Elly De La Cruz smashed a three-run homer, marking his fourth home run in the last four games, to support Andrew Abbott as the Cincinnati Reds cruised to an 11-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Friday night.
Tyler Stephenson also contributed with a home run for Cincinnati, who had previously lost three out of four games. Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Santiago Espinal both had two hits and drove in three runs each, while Jonathan India drew four walks from the leadoff position.
Abbott (1-1) delivered an impressive performance, pitching seven innings and allowing just one run. It was the longest start by a Cincinnati pitcher this season. The left-hander recorded three strikeouts and issued no walks.
“It felt great to get ahead in the counts, locate my pitches effectively, and mix in my off-speed stuff,” Abbott commented. “Overall, this was probably my best performance of the year so far.”
The White Sox managed only four hits, extending their losing streak to seven losses in the last eight games. They’ve only scored 30 runs in their 2-11 start to the season.
Robbie Grossman drove in Zach Remillard with a double in the third inning, accounting for the White Sox’s lone run. Chris Flexen (0-3) struggled on the mound, giving up six runs on seven hits in just 2 2/3 innings, marking his third consecutive loss.
“It was a terrible outing. I dug us into a hole early on, putting the bullpen in a tough spot,” Flexen admitted. “There’s nothing positive to take away from today.”
De La Cruz continued his impressive form, singling in the second inning to extend his on-base streak to 18 games dating back to last season. In the third inning, he crushed an 0-2 pitch from Flexen into the right-center field seats for a 449-foot home run, his fourth of the season. Earlier in the week, De La Cruz hit an inside-the-park homer and a 450-foot blast against the Brewers.
“My approach remains the same,” De La Cruz said. “I’m just focused on getting my pitch and seeing the ball well.”
Following De La Cruz’s homer, Stephenson added his first home run of the season, pushing Cincinnati’s lead to 6-0.
Jake Fraley was a standout for the Reds with two hits, including an RBI single, and a spectacular leaping catch at the wall in right field to rob Paul DeJong of extra bases.
Manager David Bell commented on Fraley’s catch, saying, “That was an outstanding play. He covered a lot of ground and hit the wall pretty hard, but he’s okay. Those plays really make a difference.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Reds: Infielder Jeimer Candelario was given the day off after batting .152 in Cincinnati’s first 12 games.
White Sox: Outfielder Eloy Jiménez, dealing with a left adductor strain, will increase his workouts over the weekend. Manager Pedro Grifol stated, “We want him to reach about 85 to 90 percent before reassessing his status. He’s getting close.” Third baseman Yoán Moncada, also with a left adductor strain, was moved to the 60-day injured list. This move coincided with several roster changes: Zach Remillard and Justin Anderson were called up from Triple-A Charlotte, while OF Oscar Colás was sent down. Veteran reliever Bryan Shaw was designated for assignment.
