Back at 'natural spot', Steer delivers 2-HR, 5-RBI game

CINCINNATI -- David Bell had a sense before Monday’s game that Spencer Steer would rise to the moment.

For the second time this season, the Reds skipper penciled him to start at his natural position of second base.

Steer responded with his first career multihomer game, belting a two-run homer off St. Louis starter Sonny Gray (11-7) for Cincinnati’s first hit in the third and a three-run shot off Gray in the fifth. Steer finished with five RBIs in Cincinnati’s 6-1 win over the visiting Cardinals before 21,682 fans on Monday night in the series opener at Great American Ball Park.

It was also just the second time in 2024 that Steer was the leadoff man in the starting lineup.

Steer stole second base following a walk in the seventh, becoming the ninth Cincinnati player since RBIs became an official stat in 1920 with two homers, five RBIs and a steal in a game, and the first since Derek Dietrich in 2019.

After striking out swinging in his first at-bat as the leadoff hitter in the first, Steer went homer, homer and walk.

“It's a great opportunity to get that first at-bat for the team and set the tone,” Steer said. “So, that's the way I look at it. It's a tone-setter for the rest of the game.”

Cincinnati starter and winning pitcher Andrew Abbott (10-9) went 6 2/3 innings, allowing only one run on five hits, striking out six, walking two and hitting a batter.

Steer and Elly De La Cruz homered on consecutive pitches to put Cincinnati up, 3-1, in the third. It was De La Cruz’s team-leading 21st of the season.

Frustrations boiled over for Cardinals skipper Oliver Marmol after an automatic ball was called on Gray with one out in the bottom of the fifth. Home-plate umpire Stu Scheurwater called a violation on Gray to start the third at-bat to Steer.

Then catcher Pedro Pagés wanted a close pitch at the bottom of the zone to be called a strike, but it was called ball two. Marmol argued and was tossed. It was Marmol’s fourth ejection of the season and 13th of his managerial career. Three pitches later, Steer drove Gray's 92 mph fastball to the seats in left-center with Jake Fraley and Will Benson aboard for a 6-1 Cincinnati lead.

Steer didn’t just get it done with the bat. Playing second base for the first time since May 15 at Arizona, Steer started a key double play on a high hopper off the bat of Pagés to get Abbott out of a jam in the second.

“I haven't played second base [regularly] in over a year,” Steer said. “Yeah, it's a weird feeling getting back into that position for the first time in a long time. So, that's definitely why relying on your instincts [is important], and just trusting your baseball awareness to take over.”

“Probably the only reason he hasn't played there [in the last two seasons] is because of Jonathan [India] and Matt [McLain],” Bell said pregame. “But it's his natural position, so he does a lot of work at first base and the outfield, but probably doesn't do as much work at second base because he feels that it's just more of a natural spot for him.”

And it showed Monday.

With a run already on the board in the third and runners at first and second, Steer stopped a single hit by Paul Goldschmidt from reaching the outfield and plating another run. Abbott struck out Brendan Donovan for the final out to keep Cincinnati’s deficit at 1-0.

Which gem was better?

“The double play,” Steer answered. “When a pitcher does his job and gets a ground ball with the bases loaded, as an infielder, it's your job to turn the double play. I thought that was a huge momentum switch for us early in the ballgame, putting up a zero in that inning.”

“I think it started first with just a nice game defensively at second base, big plays,” Bell said after Cincinnati’s fifth win in eight games. “Really starting the double play in that situation and leading off, kind of just put him out there. He just wants to play baseball and he came up with a big game.

“The home runs, obviously, were huge. He's just a good baseball player. We talked before the game about that, and I think he showed that tonight.”