Castellanos revs up Reds in rout of Cards

CINCINNATI -- Nick Castellanos wasn't done flexing on Sunday, and the Reds were more than happy to follow their right fielder's lead.

In another torrid offensive display, Castellanos hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning that put the Reds up for good in a 12-1 win over the Cardinals to take two of three in their Opening Series at Great American Ball Park.

Here are three takeaways from the first series of the 2021 season:

Castellanos brings attitude to plate and team
Ejected from Saturday's 9-6 win for sparking a benches-clearing scuffle with Yadier Molina by standing over Cards pitcher Jake Woodford at home plate and flexing after he scored on a wild pitch, Castellanos had a productive weekend. He batted .545 (6-for-11) in three games with three homers, four extra-base hits, five RBIs and six runs scored.

“I think he just does such a good job of competing,” Reds manager David Bell said. “He's tough, he's definitely not afraid of anything. That's part of why he's such a good player, that toughness and that desire to be in that situation where he has a chance to help his team win a game -- he loves it.”

The slugger has also endeared himself to fans and his team by bringing an intense approach while backing it up with production.

For mixing it up with the Cardinals, the 11,629 fans at Great American Ball Park offered Castellanos rousing ovations ahead of each at-bat. He just missed a homer in the fourth inning, instead settling for a triple off the center-field wall. Castellanos then scored on Joey Votto's RBI single lined into right field.

It was a 1-1 game in the fifth when Castellanos clobbered Carlos Martínez’s 2-1 cutter to center field for the key homer. According to Statcast, the exit velocity was 108.8 mph.

“It was unbelievable,” said starting pitcher Jeff Hoffman, who earned the win. “That right there is just a big player coming through in a big spot. That’s what guys like that do. I actually said it to Sonny [Gray] before [Castellanos] walked up to the plate. I said, ‘This is the guy I want up in this situation.’ He goes and puts a great swing on that and gives us a lead.”

A team that was last in the Majors with a .212 average last season, Cincinnati scored 27 runs in the Opening Series. The club relied on homers too much last year, but it has taken more of a line-drive approach so far in 2021.

“Hitting is contagious, and we’ve got a good vibe right now,” Castellanos said. “It was a lot of fun.”

The Reds are second in the National League with a .291 team average and a .312 batting average on balls in play; the Dodgers are first in both categories, batting .329 and with a .413 BABIP through Sunday. Cincinnati was able to string together rallies, while 12 of its 30 hits went for extra bases.

Obviously, the Reds have a long way to go. But it’s a good sign for the club.

“Our guys worked so hard last year, and the results didn't show up,” Bell said. “When it happens, a lot of good things can be built on that, the momentum, the confidence and all that. It is important, even though it is three games.”

Great first weekend for India
Second baseman Jonathan India’s first weekend in the Majors was a runaway success. He batted .455 (5-for-11) with two hits in Thursday’s debut, two infield hits Saturday and a chopped RBI single through the right side during a six-run sixth inning on Sunday.

“I’m definitely taking it all in right now,” India said. “Good series win for the team. Opening Weekend series, all around good team baseball this week.”

India, 24, also did a nice job defensively in all three games. In the seventh inning on Saturday, he made a nice sliding stop on a grounder behind second base and threw the runner out at first base from his knees. On Sunday, he helped turn two double plays.

“Got to make those plays in the league, that’s how you stay around for a while,” India said. “I had a good weekend hitting, but defensively, I know I’ve played really well and I’m happy about that.”

Hoffman starts off right
In his Reds debut, starting pitcher Hoffman was strong while allowing one earned run and three hits with no walks and six strikeouts.

“That one definitely felt good,” Hoffman said.

As Molina batted to a chorus of boos for his part in Saturday's fracas, the veteran briefly made it a 1-1 game with an RBI single in the top of the fifth.

Hoffman, who earned a rotation spot due to injuries to Gray and Michael Lorenzen, threw 77 pitches. 40 of them were his four-seam fastball, which garnered 34 strikes while averaging 92.9 mph. The right-hander acknowledged he was a work in progress.

“Yeah, we’re rolling with it,” Hoffman said. “Everything that I did today is the stuff that we’re working on. There are obviously some pitches that get away and things that I have to try to minimize. For the most part today, we executed pretty well and I stayed within myself and made some big pitches.”