CINCINNATI (AP) — Elly De La Cruz hit his first two homers of the season, a massive 450-foot solo drive and a sinking liner that turned into his first career inside-the-park drive, and the Cincinnati Reds held off the Milwaukee Brewers 10-8 on Monday night.
De La Cruz had three hits and scored four times. Will Benson also homered for the Reds, and Spencer Steer had two RBIs.
The Reds led 8-0 after four innings and 9-3 after five. And the Brewers nearly rallied for an improbable win.
Milwaukee’s Brice Turang hit a two-run homer in the fifth and a two-run double in the sixth. Christian Yelich’s two-run shot in the seventh — his fourth homer of the season — got the Brewers within one.
Trailing 10-8 in the ninth, Milwaukee had runners on the corners with two out. But Alexis Díaz earned his second save when he retired Rhys Hoskins on a fly ball to right.
Milwaukee third baseman Joey Ortiz committed two of the team’s three errors, and Cincinnati scored four unearned runs.
De La Cruz gave Cincinnati a 9-3 lead when he led off the fifth with a drive off the batter’s eye in center.
With one out in the bottom of the seventh, the speedy shortstop hit a line r that skipped past a diving Sal Frelick in center and rolled to the wall. He raced around the bases to complete the first inside-the-park homer for Cincinnati since TJ Friedl on Sept. 23, 2023.
Benson’s second homer of the season lifted Cincinnati to a 2-0 lead in the second. It was his first career homer off a left-hander.
Benson added an RBI double in the fourth and scored on Steer’s double, helping the Reds build an 8-0 advantage.
Aaron Ashby (0-1) was charged with eight runs, four earned, and six hits in 3 2/3 innings in his first start of the year for the Brewers. The left-hander missed last season following shoulder surgery.
Cincinnati starter Graham Ashcraft (1-1) shut out Milwaukee in the first four innings, and then faltered. He permitted six runs, five earned, and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Stuart Fairchild gave the Reds a lift when he robbed Willy Adames of a solo homer with a leaping grab in right in the sixth. Fairchild also walked twice and scored a run.
TRAINERS ROOM
Brewers: RHP Trevor Megill (concussion) played catch for the first time since suffering a concussion during a fainting spell on March 30.
Reds: LHP Nick Lodolo (left calf) will make his season debut on Saturday against the White Sox. … INF Jonathan India (left leg contusion) was scratched from the lineup after being struck by a batted ball during BP. X-rays were negative.
UP NEXT
Frankie Montas (2-0, 0.77 ERA) pitches on Tuesday for Cincinnati. Joe Ross (0-0, 0.00) is making his second start for Milwaukee.
