De La Cruz Homers Twice as Reds Bludgeon Rays 12-6

The Cincinnati Reds showed up to Tropicana Field on Tuesday night with bats blazing and reminded everyone why you can’t take any team for granted in April, no matter how deep your pitching staff runs. They absolutely hammered the Tampa Bay Rays 12-6 in a game that was never truly competitive after the second inning, with Elly De La Cruz authoring one of those performances that makes you shake your head in wonder.

De La Cruz went absolutely nuclear. Two home runs, five RBIs, and three hits in six at-bats. The man was locked in from the moment he stepped in the box in the first inning, crushing a two-run shot to right center to set the tone immediately. Then he came back in the ninth for an exclamation point, a solo blast to left center that felt like punctuation on what was already a blowout. This is what elite talent looks like when it’s clicking, folks. De La Cruz is having the kind of season that makes you wonder how any pitcher is supposed to sleep at night knowing they have to face him.

Reds’ Offense Puts on a Clinic

Cincinnati’s lineup was relentless on Tuesday. Ke'Bryan Hayes and Dane Myers went back-to-back in the second inning, both connecting for solo shots. Spencer Steer added another solo job in the fifth. Matt McLain drove in a run with a double. Sal Stewart contributed a two-run single and a sacrifice fly. This wasn’t some lucky night where everything fell their way, this was methodical execution from top to bottom. The Reds scored in five different innings and never let the Rays get within striking distance.

Steven Matz simply could not get through his start for Tampa Bay. The man lasted just three innings, allowing four hits and four earned runs while walking four batters. That’s not acceptable from a veteran starter, period. Chase Burns, meanwhile, was efficient and dominant for Cincinnati, striking out eight over 5.2 innings while keeping the Rays’ lineup off-balance all night.

Rays’ Limp Effort Falls Short

For Tampa Bay, Jonathan Aranda provided the only real offensive highlight, a two-run homer that briefly made the score respectable in the middle innings. But that was about it. The Rays’ lineup looked overmatched, and their pitching staff simply couldn’t get anyone out when it mattered. By the time Rays relievers were allowing walks to pile up in the ninth inning, this game was already long decided.

There’s nothing worse in baseball than a blowout loss at home, especially when it’s this lopsided. The Reds came in and showed the Rays what professional hitting looks like. Cincinnati scored 12 runs on 10 hits, which tells you everything you need to know about their approach at the plate. They weren’t trying to homer every pitch, they were just executing and letting their talent take over.

This was a statement win for the Reds, and a troubling one for a Rays team that can’t afford to have nights like this. De La Cruz and company made sure everyone in the building knew exactly who was in control on Tuesday night.