Reds Beat: Elly De La Cruz Again Electrifies With Historic Performance in 7-1 Win Over Angels

CINCINNATI — The sensational is becoming routine with Elly De La Cruz.

His three-run homer off Angels reliever José Cisnero in the eighth blew open a three-run game and came as the crowd was chanting “Elly, Elly, Elly!”

“It feels amazing. That crowd, they support us every day,” De La Cruz added. “They’re here and they electrify everything. I love that.”

De La Cruz joined Joe Morgan as just the second Reds player since at least 1920 to drive in three runs and steal three bases in a game. He also became just the fifth Reds player since 1900 to homer and steal three bases in a game.

Friday night, De La Cruz did it all for the Reds in a 7-1 win over the Angels. The star second-year player drove in three runs with a three-run homer, stole three bases, scored twice and made a pair of impressive plays in the field.

“We’ve got the same mentality every day,” said De La Cruz, who has all six home runs in his last 10 games. “We’ve just got to play with hustle every day and just try to win.”

While the three-run homer was the capper to a Reds win, the quintessential Elly Electric moment came in the second inning. Like in Milwaukee last year, when he stole three bases on two pitches, he scored from first Friday night on two pitches.

“It’s so much a part of our team,” Reds manager David Bell said. “A big part of how we play is running the baserunning, and the energy that that brings.

In the second inning, De La Cruz made good contact but it was chopped into the ground, over the pitcher’s mound and into center. Once on first, he measured his lead against Angels starter Tyler Anderson.

On a 1-0 pitch, he took off for second and beat the throw. On the 2-0 pitch, he appeared to slip just slightly but made it to third. In his haste, LA catcher Logan O’Hoppe threw wildly and the ball flew down the left field line, easily allowing De La Cruz to trot home.

“The base-running, we spend a lot of time on. He understood the situation,” Bell said. “He understood the pitcher. He studies. And he maybe didn’t have great jumps right there, and in a lot of cases, he just kind of out-ran around the throw. That was a big part of the game for us. He has a lot of confidence in his ability on the bases, and it showed up tonight.”

Additionally, De La Cruz is the first player since Ken Williams of the 1922 St. Louis Browns to hit six homers and steal at least 10 bases in his team’s first 19 games.

Nick Lodolo didn’t get a chance to watch Elly in person a lot last year and never got a chance to have him play behind him since he was called up after Lodolo’s season came to a premature end with left leg issues.

On Friday, he got the full effect live and in person and it was a reason the lefty won his second game in as many starts.

“I never got to watch him play that much because I wasn’t in the dugout,” Lodolo said. “I was just like most fans, just watch him on TV. He’s a great kid and has worked hard. You can definitely see the talent, and it’s pretty unbelievable.

“I think actually seeing how fast he is in person is pretty incredible,” Lodolo said. “I mean, the guy takes like six steps to first base.”

Lodolo himself admitted to being in awe quite a bit Friday night as he was going up against his hometown Angels for the first time. He never had the chance last August in Anaheim since he was rehabbing his calf injury.

Like most young baseball fans in Orange County, he grew up a huge Mike Trout fan. But he didn’t want to go overboard Friday.

“I don’t want to fan-girl him,” Lodolo said. “He’s a helluva ballplayer. If I see him, I’d love to go meet him.”

Trout lined out hard to center off Lodolo in the first and struck him out in the fourth. He retired him again in the sixth on another flyball.

The Reds will look to ride the hot bat and fast legs of De La Cruz when they host the Los Angeles Angels Saturday in the second game of their weekend series.

The Reds send right-hander Graham Ashcraft (2-1, 4.15) to the mound, making his fourth start of the season and his second career start against the Angels.

In his last outing on Sunday in Chicago against the White Sox, Ashcraft earned the win and his 200th career strikeout. He allowed just two runs – one earned – on five hits in 5 2/3 innings in Cincinnati’s 11-4 win.

In his only previous career appearance against the Angels, Ashcraft allowed three runs on five hits over seven innings last Aug. 22 in Cincinnati’s 4-3 win. He struck out a career-high 10 and walked two.

The Angels counter with lefty Patrick Sandoval (1-2, 4.67), making his fifth start and fourth on the road.

In his sixth season with Angels, Sandoval took a no-decision in last start at Tampa Bay on Monday, pitching five innings and yielding just one run on four hits. He struck out eight and walked two.

Sandoval is making first career start against the Reds, and his first appearance vs. Cincinnati since making his Major League debut in Cincinnati on Aug. 5, 2019. In that game, Sandoval entered in the second innings and allowed two runs on three hits over five innings and took a no-decision in Cincinnati’s 7-4 win.