ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Elly De La Cruz hit two of Cincinnati’s five home runs, rookie Sal Stewart added three RBIs to reach 24 on the season and the Reds scored the first nine runs to cruise to a 12-6 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night.
De La Cruz, who went 3 for 6 with five RBIs, hit a two-run homer to begin the scoring in the first inning and he added a solo shot in the ninth for his eighth of the season to make it 12-2. It was De La Cruz’s sixth career multihomer game, passing Pete Rose for the most in Reds history by a switch-hitter.
Stewart drove in two runs on a single to center field in the sixth for a 9-0 lead and he added a sacrifice fly in the seventh. He’s tied with Houston’s Yordan Alvarez for the major league lead with 24 RBIs.
Cincinnati Reds’ Elly De La Cruz hits a two run home run during the first inning of a game against the Tampa Bay Rays Tuesday, April 21, in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Jason Behnken / AP