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When Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz got to very first base without any outs in the bottom of the ninth inning in a tie video game on Tuesday, he felt great that the video game was over.
“I already knew,” De La Cruz stated by means of interpreter Jorge Merlos. “Those guys would try to get me out, but they don’t have a chance. I’m going to go home anyway.”
When De La Cruz based on very first base, he might have reflected to how he got thrown away at 2nd base when he attempted to swipe a bag previously in the video game. But the fastest guy in baseball states that nobody requires to advise him to remain aggressive.
De La Cruz took 2nd, and after that he scored the winning run from 2nd base on a walk-off single by Christian Encarnacion-Strand in a 7-6 Reds win over the Seattle Mariners.
“It doesn’t matter if they get me out 20 million times,” De La Cruz stated. “I’m still going to be aggressive any time I go out there. I just know that I’m going to be better than them.”
Confidence is a tool that can bring a group to wins when a lot of elements are working versus it. The Reds presently have 4 pitchers out with COVID and 4 more beginning pitchers on the hurt list. Over the recently, they’ve covered together 9 innings every day with minors call-ups, consisting of Brett Kennedy, Michael Mariot, Carson Spiers, Connor Phillips, Lyon Richardson, Chasen Shreve and Casey Legumina.
Some of those pitchers are veterans who were shocked to get another possibility in MLB. Some were anticipating to end up the season in Triple-A prior to they were tossed into a playoff race. On top of all of that, Joey Votto, Matt McLain and Jonathan India are still out with injuries.
Since the COVID break out began on Friday, the Reds handled to divide a series versus the Chicago Cubs and win a series over the Mariners, who had actually been the most popular group in baseball. The Reds reacted to a frustrating August with a sensational start to September.
“We miss (the players on the IL) so much,” De La Cruz stated. “They’re an essential part of this team. The rest of the team that’s here is going out and competing and trying to get a victory every day. That’s always the vibe that we have every time we go to the ballpark. That’s why I love this team so much. We all know that we want to win.”
The Reds’ wins over the recently have actually had lots of gut-check minutes from gamers like Richardson, Nick Martini, Andrew Abbott, Hunter Renfroe, Lucas Sims, Ian Gibaut and De La Cruz.
De La Cruz dropped terribly in August, striking .198 with a .663 OPS. But in Saturday’s win over the Cubs, he struck the game-tying RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning. De La Cruz reached base 3 times on Tuesday, consisting of an infield single that he vanquished to lead off the ninth inning.
“It’s such a big part of our game that you can’t lose your confidence,” Reds supervisor David Bell stated. “You have to continue to stay with it and look for the next opportunity. You cannot be afraid to fail after something doesn’t go right. That has a lot to do with our success. It definitely shows up on the bases.”
After De La Cruz reached base, he placed on a program. He’s ending up being a star due to the fact that of his capability to provide spectacular minutes. When he reached base in the ninth inning, the whole arena understood that he’d attempt to take 2nd base.
“Everyone was thinking the same thing,” Martini stated. “He’s going to create some havoc here. We were just waiting for him to go. He’s unbelievable.’
De La Cruz beat the throw to get in scoring position. Then with Encarnacion-Strand at the plate, De La Cruz took his lead off of second base. Because De La Cruz was a threat to steal third base, Mariners second baseman Josh Rojas stood right on top of the bag to keep De La Cruz as close to the bag as possible.
That opened up the entire right side of the infield for Encarnacion-Strand, who placed his walk-off single into right field.
“When we play teams that are a threat on the bases, it changes the way you defend and it changes the way you pitch,” Bell stated. “You have to be quicker. We prepare our pitchers to do that. It can change things with the pressure you put on the pitching and the defense.”
The Reds gotten in Tuesday connected for the last wild card area with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Francisco Giants. The Reds are going into the stretch run, and a young group is playing important video games without a few of their finest pitchers.
This season, the Reds have actually been the very best group in baseball at creating return wins. With the chances stacked versus them on Tuesday versus the Mariners, the Reds did it once again.
“Whether we’re down one or two runs, we kind of have that feeling that we’re going to be able to get a walk off,” De La Cruz stated. “That’s how this team is. We never give up. It’s a team mentality that we have.”
This short article initially appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds Elly De La Cruz magic on bases in win over Mariners
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