Nick Martini said he felt a jolt in the Reds' opening day crowd when he lined his second homer of the afternoon 405 feet into the right-field stands. The 33-year-old was in the lineup batting eighth as the designated hitter, the first opening-day start of his big league career. “I know it’s only one game, but it feels good in front of that many fans and the city,” said Martini, the first Reds player to hit two homers on opening day since Adam Dunn in 2007.
Rookie Elly De La Cruz had his first two-homer game and drove in four runs, Luke Maile had three RBIs and the Cincinnati Reds improved their slim playoff hopes with an 11-7 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday night. Cleveland played its second-to-last home game under manager Terry Francona, who called his impending retirement, “The worst-kept secret ever.” De La Cruz hit a solo shot in the fourth off Lucas Giolito and hammered a 467-foot rocket to right in the eighth against Xzavion Curry.
A surprise in 2023 following a 100-loss season, the Cincinnati Reds and their beleaguered bullpen were dealt a staggering blow by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates overcame a nine-run deficit for the first time in their 133-season history as Luis Rivas tied a career-high with five RBIs in a 13-12 victory on Saturday night. “There really not a whole lot to say," Reds manager David Bell explained.