Elly De La Cruz loomed large over the Cincinnati Reds’ series finale against the Atlanta Braves, for reasons both positive and concerning. Fortunately for Cincinnati, starting pitcher Nick Lodolo and Eugenio Suárez were sights for sore eyes.
Initially, De La Cruz was using his speed to impact the game in Cincinnati’s favor. He went 2-for-2 with a walk in his three at-bats. He also stole a base and scored twice in a 6-4 Reds win on May 31 that allowed the club to avoid being swept at Great American Ball Park.
Sam Moll got a groundout with two outs and the bases loaded in the ninth inning to secure the victory, earning only his second career save.
Later, De La Cruz was top-of-mind but out of sight because he exited the contest with what was eventually announced as right hamstring tightness. In the fifth inning, De La Cruz hit a ball in the right-center field gap for what would have been an extra-base hit, but he pulled up as he turned through first base. There were audible gasps in the crowd when De La Cruz was then lifted from the game after a trainer and manager Terry Francona attended to him on first base.
De La Cruz joined a growing list of injury concerns for the Reds after two back-end relievers – Graham Ashcraft and Pierce Johnson – hit the 60-day and 15-day injured lists, respectively. Those developments arrived Friday, May 29 and Saturday, May 30.
Considering all that, Lodolo’s and Suárez’s contributions were most welcome. Lodolo relieved his bullpen with an outing of 6 2/3 innings, exiting in the seventh with a 5-3 lead.
In the bottom of the seventh, Suárez homered for the first time since April 15, and made his contribution on a day when the Reds’ bats went punch for punch with the MLB-leading Braves, and then some.
JJ Bleday went 2-for-4 with two RBI doubles, PJ Higgins drove in a run on an RBI double and Suárez drove in two runs.
Ronald Acuña Jr., who homered four times in the series with two leadoff homers, made things interesting late with an RBI single in the ninth inning off reliever Tony Santillan. Lefty Sam Moll entered the game with two outs to preserve the win for Cincinnati.
The Reds haven’t been swept at Great American Ball Park since August 2024 − a run of 41 consecutive series.
Cincinnati also avoided dropping to .500, improving to 30-28.
Next up for Reds | Kansas City Royals come to Cincinnati for three games
The Reds will look to start June on a positive note when the Kansas City Royals come to Great American Ball Park for a three-game set June 1-3.
The Royals entered play May 31 with a 22-36 record, and on a five-game losing streak following being swept by the New York Yankees and losing the first two games of a road series against the Texas Rangers. Kansas City was sitting fourth in the American League Central division.
Cincinnati is scheduled to start Chase Burns (7-1, 1.96 ERA), Andrew Abbott (4-3, 3.88 ERA) and Chris Paddack (0-7, 6.90 ERA) on June 1, June 2 and June 3, respectively. All three games are scheduled for a 7:10 p.m. first pitch.
Burns is scheduled to be opposed by Kansas City’s Luinder Avila (0-2, 5.06 ERA). Abbott is scheduled to face Noah Cameron (2-4, 4.61 ERA) and Paddack is scheduled to face Stephen Kolek (3-1, 3.48 ERA).
Recapping the Reds’ long, injury-plagued May
The Reds won their 20th game on the final day of April, improving to 20-11. They held the top spot in the National League Central division. After posting a 10-17 record in May, Cincinnati managed to stay just above .500 (30-28) but ended the monthsin last place in the Central.
Cincinnati went on an eight-game losing streak to begin May, and costly injuries came with it. A four-game series against the Chicago Cubs during the losing streak also saw the Reds lose two of their most reliable pitchers in closer Emilio Pagán (hamstring strain) and starter Rhett Lowder (right shoulder).
Those injuries, and more that followed, will be issues to contend with as the calendar flips to June. With more information still to be learned about De La Cruz’s situation, any kind of absence for him could necessitate a call-up of Edwin Arroyo, the No. 3-ranked prospect in Cincinnati’s farm system. Arroyo did not start May 31 for the Louisville Bats and has been the center of call-up speculation for weeks.
As for the injured pitches, Pagán was 50%-60% healed, according to the results of an MRI that Francona relayed to media members May 30. Lowder wasn’t back either, although he was set for a June 2 rehab outing with Triple-A Louisville.
On May 29, Graham Ashcraft hit the 60-day injured list and Pierce Johnson went on the 15-day IL a day later. Johnson projected optimism about his outlook but his absence will still persist into mid-June.
The Reds’ bats had issues of their own. Matt McLain ended May with a .197 batting average, and TJ Friedl was hitting .181 while playing in six of the final 11 games in the month.
Cincinnati’s team batting average of .229 entering play on May 31 ranked No. 27 in MLB.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds lose Elly De La Cruz mid-game, survive scary ninth to beat Braves
Reporting by Pat Brennan, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
