De La Cruz and Burns power the Reds to a 7-2 victory over the Rockies
CINCINNATI (AP) — Elly De La Cruz homered and drove in four runs and Chase Burns reached 100 strikeouts faster than any other Cincinnati pitcher as the Reds beat the Colorado Rockies 7-2 on Tuesday night. De La Cruz sandwiched a pair of RBI singles around a two-run homer by Spencer Steer — his fifth — for a 4-1 lead in the third inning. De La Cruz then hit his team-leading 10th homer in the eighth after a base hit by Dane Myers, giving the Reds a 6-2 lead.
He finished 3 for 4 with two steals. Burns (3-1) issued a game-opening walk to Edouard Julien and then struck out the side. He struck out TJ Rumfield swinging for the third out and his 100th strikeout in 72 1/3 innings.
Burns matched his season high with nine strikeouts, allowing two runs on seven hits and a walk in six innings. He threw 97 pitches and left after striking out Kyle Karros with one out and runners on second and third and retiring Ezequiel Tovar on a flyout. Relievers Graham Ashcraft, Tony Santillan and Brock Burke closed it out the win for Cincinnati.
Kyle Freeland (1-2) came off the injured list and walked Myers to begin his first start since April 7th. Myers scored on De La Cruz's single before Steer homered for a 3-0 lead. The Reds are 13-1 when scoring first.
Freeland allowed four runs on five hits in five innings. Tanner Gordorn gave up three runs in three innings. Burns allowed a leadoff single to Tyler Freeman in the second, but De La Cruz robbed Karros of a one-out base hit to help keep it 3-0.