Reds’ Elly De La Cruz aims to continue power surge vs. White Sox.
Cincinnati Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo is slated to make his season debut when his team visits the Chicago White Sox on Saturday. Lodolo will be happy to know his shortstop, Elly De La Cruz, is clicking behind him. De La Cruz hit a three-run home run Friday and has gone deep in two straight games while continuing to provide solid defense. He has four homers for the season. “We’re happy with what Elly is doing offensively and defensively,” Reds manager David Bell said. “We know he’s going to get better.”
Cincinnati routed Chicago 11-1 in Friday’s series opener, rolling behind a 12-hit attack and seven strong innings from left-hander Andrew Abbott. Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Santiago Espinal and De La Cruz each had two hits and three RBIs to propel the Reds to their largest run output of the season. De La Cruz and Tyler Stephenson hit back-to-back home runs as part of a five-run third inning for Cincinnati.
The Reds will look to keep rolling behind Lodolo, who missed much of the 2023 season with a stress fracture in his left tibia. He started the season with Triple-A Louisville and most recently pitched there on Sunday. He was limited to seven starts in 2023 after making 19 starts covering 103 1/3 innings as a rookie in 2022. Perhaps the most positive news for Chicago on Friday came off the
field, as the club reported good prognoses for injured third baseman Yoan Moncada (adductor strain), center fielder Luis Robert Jr. (hip flexor strain), and designated hitter Eloy Jimenez (adductor strain). The timeline to return for each player is expected to be shorter than initially forecast, although Robert Jr. and Moncada still are expected to be out for extended periods.
