Elly all too happy to ruin rhyming stat line as Reds romp

CINCINNATI -- Elly De La Cruz was more than happy to blow apart a fun statistical line on Wednesday night. De La Cruz came in batting .261 with 61 extra-base hits, 61 RBIs, 61 walks and 61 stolen bases.

That all changed during the Reds’ 12-5 win over the Astros that gave them the first two games of their three-game series. De La Cruz went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and a stolen base.

Cincinnati opened a 9-0 lead in the first inning, with De La Cruz contributing two of the seven hits during the rally that brought 13 men to the plate.

“It feels very good. We started the game in a good way," De La Cruz said.

After Jonathan India slugged a leadoff homer to center field against Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti, De La Cruz lined a double out of the reach of diving center fielder Chas McCormick. He scored from third base on a TJ Friedl double.

As the Reds batted around and had a 5-0 lead with the bases loaded and two outs, De La Cruz chopped a two-run single over first baseman Zach Dezenzo into right field. With new pitcher Tayler Scott on the mound, De La Cruz easily stole base No. 62 as he ran into second base standing up.

The nine-run inning was the Reds' biggest since they scored 10 in the second inning vs. the Pirates on July 29, 2019. Their last nine-run first inning was vs. the Padres on Aug. 9, 2002.

With one out in the third inning against Scott, De La Cruz scorched another double -- with 110 mph exit velocity -- to right field. He scored on a Stephenson single to make it a 10-1 game.

It was a much-needed awakening of the bat for De La Cruz. He came into the game slashing .227/.296/.361 with two home runs and two steals in only four attempts over his previous 24 games.

“We’re always working on something. We just have to make a little adjustment and just play," De La Cruz said.

During his rookie year in 2023, De La Cruz showed the effects that the toll of his first season took as he batted .191 over the second half. He put in extra offseason work to build his strength, and it has helped him to maintain his endurance this season.

“I feel a lot stronger. And stronger mentally as well," De La Cruz said.

"Probably the most impressive part of what Elly is doing -- and in some ways it’s even more impressive because [he] hasn’t done it yet -- to play as hard as he does every night at that position, is on base a lot, does everything full speed," Reds manager David Bell said. "He’s taking care of himself. He’s learning how to stay on the field. A big part of that is he’s motivated by staying on the field because he loves to play so much.”

The beneficiary of all that offense was Reds starting pitcher Nick Martinez, who pitched 5 2/3 innings for the win. Of the four runs Martinez allowed, one was earned, with six hits, three walks and seven strikeouts. He threw 107 pitches (70 strikes), the most he has thrown in a big league start since he threw 108 for Texas on July 4, 2016.

Another benefit for the Reds’ pitching staff is that Bell used only Martinez and Brent Suter, who pitched 3 1/3 innings for the save, on the heels of Tuesday's off-day.

“I think it’s huge for the guys to use two pitchers tonight, and [to] give a lot of those guys two days off is big this time of year," Martinez said.

In 138 games, De La Cruz is batting .265 with an .828 OPS, 22 homers and 63 RBIs. In his second full season, the 22-year-old is likely to receive votes for the National League MVP Award. His chances of winning have greatly diminished because of his recent struggles, and with Cincinnati (67-73) fading dramatically in the postseason race after going 12-17 in August.

Besides leading the Majors in steals, De La Cruz has a chance to become the fourth player in AL/NL history to lead in steals and hit at least 20 homers.

The others to achieve that feat: Ronald Acuña Jr., Mike Trout and Willie Mays (three times). It looks good for De La Cruz to join them as he owns a commanding lead in steals over the Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani.

Meanwhile, the Reds are 3-0 in September with 22 games remaining.

“I don’t look at the calendar," De La Cruz said. "It’s just getting the job done, day by day.”