De La Cruz finished with two home runs and five RBIs, including a two-run shot in the first inning to get the Reds on the board early. He added an RBI single in the seventh and another homer in the ninth to cap off his night.
Cincinnati didn’t let up, hitting four home runs in total. Ke’Bryan Hayes and Dane Myers went back-to-back in the second inning, while Spencer Steer added a solo shot in the fifth.
The Reds broke things open in the sixth, scoring four runs. Matt McLain drove in a run with a double, and Sal Stewart added a two-run single as part of the rally.
On the mound, Chase Burns went 5.2 innings, allowing two runs while striking out eight to earn the win.
Tampa Bay tried to rally late, scoring four runs in the ninth, but the Reds had already built a comfortable lead.
Cincinnati finished with 12 runs on 10 hits and will look to keep the momentum going in game two of the series.
The final game of the series between these two teams takes place Wednesday afternoon for a businessman's special. Pregame show will start at 12:40 PM and first pitch is scheduled for 1:10 PM right here on WMDJ FM 100.1.
