PITTSBURGH — Perhaps prefer it was for De La Soul many years in the past, three would be the magic quantity for Reds rookie Elly De La Cruz in 2023.
De La Cruz was moved from leadoff to the three-spot on Friday vs. the Pirates and — presto-chango — it immediately paid off throughout Cincinnati’s 9-2 victory at PNC Park, when the shortstop hit a two-run triple throughout a three-run prime of the primary inning.
“That first inning was right how you draw it up. It was perfect,” middle fielder TJ Friedl mentioned. “That set the tone from the get-go, getting off to an early lead like that.”
De La Cruz, 21, by no means discovered a groove as a leadoff hitter for the Reds after supervisor David Bell moved him there from the cleanup spot on July 17. In 21 video games on the prime of the order, he batted .207 with a .281 on-base share and a 41 p.c strikeout charge.
Meanwhile, the Reds had been in want of a jumpstart, coming in as losers of eight of their earlier 9 video games.
When Bell moved De La Cruz down, he moved the lately hot-hitting Friedl up from second to first and Matt McLain from third to second.
“Just re-arranging the highest three guys,” Bell said pregame. “When these guys are swinging the bat effectively, it most likely actually doesn’t matter the place they’re hitting. It’s on the prime of the order. Elly was moved from one necessary spot within the order to a different necessary spot within the order.”
De La Cruz, who hit cleanup for his first 33 begins within the huge leagues earlier than changing into the leadoff man, did not fret in regards to the newest change.
“It doesn’t matter where they put me in the lineup, I’m going to be able to contribute as much as I can, wherever I can,” De La Cruz said via translator Jorge Merlos. “Obviously, you saw the results out there, and it turned out well.”
Before making their first out within the recreation, the Reds took a 3-0 lead in opposition to Pirates starter Johan Oviedo. Friedl opened with a stroll and McLain hit a single to arrange De La Cruz, which gave him a positive inauguration on the third spot.
“Especially when you’ve got guys on base for the first at-bat, it makes a whole bunch of difference, obviously,” De La Cruz mentioned. “The next at-bats are just like a normal at-bat.”
De La Cruz pulled a two-run triple to the right-field nook. Up subsequent, Spencer Steer added an RBI double to left discipline.
Reds rookie lefty Andrew Abbott dealt with his a part of the job, permitting two earned runs and 4 hits over 5 2/3 innings. Abbott, who didn’t stroll a batter and struck out 9, retired his first 10 batters, and 17 of his first 18. He gave up three two-out hits within the sixth inning, together with Ke’Bryan Hayes’ homer to middle discipline.
Having a first-inning lead made Abbott’s work a lot simpler.
“Those guys are in there doing their jobs. Great at-bat from TJ leading off the game, and Matt with the single,” said Abbott, who is 7-3 with a 2.95 ERA in 13 starts. “It just feeds into the next person, and then you take the energy from the hitters and you go out to the pitching mound and try to keep the momentum on your side for as long as you can.”
The Cincinnati lead grew to 6-0 within the fourth inning when No. 9 hitter Luke Maile hit a three-run homer to left-center discipline in opposition to Oviedo, who was 3-0 with a 0.90 ERA in his earlier three begins.
It was a 6-2 recreation when the Reds tacked on three runs within the eighth inning, two approaching RBI singles by Friedl and De La Cruz. Slugging alongside De La Cruz, Friedl is 7-for-22 with eight RBIs in his previous six video games.
“I’ve been leadoff, I’ve been two, I’ve been in all places. Just one other day as standard,” he mentioned.
The Reds (61-57) remained tied with the Cubs (60-56) for the third and closing National League Wild Card spot.
Bell is more likely to persist with this prime three of his lineup in the meanwhile.
“We try not to make too big of a deal about the lineup, but of course, everything matters,” Bell said after the game. “Getting off to a good start like that, and Elly being able to contribute right from the first inning, it’s a good way to start it out. You make changes, you don’t like to make too many of them, but when you do and players can settle in quick, it helps.”
Content Source: www.mlb.com