. Dunn homered five times in the season series' six games.