The arrival of Elly De La Cruz gave fans in Cincinnati a reason to look to the future with hope.
Then the Reds looked like they were competitors – and they are now.
It helps that they play in NL Central where everyone is just a great week away from battling for the top spot. And after eight straight wins, the Reds are just half a game behind first-place finisher Milwaukee. Cincinnati ended the week with a three-game win away to defending champion Houston. The Reds haven’t had such a long winning streak since 2012.
Cincinnati is 10-2 since De La Cruz Big league debut 6th of June. The 21-year-old shortstop already has six stolen bases at his .273 average. Jonathan India, the 2021 National League Rookie of the Year, has hit double digits in both home runs and steals, giving the Reds an exciting young infield tandem.
While mediocrity in the NL Central – where the top four teams are separated by just four games – is one reason the Reds are at the top, they are also just two games behind the NL’s third wildcard. Cincinnati is one of four NL teams currently on a six-game or more winning streak, along with Atlanta, San Francisco and Philadelphia.
Pittsburgh has lost six straight games, but in the NL Central, the Pirates are just 2 1/2 games clear of first place.
UNFORGETTABLE DEBUTS
Saturday was quite a day for major league debuts. Samad Taylor from Kansas City scores a walk-off single, giving the Royals a 10-9 win over the Los Angeles Angels. Zach Remillard came on midgame for the White Sox, and the 29-year-old infielder delivered a single to level in the ninth inning before giving Chicago a one-hit lead in the 11th inning. The White Sox defeated Seattle 4-3.
The day before Emmett Sheehan of the Dodgers made his debut and threw six innings without a hit before leaving the game against San Francisco. He had been drafted directly from Double-A.
TRIVIA TIME
Taylor’s strike ended a 10-game losing streak for the Royals. Kansas City (19-52) and Oakland (19-55) are both on course to challenge the Mets’ modern record of 120 losses, set in 1962.
However, the Mets do not hold the modern record for lowest single-season win ratio. who makes
COMEBACK OF THE WEEK
The Royals had to put in a lot of work to position Taylor for his big moment. They trailed 8-2 before scoring three runs each in seventh and eighth runs. Bobby Witt Jr. hit a two-run double in the seventh inning and a two-run single in the following inning. After the Angels took a 9-8 lead in the ninth game, Maikel Garcia equalized with a single for Kansas City and then scored the deciding goal from Taylor.
According to Baseball Savant, Kansas City had a 1.2% chance of winning in the seventh inning.
LINE OF THE WEEK
Lance Lynn 16 deleted on Sunday — three more than any other pitcher in a game this season — even though his White Sox lost 5-1 to Seattle. Lynn set a franchise record for strikeouts.
TRIVIA ANSWER
Athletics already has that record. In 1916, the Philadelphia A’s had a 36-117 record for a .235 win ratio. The 1962 Mets finished .250, and this year’s A’s (.257) and Royals (.268) are further ahead.
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