WARREN MAYES and Associated Press
26 minutes ago
Willson Contreras of the St. Louis Cardinals throws his bat after coming up in foul territory during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds Sunday, June 11, 2023 in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Rookie Elly De La Cruz showed his pace, scoring two hits, hitting base four times and getting the go-ahead with a headfirst sliding grounder in the eighth inning that gave the Cincinnati Reds the win over the St. Louis Cardinals 4: 3 on Sunday.
De La Cruz hit an infield single in the first inning with a sprint speed of 31.2 feet per second, and the 21-year-old tied the score 2-2 with an RBI single in the third inning against 41-year-old Adam Wainwright .
De La Cruz went into the sixth, stealing second place and scoring after a single from Tyler Stephenson to equalize 3-3. Then, in the eighth, De La Cruz took the lead on a full-count push from Jordan Hicks (1-4), advanced through Spencer Steer’s groundout and finished third through Willson Contreras’ passball.
Vandals damage LGBTQ door display at church in southern St. Louis County
With the infield in, Stephenson hit a two-hopper at Paul DeJong, and the shortstop’s throw landed slightly over first baseline and in the dirt. The ball bounced off Contreras’ mitt as the catcher attempted to score a swipe tag, and De La Cruz slammed the plate with his left hand.
De La Cruz is .364 (8 for 22) with five walks, three stolen bases, a .481 on-base percentage and a 1.117 OPS in six games since his debut Tuesday. He has a double, triple, home run and four RBIs.
Ian Gibaut (6-1) allowed a hit in 1 2/3 scoreless innings for relief. Alexis Díaz threw a 1-2-3 ninth to keep 15 save chances perfect while the Reds held off the Cardinals two of three.
St. Louis went 1-for-11 with runners in goal position and is 9-for-70 (.129) in its last 12 games. The bottom-ranked Cardinals are 7-15 in one-run games and are eight games behind NL Central leaders Pittsburgh. St. Louis has lost seven of its last nine games.
Jonathan India hit a home run in the first round, but in the second the Cardinals went 2-1 through a runs-scoring single from Jordan Walker and an RBI grounder from Tommy Edman.
Nolan Arenado hit an RBI triple in the third set.
NO DECISIONS TO START
Wainwright gave up three runs and a right run in 5 2/3 innings and is 0-1 in his last three outings. He made his 397th start for Wainwright, third for St. Louis behind Bob Gibson and Bob Forsch…. Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene made his first start since June 1, allowing three runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. His fastball averaged 98 mph, 0.6 mph slower than his season average. Due to a stiffness in his right hip, he canceled his scheduled start.
SWISS ARMY KNIFE
Edman made his tenth appearance at the center this season. He also appeared as shortstop (27 games), second (21), and right (eight). The only other Cardinal in franchise history to appear at second base, shortstop and centerfield in more than 10 games was Dave Brain for the 1904 Cardinals.
squad change
Reds: Option for RHP Kevin Herget after Triple-A Louisville. Herget pitched 1 1/3 innings Saturday after being called off earlier that day. He allowed three runs and four hits.
TRAINING ROOM
Reds: RHP Casey Legumina (bruised right ankle) returned from rehabilitation and was reinstated on Sunday from the 15-day injury list. He is 1-0 with a 4.35 ERA in eight assists this season. … 3B Nick Senzel (right knee injury) is on course to join the Houston team and be activated on Friday.
Cardinals: OF Tyler O’Neill (low back strain) received two injections in his back on June 1 in Los Angeles: a cortisone and lidocaine injection and an epidural for nerve block. He is scheduled to meet with the doctor who administered the injections on Thursday and may be able to resume his baseball activities the next day.
NEXT
Reds: RHP Luke Weaver (1-2, 6.27) will be making his second career appearance and will face the Royals on Monday, who will play with RHP Zack Greinke (1-6, 4.59). On opening day, Weaver was on the 15-injured list with a right elbow flexor strain and made his season and Reds debut on April 20. Greinke is 8-2 with a 2.38 ERA in 14 career starts against Cincinnati.
Cardinals: LHP Matthew Liberatore (1-2, 6.00) meets San Francisco’s RHP Logan Webb (4-6, 3.09) on Monday. In his last start, Liberatore only lasted four innings and allowed five runs and his first home run of the year.
