The Cincinnati Reds posted their lineup Wednesday for the second game of a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves, sliding shortstop Elly De La Cruz into the No. 2 spot after a 4-0 shutout the night before.
Juan Brito is listed first in right field. De La Cruz follows at shortstop. Sal Stewart is batting third at first base, Dane Myers fourth in center, Eugenio Suárez fifth as the designated hitter, Matt McLain sixth at second, Oswaldo Cabrera seventh in left, Will Banfield eighth at catcher and Ke’Bryan Hayes ninth at third. Andrew Abbott is the scheduled starter.
The Reds took the series opener Tuesday at Truist Park. De La Cruz went 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBI, two walks and a stolen base. The homer was his 29th of the season. The steal was his 29th.
He is one homer and one steal from joining Eric Davis (1987), Barry Larkin (1996) and Brandon Phillips (2007) as the only Reds players to reach 30 homers and 30 steals in the same year.
De La Cruz is hitting .288 with 29 doubles, five triples, 76 RBI and 97 runs in 138 games. His on-base percentage is .370 and his slugging percentage is .521. In September he is 28-for-69 with eight homers.
The Reds sit at 73-84 and last in the National League Central, 25 games behind Milwaukee. They are out of the playoff race. They can still affect seeding for teams that have already clinched.
Atlanta is 92-65 after clinching the NL East for the seventh time in nine seasons. The Braves are expected to host a wild-card series next week. Left-hander Chris Sale (14-9, 2.18 ERA) is scheduled to start Wednesday against Abbott (6-11, 4.70). First pitch is 7:15 p.m. ET.
Sale has 190 strikeouts in 157 innings. Abbott has 125 strikeouts in 159 innings.
Ronald Acuña Jr. left Tuesday’s game after fouling a pitch off his left shin. X-rays were negative and he was listed as day-to-day.
Brandon Williamson threw six scoreless innings Tuesday for the win. He allowed three hits, no walks and two strikeouts. Relievers Brock Burke, Tejay Antone and Emilio Pagán each worked a scoreless inning.
Myers and Suárez also homered Tuesday. Suárez’s blast was the 350th of his career.
Cincinnati has five games left after Wednesday: one more in Atlanta and three in Toronto. De La Cruz’s September line includes a .406 average and 1.320 OPS over 19 games heading into the night.
The switch-hitter has 29 stolen bases and has been one of the few consistent producers in a Reds lineup that ranks last in the majors in batting average and on-base percentage.
Abbott will try to keep the Braves’ lineup in check after Williamson’s unexpected gem. Sale will make his final regular-season start before the postseason.
The Reds announced the batting order through the usual pregame channels. De La Cruz remains in his customary shortstop role and now hits immediately behind the leadoff man.
