Elly De La Cruz put on a show Monday night, hitting a single, double, as well as two home runs for a career-high seven RBIs to power the Cincinnati Reds to a dominant 14-3 victory over the Texas Rangers.
Interestingly enough, Brady Singer also made a splash in his Reds debut, throwing seven scoreless innings and leading his new team to a blowout win.
Singer, acquired from the Kansas City Royals in November, made a memorable first impression, becoming the first Reds pitcher to toss seven or more scoreless innings in a debut since Hall of Famer Tom Seaver did so in 1977.
The 28-year-old right-hander allowed just one hit, struck out eight, and walked two in his impressive outing.
The Reds (2-2) came out firing early, with De La Cruz leading the charge. After a first-inning homer from Matt McLain, who is returning from shoulder surgery, De La Cruz crushed a three-run homer to center field in the second inning, putting Cincinnati up 6-0. It was his first home run of the season.
The Reds’ offense didn’t slow down as they batted around in the sixth inning to extend their lead to 12-0. De La Cruz added another two-run shot in the seventh to cap off a historic night.
The Reds’ 14 runs were their most since a 19-2 win over St. Louis in September 2023.
On the mound, rookie Kumar Rocker (0-1) struggled for the Rangers (3-2), giving up six earned runs in just three innings. Jake Burger did provide a bright spot for Texas, hitting his first home run of the season in the ninth inning.
In addition to De La Cruz’s big night, the Reds showed early offensive firepower, with McLain hitting his third home run of the season in the first inning. Gavin Lux contributed an RBI double to extend the Reds’ lead to 3-0.
In a unique twist, De La Cruz’s steal in the first inning broke the Reds’ season-long streak of not attempting a steal, highlighting his all-around game.
Key Stat:
Cincinnati’s 14 runs were their most since a 19-2 win over St. Louis in September 2023.
The Reds look to carry their momentum into Tuesday’s matchup as they send right-hander Carson Spiers to the mound against Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi, who is coming off his second consecutive opening-day start for Texas.
