Phenom, meet phenom: Acuña gets taste of five-tool medicine

CINCINNATI -- Greatness met greatness on Friday night, when Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. competed for the first time against baseball’s latest phenom, Reds rookie third baseman Elly De La Cruz.

“It’s incredible to see what he’s doing with his abilities,” Acuña said through a translator. “It’s been fun to watch him showcase that. I wish him continued success and health.”

Acuña’s assessment actually came before De La Cruz became the fifth-youngest player to hit for the cycle. The 21-year-old’s sensational performance doomed the Braves, who bid adieu to an eight-game winning streak as they dropped an 11-10 decision to the Reds, who have now won 12 straight games.

“The kid is just an unbelievable talent,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s got power and speed. He slows the game down. That’s a really nice talent right there.”

This is how many opposing managers have spent the past few years describing Acuña, who garnered more All-Star votes than any other Major Leaguer this year. The 25-year-old has also led all National League players in votes each of the past three years.

De La Cruz hasn’t gained this kind of fame 15 games into his career. But his popularity has certainly grown as he has spent the first couple weeks of his MLB tenure hitting for great power and displaying his tremendous speed.

“Acuña, I told him today that he’s my favorite Major League player,” Reds first baseman Joey Votto said. “I’ll tell you what, with each game, Elly is giving a run for that ground. I’ve never seen anything remotely close to this.”

An abundance of talent was on display as MLB’s two hottest teams opened a three-game series with an entertaining slugfest. The Braves lost for just the third time in their past 18 games despite plating five runs in the first and drilling three homers in the eighth.

It should also be mentioned that both Acuña and Riley highlighted a three-hit performance with a homer. As for Matt Olson, he hit two homers and is now tied for second in the Majors with 23.

How was this offensive production trumped? De La Cruz completed the cycle within four plate appearances that spanned from the second through sixth innings. As for Votto, who returned from a long stint on the injured list earlier this week, he homered in both the fourth and fifth innings, the first one tying the game and the second giving the Reds the lead for good.

“I don't ever come in here feeling like any lead is safe,” Snitker said. “So, when we were down four, I still had a good feeling. But [the Reds] are hot. Things are going well for them.”

While this was a memorable night for De La Cruz, it was a night to learn from for rookie Braves starter AJ Smith-Shawver, who was born in November 2002, 11 months after De La Cruz. This matchup was billed as the first to feature multiple players born after 2001.

It didn’t take long to determine the winner. Smith-Shawver’s second pitch to De La Cruz was a center-cut fastball that came off the bat at 116.6 mph and thudded against the right-center-field wall for a double. One inning later, the 6-foot-5 Reds rookie powered a curveball over the right-field wall for a two-run homer.

“He’s a really talented hitter,” Smith-Shawver said. “I thought I threw him a good curveball down in the zone. He just made an adjustment and hit it.”

De La Cruz secured the cycle with a sixth-inning triple against reliever Ben Heller. He also wowed the crowd with an acrobatic catch he made near the tarp in the third inning. His all-around performance conjured memories of the many days Acuña has dominated opponents with his power, arm and legs.

“You saw the tools on display tonight,” Olson said. “This was a good night for him.”