By Hal McCoy
Just when it looks as if the Cincinnati Reds will need resuscitation, they kick it away and show signs of life.
Faced with the possibility of being swept three games by baseball’s best team against one of MLB’s best pitchers, the Reds stayed the course Sunday afternoon for a 6-4 win in Great American Ball Park.
There was, thouogh, a frightening event for the Reds while they were fighting off the Atlanta Braves (40-20) and pitcher Spencer Strider, 3-and-0 when the day began.
In the fifth inning, Elly De La Cruz drove one off the right field wall, normally an easy double and sometimes a triple.
But he slowed as he neared first base and limped to the bag. Then he left the game.
De La Cruz, though, believes it is not that serious, although an MRI Monday morning will tell the tale.
Speaking through translator Tomas Vera to reporters after the game, De La Cruz said, “When I was running and starting to make the turn to get to first, I felt tightness in my hamstring. I decided to stop because I felt if I kept going it would be worse.
“I don’t think it is something bad,” he added. “We’ll see what the MRI says tomorrow, but I don’t think it is something really bad.”
And manager Tito Francona’s take?
“He feels like he caught it before it did anything worse,” he said. “We’re gonna get him scanned at 9 o’clock in the morning and we’ll know more.”
The Reds led, 3-1, when De La Cruz departed and the Reds soldiered on. And they needed to keep adding on because the Braves kept soldiering on, too.
The Reds used a picket-fence offense to expunge a three-game losing streak, scoring one run in each of six innings — 111111.
As he did Friday night, Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna Jr. picked on Cincinnati starter Nick Lodolo’s first pitch and drove in out of the park.
It was Acuna’s fifth home run in four games after hitting two in his first 42 games.
As good as Acuna is with the bat, he sometimes wears a fielder’s glove for no apparent reason. He misplayed four balls hit his way and they led to two or three Reds runs.
After Acuna’s home run De La Cruz singled on a bloop to right in the bottom of the first, a ball that could have been caught with more hustle and a dive by Acuna.
JJ Bleday then drove a line drive into the right field corner that Acuna misplayed and De La Cruz scored from first to tie it, 1-1.
The Reds took a 2-1 lead in the third when De La Cruz dumped a single to right, stole second, continued to third on catcher Chadwick Tromp’s throwing error and scored on another Bleday double.
Spencer Steer beat an infield hit with one out in the fourth, extending his on-base streak to 19 games.
He came around to score when Acuna misplayed Will Benson’s double into the right field corner and it was 3-1.
Lodolo gave up a leadoff home run in the fifgth to Jose Mateo, Atlanta’s seventh and last home run of the series to pull within 3-2.
The Reds responded with a run in the bottom of the fifth on a pair of singles by De La CruZ and Sal Stewart and Eugenio Suarez’s sacrifive fly and it was 4-2.
The irrepressible Braves and their passanger train offense scored another run in the sixth on Austin Riley’s sacrifice fly to make it 4-3 and the Reds answered right back in the bottom of the sixth.
Steer’s walk was followed by a P.J. Higgis run-scoring double to right (no comment this time on the ball that sailed over Acuna’s head and crashed into the lower half of the wall and it was 6-3.
The sixth and final Reds run came off the bat of Eugenio Suarez, a home run to right-center in the seventh.
Lodolo provided the Reds a huge lift by pitching 6 2/3 innings (three runs, five hits) so that use of the bullpen was limited.
But then, as it usually is, it was drama time in the ninth inning with the Reds bullpen starring as guys who make everybody nervous.
Tony Santillan retired the first Brave, leading by three runs. But he walked pinch-hitter Dominic Smith on a full count.
Pinch-hitter Mike Yastrzemski singled. Santillan retired Sandy Leon for the second out.
That brough up the ever-dangerous Acuna, at least with a bat in his hand, and he singled for a run and it was 6-4 with two on.
That was enough for Santillan. Francona brought in Sam Moll and he promptly walked Michael Harris II to fill the bases.
Now it was the ultra-frightening visage of Matt Olson, Atlant’s Mr. Clutch, standing in the batter’s box. Moll retired him on the first pitch, a weak fly to left.
It was only Moll’s second major league save, first for the Reds.
After witnessing his team’s stand-off Sunday, his team answering Atlanta’s rallies with rallies of their own, Francona said, “They (the Braves) kept coming and kept coming.
“There is a reason their record is what it is,” he added. “They have a fabulous bullpen, they hit the ball out of the ballpark and they keep coming after you.”
The Braves leave town with two wins in the three games and the degree of difficulty dips way down Monday night when Kansas City comes to town.
The Royals have lost 16 of their last 19 games. It is doubtful that De La Cruz will be in the lineup, but based on what the Royals are doing, the Reds shouldn’t need him.