De La Cruz anniversary HR keys Reds win over Cubs

Published 10:34 pm Thursday, June 6, 2024

CINCINNATI (AP) — Elly De La Cruz hit a three-run homer on the anniversary of his major league debut and the Cincinnati Reds won a season-high fifth straight game, 8-4 over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday night.

TJ Friedl, Jonathan India and Will Benson also drove in runs as the Reds followed a three-game sweep in Colorado with a win over the NL Central rival Cubs in the first of a four-game series.

Hunter Greene (4-2) struck out eight while allowing four runs and five hits in 6 2/3 innings. Three Reds relievers combined to keep the Cubs hitless the rest of the way, with closer Alexis Diaz issuing a walk before striking out three straight batters to end it.

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Home runs accounted for all of Chicago’s runs, a two-run, upper-deck blast by Seiya Suzuki in the third inning and a 415-foot, two-run shot to center by Christopher Morel in the sixth.

Cubs starter Javier Assad (4-2) allowed five runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts and two walks.

Reliever Porter Hodge’s third straight walk forced in a run with two outs in the Reds’ seventh, and Will Benson followed with a two-run single to right to extend the Cincinnati lead.

The 22-year-old De La Cruz got the Reds on the board in the third inning with his team-leading 11th homer of the year, a shot to right field that came off the bat at 114.7 mph.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Reds: RHP Emilio Pagán (right triceps tightness) was activated from the 15-day disabled list. Right-handed starter Graham Ashcraft (4-3, 5.05 ERA) was sent to Triple-A Louisville to make room on the roster. The 26-year-old Ashcraft has failed to pitch through six innings in his last six starts.

UP NEXT

The Cubs send lefty Justin Steele (0-2, 4.10 ERA, 36 Ks) to the mound to face Reds lefty Nick Lodolo (5-2, 3.11, 49 Ks) as the series continues on Friday night.

Chicago Cincinnati
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Tauchman rf 3 0 0 0 Friedl cf 4 1 1 1
Suzuki dh 4 1 2 2 De La Cruz ss 5 1 1 3
Bellinger 1b 4 1 1 0 Candelario 3b 3 0 1 0
Morel 3b 3 1 1 2 Dunn pr-lf 1 1 0 0
Happ lf 4 0 0 0 Steer 1b 4 0 0 0
Hoerner 2b 2 0 0 0 Fraley dh 3 1 1 0
Swanson ss 4 0 0 0 Stephenson c 2 2 2 0
Crw-Armstrong cf 4 0 0 0 Hurtubise lf 1 1 0 0
Amaya c 3 1 1 0 Espinal 3b 0 0 0 0
Busch ph 1 0 0 0 India 2b 3 0 1 2
Benson rf 4 1 2 2
Totals 32 4 5 4 Totals 30 8 9 8

Chicago 002 002 000 4
Cincinnati 003 002 30x 8

LOB–Chicago 5, Cincinnati 7. 2B–Suzuki (7), Bellinger (11), Friedl (2). HR–Suzuki (7), Morel (12), De La Cruz (11). SB–Hoerner (7), Tauchman (5), Benson (9). S–Hurtubise 2 (4).

IP H R ER BB SO
Chicago
Assad L,4-2 5 2-3 7 5 5 2 7
Little 1-3 1 1 1 1 0
Hodge 2-3 0 2 2 3 0
Hendricks 1 1-3 1 0 0 0 0
Cincinnati
Greene W,4-2 6 2-3 5 4 4 2 8
Cruz H,11 1-3 0 0 0 0 1
Moll 1 0 0 0 0 1
Díaz 1 0 0 0 1 3

HBP–Greene (Hoerner), Assad (Stephenson). WP–Cruz.

Umpires–Home, Adrian Johnson; First, Junior Valentine; Second, Ramon De Jesus; Third, David Rackley.

T–2:33. A–25,601 (43,891).