The Guardians scored a 3-0 victory in the first game of the Ohio Cup in Great American Ball Park.
The all-right-handed lineup meant regular left-handers TJ Friedl, Joey Votto and Will Benson began the game in the dugout.
Their replacements — Kevin Newman, Henry Ramos and TJ Hopkins, plus sometimes starter Henry Ramos — went 1 for 9 with five strikeouts and a double play.
Allen pitched six innings and gave up no runs and four singles while striking out seven as the Reds lost for the 10th time in 13 games.
When Cleveland manager Terry Francona brought in right-hander En Yel De Los Santos in the seventh inning, Bell unloaded his bench with the left-handed regulars who didn’t start.
That didn’t work either.
De Los Santos struck out Christian Encarnacion-Strand to begin the inning. Bell then sent up three straight pinch-hitters — Friedl, Benson and Votto.
Friedl struck out. Benson ripped a double off the left-field wall, but Votto struck out.
The Guardians scored two sun-aided runs in the first inning off Reds starter Graham Ashcraft (6-8).
Steven Kwan opened the game with a solid single to left field. It was a gray, overcast day when the game began, but the sun peeked out briefly in the first inning.
It was shining brightly when Cleveland’s second hitter, Jose Ramirez, came to bat. Ramirez was back after a two-game suspension for his part last week in a brawl with the Chicago White Sox when he scored a TKO on White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson, who was suspended for eight games as the instigator.
Ramirez ripped a low liner to left and Spencer Steer, at the last moment, lost it in the sun and it nearly hit him in the face as it zipped past him for a double.
With one out, Kole Calhoun hit a hard two-out single to left and it was a quick 2-0 lead for the Guardians.
The sun then hid behind clouds for the rest of time it was daylight.
The Guardians pushed it to 3-0 when No. 9 hitter Myles Straw, who walked his first two times, singled to center. He stole second and scored on Kwan’s single to right.
The Reds had few scoring opportunities and the one they did have was erased by some foolish base-running by Elly De La Cruz.
Matt McLain walked to open the sixth and De La Cruz stroke an infield single on which Cleveland second baseman Andres Gimenez misplayed.
That put runners on second and first with no outs. Steer flied to medium-depth right field. McLain tagged and took third. And De La Cruz tagged and tried to take second, an overaggressive and not-too-smart maneuver.
Right fielder Will Brennan easily threw him out. Instead of runners on third and first with one out, it was a runner on third with two outs.
Ramos struck out en route to a three-strikeout night.
Newman led off the bottom of the first with a single, but the next three Reds made outs.
Tyler Stephenson opened the third with a single, but the next three Reds made outs.
Steer walked with one out in the fourth and took second on Encarnacion-Steer’s two-out single, but both runners were stranded when Fairchild struck out.
Steer led off the ninth with a single off Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase (1-7). but Ramos struck out, Encarnacion-Strand popped up and it ended on Friedl’s fly ball, Clase’s 32nd save.
Ashcraft pitched seven innings and gave up three runs on seven hits and recorded 13 outs on ground balls.
But he received no help from his offense, which was shut out for the ninth time. It was the 13th shutout pitched by the Guardians.
The Reds collected only six hits, five singles and a double. They were 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven.
WEDNESDAY’S GAME
Guardians at Reds, 6:40 p.m., Bally Sports Ohio, 700, 1410
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