CINCINNATI ¨C It was his own bobblehead night on Saturday, so Elly De La Cruz already had a captive audience at Great American Ball Park as the Reds played the Pirates. The All-Star shortstop made the game even better for fans by slugging a grand slam as Cincinnati went on to a 5-2 victory.
¡°It means a lot. There were a lot of fans. They¡¯re special to us," De La Cruz said.
The win, the Reds' fourth in their last five games, guaranteed a winning three-game series over Pittsburgh with a chance to sweep on Sunday.
It was the second night in a row that the Reds needed only four hits to score five runs.
¡°We made the most of not a lot of hitting tonight," Reds manager Terry Francona said. "We took our walks, we had a couple of hit batsmen. That inning was with two outs but when you get to Elly, there¡¯s always that chance."
Pirates lefty Andrew Heaney retired his first seven in a row before Santiago Espinal hit a double in the Reds' third. With two outs, Heaney hit back-to-back batters with pitches in TJ Friedl and Blake Dunn.
Batting right-handed, the switch-hitting De La Cruz fell into a 1-2 count. But he worked a full count and especially with the bases full, knew Heaney had to throw something around the plate.
¡°He¡¯s got to throw strikes. If he doesn¡¯t, we don¡¯t swing," De La Cruz said.
Heaney offered a high fastball and De La Cruz lifted it high in the air ¨C at a 40-degree launch angle ¨C while the crowd of 31,188 fans roared to life.
The ball kept carrying into the left field seats for the grand slam ¨C the second of De La Cruz's career ¨C and a 4-0 Reds lead.
¡°I hit it really well. When I hit it, I thought it was gone," De La Cruz said of the drive that was 107.8 mph off the bat. ¡°It means a lot because we work hard for that. We just try to get a pitch to hit and when we get it, we don¡¯t want to miss it.¡±
It was a much needed homer for the slumping De La Cruz, whose two other long balls this season came on March 31 vs. the Rangers on a four-hit night. In his other 13 games entering the night, he was batting .180 with only five RBIs.
¡°He gets pitched so tough, as premier guys do. But he¡¯s always one swing away," Francona said. "Even if he takes a bad swing, with his legs there¡¯s always something that can happen. So I don¡¯t worry about him too much. He¡¯s been kind of fun to get to know.¡±
For Reds lefty Andrew Abbott, who was making his season debut after being activated from the injured list, he suddenly had a four-run lead to work with.
¡°It¡¯s a little bit of the pressure off, for sure," Abbott said. "It gives you a little more wiggle room. Obviously, you¡¯re going to have your foot on the pedal the whole time. You want to come out and get quick outs, roll innings and get the offense back out there. But yeah, he¡¯s a difference maker. Everybody in the room knows that. One swing of the bat, one stolen base, one out, one crazy play ¨C he does it all for us. I¡¯m just excited that he¡¯s back there for me.¡±
Abbott pitched five innings and allowed one earned run and two hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Pittsburgh notched a run on Alexander Canario's leadoff homer in the fifth inning and inched closer with another run in the seventh.
In the bottom of the seventh inning with two outs, De La Cruz had a chance for a second grand slam. This time, he grounded into a fielder's choice to end the inning.
Overall in 15 games, De La Cruz is batting .237 with a .727 OPS and a team-leading 16 RBIs. He wasn't concerned about his recent lack of production.
¡°I¡¯m feeling good," he said. "I am feeling comfortable on both sides of the plate. The result hasn¡¯t been there but it doesn¡¯t matter. We just keep going. That¡¯s how the game is.¡±
The Reds' Saturday giveaway was unique in that there were two different bobbleheads distributed ¨C featuring De La Cruz batting from each side of the plate. Fans had to open the box to learn which one they received.
De La Cruz has another bobblehead night coming on June 18 vs. the Twins. In that one, he's depicted sliding into a base. Perhaps there will be another moment for him to do something special.