ST. PETERSBURG, FL – When Sal Stewart’s pulling off Elly De La Cruz-style feats, and De La Cruz is making defensive plays he considers among his best, something must be going right for the Cincinnati Reds these days
“Every game looks a little different, but we always find a way,” Reds pitcher Rhett Lowder said of the team’s 15-8 start that has them on a four-game winning streak and in first place.
Take your pick of any number of big plays in the series-opening win against the Rays on Monday night as the highlight. But not even Stewart’s impersonation of De La Cruz on a two-out double, steal of third and sprint home on a wild pitch could upstage what De La Cruz did in the the third inning of a 6-1 win.
Rays third baseman Junior Caminero, a close friend of De La Cruz, drove a 113-mph grounder toward left field that looked hard enough that it might even split the gap – until De La Cruz somehow snared it at full extension, in the final split second of a dive toward the hole.
Then he leaped in one motion and threw a strike to first base that rivaled the velocity of the hit, getting the out by a half step.
Of all the highlight-reel plays, “That was one of the best ones,” De La Cruz said. “So far.”
The throw might have been as good as the diving snare.
“Woof!” Stewart said. “What a play! "I sat there and was like, 'Damn, there's no way.' It was an incredible play. Another one of his many things that he does where he leaves all of us in awe."
De La Cruz, who was told to turn down an invitation to play for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic this spring because of his ongoing rehab from last year’s quad injury, spent time pregame chatting with Caminero about his pal’s experience playing in the tournament.
A few hours later, Caminero was gesturing toward a smiling De La Cruz after the play, miming eating food and then waving it off.
“I'm not going to give him any food tomorrow. We were talking about exchanging something, but I'm not going to give him anything,” Caminero told Rays writers after the game.
“Hey, you’ve got to do it,” De La Cruz said of robbing his buddy of a hit.
Caminero: “Elly is my brother, and that's just the game.”
This is the kind of start to the season it’s been for the Reds, who just keep winning, particularly on the road, where they improved to 9-2.
De La Cruz agreed that the win against the Rays was a sign of the way the club can look when the hitting catches up to the pitching and defense that has paced their success so far.
“And we can do more than that,” he said. “We’re not always going to hit, but when we’re (right) we can do a lot of things.”
As good as the vibe in the clubhouse was last year during manager Tito Francona’s first season and a playoff run, it’s not the same this time around.
“It’s a different feel,” De La Cruz said. “We’re a playoff team.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: ‘Woof!’ Check out what Elly De La Cruz did this time as Reds win again