<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/69c686c1a9070.image.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Hal McCoy<\/p>\n
Elly De La Cruz launched a 414-foot two-run home run in the top of the first inning and Tampa Bay executives could have told fans to vacate the premises, lock the Tropicana Field doors and sweep out the aisles and concourses.<\/p>\n
When the Cincinnati Reds score first, they don\u2019t lose and they didn\u2019t come close to losing Tuesday night, crushing the Tampa Bay Rays, 12-6.<\/p>\n
The Reds are 12-1 when they score first.<\/p>\n
It was their fifth straight win, sixth in seven games and their 10th win in their first 12 road games. And at 16-8, the Reds are eight games over .500 for the first time since August of 2023.<\/p>\n
The Reds scored four runs in the first two innings off soft-throwing Steven Matz, 3-0 when the game began en route to a five-homer night.<\/p>\n
And giving Reds\u2019 starter a 4-0 lead in two innings is like giving him the key to Fort Knox.<\/p>\n
Burns pitched five scoreless innings, extending his scoreless streak to 11 straight before the Rays reached him for two runs in the sixth when it was 9-0.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Burns baffled the Rays by constantly getting ahead with his 99 miles an hour fastballs and putting hitters away with his disappearing act slider.<\/p>\n
In the first five he gave up only two hits, two walks and struck out eight.<\/p>\n
Asked if was his best slider of the year, Burns said, \u201cYeah, fairly good, using it to get into the zone. The fastball was kinda wild, but the slider was a really good chase pitch tonight, worked out good for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Burns hadn\u2019t received much run support in previous starts and appreciated the avalanche.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is real easy to pitch with a lead,\u201d he told reporters. \u201cIt gives you a lot of confidence. At the same time, I have to go out there and do my job. These guys are amazing. They\u2019ll keep swinging like that we\u2019ll all play baseball together.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Reds didn\u2019t hit a home run during a three-game series in frigid Minnesota and hadn\u2019t homered in six games when they unloaded five Tuesday night en route to scoring a season-high 12 runs.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/69e81ab6acc3b.image.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Cincinnati Reds’ Sal Stewart drives in two runs with his sixth inning single during a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla.<\/p>\n
Jason Behnken – FR171457 AP<\/p>\n
And Reds manager Tito Francona continues to push the right buttons on the right night. He gave leadoff hitter TJ Friedl the night off and installed Dane Myers in his place.<\/p>\n
Myers was on base four times and scored four runs that included one of the team\u2019s five home runs.<\/p>\n
The homers?<\/p>\n
After Myers walked to open the game, De La Cruz, batting right-handed against the left-handed Matz, launched his seventh home run, six while batting right-handed.<\/p>\n
De La Cruz spent most of spring training asking Francona to let him face as many left-handed pitchers as possible and the results are evident.<\/p>\n
With two outs in the second, Ke\u2019Bryan Hayes shot a 363-foot line drive home run over the right field wall. Hayes broke a 0 for 33 skid Monday with an infield hit.<\/p>\n
Right after Hayes, Myers drilled his home run after teammate Eugenio Suarez had a pre-game message for him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were watching some pre-game film and Geno saw me hit some hard and deep line drives off the pitcher we faced tonight (Matz),\u201d said Myers. \u201cHe told me tonight would be the night I finally cleared the wall. I\u2019m glad I did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spencer Steer cracked a two-out home run in the fifth on a 97 miles an hour fastball and the Reds led, 5-0, with all five runs coming on home runs.<\/p>\n
Down 11-2 in the ninth, Rays manager Kevin Cash used infielder Ben Williamson to finish the game and De La Cruz mangled another home run, a 406-footer, this one batting left-handed.<\/p>\n
They changed their approach when they scored four in the sixth. No homers. They came on a run-scoring single by Matt McLain, a fielder\u2019s choice on which Hayes scored on a nifty fadeaway evasive slide and a two-run single by Sal Stewart.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/69e82d550f03e.image.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Cincinnati Reds’ Elly de la Cruz rounds the bases after his home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla.<\/p>\n
Jason Behnken – FR171457 AP<\/p>\n
Of his Euro-step slide, Myers told reporters, \u201cI knew the catcher was going to have the ball pretty early and I saw him up the line a little bit.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I was pretty much a dead fish in water so I just put one of my best moves on him and I\u2019m glad it worked out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Francona described the slide as, \u201cVery athletic. Other guys could try to do that and most probably would get hurt. That was very athletic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two more runs arrived in the seventh on a hit batsman, a walk to Myers, a single by McLain to fill the bases, a run-scoring single by De La Cruz and a sacrifice fly by Stewart.<\/p>\n
In addition to Myers scoring four runs, De La Cruz had three hit and drove in two, McLain produced a pair of hits with a run and qn RBI.<\/p>\n
Sixth career multi-homer game for Elly, he
\nsurpasses Pete Rose for most by a switch hitter in franchise
\nhistory \u26a1\ufe0f@ellylacocoa18<\/a>
\npic.twitter.com\/3wFKrKklhk<\/a><\/p>\n