This game belonged to the Cincinnati Reds Elly De La Cruz. The Reds rookie shortstop was a one-man mountain of destruction by driving in six runs during a 9-4 come-from-behind win over the Los Angeles Angels in the first game of a doubleheader.
After striking out twice and looking like a lost soul, De La Cruz abruptly turned a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 lead with a two-out 408-foot home run in the fifth inning, his 11th homer.
He batted right-handed when he crashed his three-run home run. It was still 4-3 when De La Cruz came to bat left-handed in the seventh with one out and the bases loaded.
And the man with a smile as sparkling as a Cartier’s store window pulled a three-run triple into the right field corner to make it 7-3.
Ohtani started for the first time in 14 days after the Angels rested his tired arm. He lasted only 1 2/3 innings before he left the game with a fatigued arm.
But before he left, he did some damage with his bat in the first inning. Abbott walked leadoff hitter Luis Rengifo. Then the first pitch Ohtani saw from Abbott was deposited deep into the right field seats, Ohtani’s 44th homer and a quick 2-0 Angels lead.
The Angels ran their lead to 3-1 in the third on back-to-back doubles by No. 9 hitter Andrew Velasquez and Rengifo.
When Abbott gave up a single and a walk to open the fifth manager David Bell replaced him with Buck Farmer.
Farmer needed only six pitches to get the next four outs and earn the victory.
There was deja vu involved in the game reverting back to the Reds 4-3 victory Tuesday.
They were down 3-1 in that game, too, and had two on with two outs in the fifth inning. Rookie first baseman Nolan Schanuel booted De La Cruz’s ground ball and two runs scored on the error to tie it, 3-3. Spencer Steer then doubled home De La Cruz for the 4-3 lead that stood up.
On Wednesday, the Reds were again down 3-1 in the fifth and had one out and one on. Angels shortstop Velasquez made a throwing error on McLain’s ground ball, putting two on.
De La Cruz delivered and it was 4-3.
This time De La Cruz made certain the Reds added on. Will Benson singled, TJ Friedl beat out his 14th bunt single and McLain walked on four pitches to load the bases.
De La Cruz quickly unloaded them with his three-run triple and he scored on Spencer Steer’s single.
It was Cincinnati’s 39th comeback win and the 33rd blown lead by the Angels, who have lost 15 of their last 20 games.
The Reds put only nine hits to good use. In addition to De La Cruz’s home and triple for six RBI, Steer had two hits and drove in two runs and nobody else in the lineup had more than one hit.
Farmer, Alex Young, Derek Law and Ian Gibaut held the Angels to one run and five hits over the final five innings.
The Angels had one minor uprising in the seventh. They were down, 8-3, but scored a run and had the bases loaded with two outs against Law.
Hunter Renfroe represented the potential tying run but Gibaut rushed in from the bullpen and struck him out.
About the Author