LOS ANGELES, CA — From when Dodger starter Michael Grove threw his first pitch in this rubber match of a three-game series with this reinvented Reds club, he had to be thinking, “What the heck did I get myself into?” He was greeted by a first pitch of the game line drive single by phenom Elly De La Cruz. A second pitch to the next batter, TJ Friedl was a double that the speedy De La Cruz scored on.
And why do the Dodgers always think they can throw Cruz out at home on anything routine? Resulting in the hitter ending up on second base in scoring position. Before Grove could catch his breath, the Reds had three runs on the board, and it only got worse when Cruz hit a 411-foot home run in the next inning to put the Dodgers behind 4-0.
Elly De La Cruz is the first person in MLB history to homer at 4:34 PM ET on July 30, 2023. @ellylacocoa18 pic.twitter.com/w0IuEspC9z
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 30, 2023
Then to make his day a total nightmare, he surrendered two more home runs in the third inning, accounting for three more runs and a 7-0 Reds lead. With no one warming up in the Dodgers bullpen, Grove was going to have to figure out some way to get his team off of the field.
Michael Grove – Image Credit: Emma Sharon/Latino Sports
Grove managed to “HOLD” the Reds to a 7-0 lead after five innings with the help of some incredible fielding by Miguel Rojas, Los Teques, Venezuela, and James Outman, who robbed Joey Votto of what should have been his second home run of the day. But at that point, the Dodgers couldn’t put “Humpty Alexander Dumpty” back together again. Grove mercifully left with a line of six innings, eight runs, all earned, one walk, ten strikeouts, and three home runs. Ten strikeouts sounds like you pitched well enough to earn a win. He also faced thirty batters.
What got lost in this game of “Reds On Fire” was the outstanding performance on the hill by Reds’ starter, Graham Ashcraft, who left with a line of six innings pitched, five hits, no runs, no walks, and two strikeouts.
Graham Ashcraft, Dirty 89mph Slider. 😨 pic.twitter.com/AGGwAliudg
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 30, 2023
This 9-0 Reds win ended with Elly De La Cruz going four for five with a home run, one RBI, and one run scored. Not a bad day for the most exciting young player in baseball today. Taking two of three from the big bad Dodgers has now put them in the lead for first place by 0.5 games in the NL Central division with the Brewers in second and Cubs in third (four games back).
Reds 21-year-old superstar Elly De La Cruz – Image Credit: Emma Sharon/Latino Sports
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