Elly De La Cruz had a 3-hit day that included a triple and a home run. The Reds pitching staff combined to allow one run and strike out 13 batters. Put those things together and you wind up with a 6-1 Cincinnati win to open up the series with the New York Yankees.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees (45-33) | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| Cincinnati Reds (41-38) | 6 | 11 | 1 |
| W: Barlow (3-0) L: Winans (0-1) | |||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
Nick Lodolo retired the first two batters of the game, but then he had to face off against the best hitter in baseball. And Aaron Judge did what he does – hit a home run and put the Yankees up 1-0 .
Lodolo would have to work his way out of jams in both the 2nd and 3rd innings with a runner in scoring position, but he was able to do that and keep the Reds deficit at one run. In the bottom of the 4th the offense had his back. Matt McLain took one for the team when he was hit by a fastball in the arm. Elly De La Cruz followed with a triple to tie the game up. He then scored on a sacrifice fly from Spencer Steer to put Cincinnati in front 2-1. Gavin Lux would cap off the scoring with a solo home run to put his club up by two runs.
Nick Lodolo headed back to the mound with a lead in the 5th inning, but his pitch count was building up as he was already over 80 pitches when the inning began. Jason Dominguez led off with an infield single. Jake Fraley likely saved a run on the next play as he made a leaping grab at the wall to save extra-bases. But Cody Bellinger blooped a single into shallow left field and that ended the day for Lodolo as Scott Barlow entered the game with two on and one out. He got out of the jam, getting Aaron Judge to fly out to shallow center and then striking out Giancarlo Stanton to end the inning.
The Reds offense went back to work in the bottom of the 5th and once again a hit by pitch was what started things. This time it was Jake Fraley wearing one for the team. TJ Friedl picked up a 1-out single and that led to the end of the day for Allan Winans and the Yankees went to the bullpen. Ian Hamilton then walked Matt McLain to load the bases. Elly De La Cruz then singled in a run to push the lead to 4-1.
Scott Barlow returned to pitch the the 6th and needed just 14 pitches to retire the side. When the 7th inning began it was Nick Martinez to the mound and he got three quick outs to cover the inning.
For as well as the previous few innings had gone for the bullpen, things didn’t start out that well for Tony Santillan in the 8th. Cody Bellinger led off with a double in a 6-pitch at-bat. Santillan then walked Aaron Judge. But after that he buckled down and recorded two strikeouts before getting a ground out to strand both runners and hold onto the 3-run lead.
The Reds would add to their lead in their half of the 8th inning. Elly De La Cruz expanded the strikezone but made it work for him as he lined an opposite field home run from the right side of the plate to push the lead to 5-1. Spencer Steer would follow up with a single, steal second base, and then score from second base on a 2-out infield single by Jose Trevino.
When the 9th inning began the Reds turned to Emilio Pagan to face the bottom of the Yankees lineup. He needed just five pitches to record the first two outs of the inning, but Jasson Dominguez kept the game alive with a single and then took second base on defensive indifference. He’d be stranded there as a ground out followed and ended the game as Cincinnati took the first game of the series.
Key Moment of the Game
The Reds 4th inning that saw them score three runs to take a lead that they never gave back.
Notes Worth Noting
Elly De La Cruz now has 18 home runs on the season. That’s more than the next two leaders on the team combined (Matt McLain with nine, TJ Friedl with eight). His big night leaves his line at .272/.348/.513 on the year through 79 games.
Nick Lodolo only threw 4.1 innings on the day as he needed 94 pitches to get there, but he lowered his ERA to 3.63. He walked no one and had six strikeouts, giving him 80 strikeouts with just 18 walks this season.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
New York Yankees vs Cincinnati Reds
Tuesday June 24th, 7:10pm ET
Carlos Rodon (9-5, 3.10 ERA) vs Chase Burns (MLB Debut)
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