“I have a plan, and I’m executing it,” De La Cruz said.
His big night started with a relay throw in the bottom of the third inning. Right fielder Jake Fraley corralled a line drive into the gap and fired the ball into De La Cruz. With the Reds’ shortstop standing in shallow right field, De La Cruz delivered a 98.3 mph strike home that beat the lead runner to the plate and kept the Tigers off the board.
“I know it doesn’t count any more on the scoreboard, but it’s almost like an alley-oop dunk,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “You feel like you get some momentum. We haven’t scored or anything like that. But it feels better.”
De La Cruz’s arm is one of his big gifts, and his raw power is another. De La Cruz crushed a 110 mph home run in the fourth inning to give the Reds an early lead. When asked which he preferred between the big throw and the home run, De La Cruz said, “Both.”
Early on in the season, he wasn’t consistently pulling the ball with power behind it. He’s back to doing it now, and he’s in the middle of his best stretch of the season.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
“I still think there’s more, which is probably unfair to him because I’m sure everybody is always saying that,” Terry Francona said before the game. “I do believe that. His talent level and his wanting to be good… I do think there’s more in there.”
Even though De La Cruz’s season has felt a bit quieter than what he accomplished in 2024, his statistics are actually even more impressive. By the time he came back up to the plate in the fifth inning, Tigers starter Jack Flaherty walked no part of him and pitched around De La Cruz to load the bases. Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson made him pay with a grand slam that gave the Reds a 6-1 lead. First baseman Spencer Steer followed that with a homer of his own as the Reds got the right-handed power production that they’ve badly needed.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Reds starting pitcher Brady Singer battled and allowed just one run in six innings. Even though he wasn’t consistently filling up the strike zone or getting swings and misses, Singer turned in another quality start. The Reds valued him on the trade market because of his consistency and durability, and Singer has been as advertised.
“His pitch count was high early, and then he had some real quick innings,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “That allowed him to get through six (innings), which was really good.”
NEXT GAME
Who: Cincinnati at Detroit
When: 12:05
TV: Roku
Radio: 1410-AM, 700-AM
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