CLEVELAND — It’s already been a season filled with incredible comebacks and improbable rallies. But the Reds showed Tuesday night that if they have a speck of magic dust at their disposal, they will find a way to make it work.
Cincinnati did so while fighting back from two deficits and boosted by five home runs to earn a wild 11-7 win over the Guardians at Progressive Field. It was the Reds’ 48th win, moving them to the top of the Major League while keeping their hopes of a National League Wild Card spot alive.
Cleveland led 3-0 through two innings and 7-5 through four innings against starting pitcher Hunter Greene, who exited in the fourth inning, but Cincinnati’s offense bailed on them in a must-win game.
“It doesn’t matter if the game is close or if we have to come back strong, that’s why I love this team. We’ll never give up,” Reds shortstop Eli de la Cruz said through translator Jorge Merlos. That’s why this team clicks as well as it does.”
De La Cruz enjoyed his first career multi-homer game, with a solo shot to center field in the fourth inning. The exclamation point on his two-run home run to right-center field came in the ninth that traveled 467 feet higher than expected on Statcast with an exit velocity of 119.2 mph. They were the farthest and hardest-hitting balls of his short big-league career.
“That was sick,” Christian Encarnacion Strand said with a laugh.
Earlier today, the Reds revealed that centerfielder Matt McClain (right oblique strain) would not return for the regular season. Had McLean returned, it might have come at the expense of De La Cruz, who entered the game batting .157 (16-for-102) with three RBIs and 39 hits in 28 games since his last game on August 23.
“It’s been a tough time, but that doesn’t mean we won’t continue to go there with a positive attitude,” De La Cruz said. “No matter what happens, you have to finish strong. That’s the mentality you have to bring every time you go out on the field.
In Green’s previous start against the Twins on Wednesday, he pitched one of the best starts of his career, as he had 14 strikeouts over seven innings. On Tuesday, it quickly became clear that he had no other gem at his disposal.
Green gave up three homers while throwing 70 pitches over three innings. Bo Naylor’s three-run homer in the second inning put Cincinnati ahead 3-0. After taking a 4-3 lead in the top of the third inning, Green gave it up, as Cole Calhoun and Andres Jimenez hit back-to-back homers in the bottom of the third.
A struggling Reds team, which has struggled mightily of late, came together to calm Cleveland’s bats. Sam Moll followed Greene with two scoreless innings and Fernando Cruz also pitched a pair of perfect innings.
Lucas Simms pitched a perfect eighth inning and Alexis Diaz handled the ninth inning. Combined, the bullpen allowed one hit in six scoreless innings.
“Tonight was not like that [Greene’s] “Best night,” Reds coach David Bell said. “It’s a team game. He picked us up a lot. Our offense was definitely able to pick it up early. I thought the backfield innings were really important. Our bullpen stepped in, starting with Sam Moll. It was “Outstanding. Everyone who threw the ball was able to stop the scoring.”
The first answer came from Luke Miley. He led off the top of the third inning with a homer to left field against Lucas Giolito. Miley’s two-run single to left field in the fifth — with De La Cruz sliding first across the plate — put the Reds ahead for good.
“The way we played our offense tonight it felt free. It felt like we were on offense, and I think we need that right now,” said Miley, who had a career-high with three hits. “We’re playing with nothing to lose. That’s what got us here, and that’s what will keep us going.”
The power kept coming. Encarnacion Strand came back for its third straight game (and sixth in the past eight) with a two-run shot in the third inning. TJ Friedel added a leadoff homer to right field in the sixth inning, giving him a career-best four-game winning streak with a long ball.
“Every match means a lot,” Encarnacion-Strand said. “It means a lot to come away with a win.”
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