De La Cruz hit sixth or seventh during the entirety of the Reds’ three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals. De La Cruz seemed to adjust well and reached base five times across the first two games of the series.
“I value consistency so much, and I think sometimes that can run into stubbornness,” Francona said. “I believe in Elly so much and I don’t want people pointing fingers. We are going to do things as a ball club - good things - and when they don’t go so well, this can take a little bit of the glare off of him.”
It’s been a challenging second half of the season for the All-Star shortstop, who has one home run since the start of July. There have been different reasons for his lack of power over that stretch, and recently he has relied on a two-strike approach instead of looking more eagerly to do damage.
“We’ve got to build the confidence again,” De La Cruz said. “We’re going to get there.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
He has been battling a quad injury for most of the summer. De La Cruz says that he’s feeling better, but his injury could have an impact on his ability to drive the baseball.
There’s also the “glare” that Francona brought up. There’s a big spotlight on De La Cruz, the face of the team, to deliver in big moments.
“I think he’s feeling it,” Francona said. “His responsibility to our club is huge, especially for a kid so young. It’s human nature where you don’t want to let your teammates down.”
De La Cruz said that he understood the move.
“There is no pressure,” De La Cruz said. “I’m not doing really good right now and (Francona) is doing whatever is best for the team.”
With De La Cruz hitting lower in the lineup, Will Benson and Sal Stewart have been elevated into bigger roles. While they’ve been swinging the bat well, the Reds as a whole haven’t hit for enough power during the final two months of the season.
The Reds are one of three teams in MLB without a 20 home run hitter.
“The home runs are what they are,” first baseman Spencer Steer said. “It’s not like we’re trying to kick the ball around the yard. Homers come from a good approach. We’re all trying to hit line drives in the gap. Those turn into home runs. It’s not from a lack of effort. Homers happen when they happen. I don’t think that as an offense, your whole approach is let’s see how many homers we can hit. I don’t think that works. The home runs show up when they show up.”
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