Elly De La Cruz giveth, and Elly De La Cruz taketh away?
The Cincinnati Reds expected to find out Wednesday when it comes to center fielder TJ Friedl, who took the worst of a collision with the shortstop in the fourth inning of Tuesday’s game against the Chicago White Sox.
Reds centerfielder TJ Friedl and shortstop Elly De La Cruz collide going after a shallow fly to center in the fourth inning Tuesday night against the White Sox. Friedl was injured on the play and was to have an MRI on his right wrist Wednesday.
Friedl was scheduled for an MRI on the right wrist he jammed when he and De La Cruz collided going after Miguel Vargas’ high fly to shallow center leading off the fourth.
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Both players and the ball hit the ground, and Vargas was credited with a double.
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“I know right now it’s just. Little stiff from the collision,” Friedl said. “I’ll get the MRI and just go from there.”
Friedl said he also got cleated on the inside of his thigh in the collision. And none of those maladies count the swollen left forearm he suffered when hit by a pitch a half-inning earlier — Friedl needing attention from the head trainer for both incidents.
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The gift double by Vargas led to the White Sox’ only run until their winning rally in the 10th.
De La Cruz, who delivered two hits in the game, sent the game to extra innings with a rocket-launch homer on a 3-2 count leading off the ninth.
Should the All-Star shortstop — who came close to a collision in the Reds’ previous game with left-fielder Gavin Lux on a popup that fell to the grass — have peeled off to give way to the oncoming Friedl Tuesday?
“Shoot, man ,that’s a play that the only player in baseball that makes that play is Elly,” manager Terry Francona said. “And he damn near did there, too.”
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Friedl took the blame for the lack of communication on the play.
“I called it about halfway there,” he said. “There’s no way he heard me. He’s going after it, and I should have called it at the last second when I started my dive. I just made a decision to dive a little too late to speak up.
“Our infielders are taught to go get the ball until they’re called off, and from where I called, I’m sure he maybe didn’t hear me. And Elly’s going to get every ball he can, which is why he is the way he is. His range is incredible.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds’ TJ Friedl gets worst of crash with Elly De La Cruz, to have MRI