De La Cruz delivers slam on bobblehead night

CINCINNATI —

The grand slam was an encouraging sign for De La Cruz, who was batting .153 this month and hadn’t homered since going deep twice March 31 against Texas.

“I’m feeling good,” De La Cruz said. “I’m feeling comfortable both sides of the plate. The results haven’t been there but that doesn’t matter. We just keep going.”

He was 6-for-39 coming into the game. His manager wasn’t concerned but recognized the importance of the grand slam.

“When you get to Elly, there’s always that chance,” manager Terry Francona said. “That was a game changer for us.”

At 23 years and 91 days old, De La Cruz became the youngest Reds player to hit a grand slam at Great American Ball Park. He’s just the sixth Reds player to hit two grand slams before the age of 24.

“He’s a difference maker,” said Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott, who earned the victory in his season debut. “Everyone in the room knows that.”

De La Cruz fell behind 1-2 to Heaney before working the count to 3-2. De La Cruz said he knew Heaney needed to throw a strike.

“3-2, trying to make a pitch, guy is a good hitter and he put a barrel on it,” Heaney said. “Probably went to the well one too many times there. Tried to be competitive there and got beat to the spot.”

Despite the early season slump, De La Cruz has been a run-producer for a Reds offense that began the month with three straight 1-0 losses. He’s just the ninth National League switch-hitter since 1920 to have 16 RBIs in his team’s first 15 games.

“He’s always one swing away,” Francona said. “As cold as guys get, they get just that hot. It’ll even out. I don’t worry about him too much. He’s a fun player to be around.”