Elly De La Cruz got his first walk-off hit with a 10th-inning RBI double to help the Cincinnati Reds come from behind and beat the visiting St. Louis Cardinals 6-5 on Monday to split a day-night doubleheader.
De La Cruz finished 2-for-4. He led off the frame and hit a hard ground ball on a 3-2 sweeper from Justin Bruihl (0-1) into left field that allowed automatic runner Tyler Stephenson to score from second. After going 0-for-4 in the opener, De La Cruz entered the nightcap 5-for-44 (.114) in his last 12 games.
Dane Myers, who homered in Monday’s first game for the Reds, tied the game on a pinch-hit blast off reliever Peter Strzelecki with two outs in the ninth. Strzelecki was in his third inning of relief.
Cincinnati’s Emilio Pagan (5-1) worked around a walk in the 10th and struck out a pair to set up the De La Cruz heroics.
JJ Bleday (3-for-4) had his fourth three-hit game this season and first since May 26 for the Reds. Eugenio Suarez (3-for-3) enjoyed his first three-hit game since April 15, drove in a run and scored another.
Ivan Herrera hit a home run for the Cardinals. Jordan Walker went 3-for-5 and scored twice as the St. Louis All-Star finished 5-for-9 in the twin bill.
After being held to just a run and three hits in the opener, the Reds matched that with their first four batters in the nightcap, with Suarez bringing De La Cruz home on a line-drive sacrifice fly to center field.
However, the Cardinals scored twice in both the fourth and sixth innings off Reds starter Rhett Lowder to take a three-run lead. Herrera led off the fourth with his 14th homer to tie the game, and a two-out base hit by Masyn Wynn put the Cardinals ahead. Two innings later, a Nathan Church single to left-center with one out scored Walker, who started the inning with a double. Blaze Jordan’s two-out hit plated Church.
Cincinnati scored three times in the sixth off St. Louis starter Andre Pallante to tie the game thanks to hits from Michael Toglia (double) and Hector Rodriguez (two-run single).
St. Louis reclaimed the lead 5-4 on a two-out single from Bryan Torres in the eighth off Brock Burke.
