St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds

Elly De La Cruz doesn't like getting days off from Reds manager Terry Francona and the superstar shortstop feels barely better about being used as a designated hitter. But in Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader vs. the Cardinals — a 2-1 Reds loss — De La Cruz went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts and prolonged his two-week slump. Francona made him the DH for Game 2, and this time he didn't get any resistance from De La Cruz. “I think he knew he was going to lose that one anyway," Francona said. De La Cruz delivered the biggest hit of the game with an RBI double in the bottom of the 10th inning for a 6-5 Reds win to get a split. It was the first walk-off of the two-time All-Star's career, which began in 2023. “It’s been a couple of tough days, but we’ve got to stay through it," De La Cruz said. "I didn’t say nothing when he told me to DH. I’ve got to believe that anything he does, it’s good. He’s the one who knows.” De La Cruz entered the day 7-for-51 (.137) with 14 strikeouts in the previous 14 games heading into Monday. “He’s a great player. He’s been going through a tough time. Hitters do that," Francona said. The Reds trailed, 4-1, in the top of the sixth inning before scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth. With two outs, rookie Héctor Rodríguez notched his first career RBIs when he hit a game-tying, two-run single to center field.