Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell still believes he has a playoff team.
“We’re not where we want to be yet,” Bell said on Monday, “but we have a lot going for us.”
The Reds, who are set to face the host Miami Marlins on Tuesday night in the second game of a four-game series, do indeed have some things going for them.
One of them is 6-foot-5, switch-hitting superstar shortstop Elly De La Cruz, who keyed Cincinnati’s 10-3 win over Miami on Monday.
De La Cruz had a career-high 12 total bases on Monday, as he homered twice and doubled twice. He finished 4-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs.
“I typically don’t give guys too much credit from the other side,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said when asked about De La Cruz, “but Elly had some incredible at-bats (Monday).
“He can put up some crazy numbers because his power/speed combo is super rare. He is a talented and special player in the league.”
So far this season, De La Cruz has 24 doubles, seven triples, 20 homers, 48 RBIs and a major-league-high 57 steals.
With De La Cruz on his side, it’s no wonder why Bell likes the Reds’ chances even though they are 6 1/2 games out of the last National League playoff position.
“The goal is still the postseason,” Bell said. “We have to focus on our strength as a team. We continue to believe that we are going to achieve our goal.”
Meanwhile, Miami has the third-worst record in the major leagues.
Known for their good young pitching when they surprisingly made the playoffs last year, the Marlins have struggled on the mound in 2024. In fact, they haven’t had a quality start since June 27.
Most of that is due to season-ending injuries to star pitchers such as Sandy Alcantara, Eury Perez and Jesus Luzardo.
In addition, the Marlins traded away dominant closer Tanner Scott and other relievers prior to the July 30 deadline.
Behind the plate, the Marlins have another issue, as catcher Nick Fortes left Monday’s game due to what Schumaker called “a quad issue.”
Bright spots for the Marlins include right fielder Jesus Sanchez and rookie shortstop Xavier Edwards.
Sanchez drilled a 480-foot homer on Monday, the longest blast in the majors this season.
“Sanchez has that power,” Schumaker said. “He has the ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark to all sides of the stadium, line to line. He’s got real raw power. I think he’s got some of the best power in the game, so it’s good to see.”
Edwards, through 115 at-bats, is batting .383 with a .926 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. After going 2-for-5 in the series opener, he has reached base in 22 consecutive games.
The Tuesday pitching matchup features a pair of former first-round draft picks: Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo (8-4, 3.99 ERA) and Miami right-hander Max Meyer (2-1, 3.81).
Lodolo, 26, was the seventh overall pick in the 2019 draft, taken by the Reds out of TCU. In 43 games in the majors (all starts), he is 14-12 with a 4.18 ERA. Lodolo is 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA in two career starts against the Marlins, but he has never pitched in Miami.
Meyer, 25, was the third overall pick in the 2020 draft, taken by the Marlins out of Minnesota. In seven games in the majors (all starts), he is 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA. Meyer has never faced the Reds.
–Field Level Media
