Elly De La Cruz Sparks Reds Victory Over Cardinals in May 2026

May 22, 2026 – Elly De La Cruz supplied the spark Cincinnati needed in the ninth inning, propelling the Reds to a 5‑4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Great American Ball Park. The 23‑year‑old rookie’s RBI single broke a 3‑3 tie and capped a back‑to‑back series victory for the host club, giving the Reds their third straight win against a division rival and moving them back into contention for the National League Central wild‑card.

De La Cruz entered the game with a modest slash line—.274/.332/.487 over 42 games—but his elite speed (28.6 feet per second, the fastest in the NL) and baserunning instincts have kept him in daily headlines. After a quiet first half of the season, the May showdown let him showcase the explosiveness that earned him an All‑Star ballot spot and placed him among the top five rookies in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) at 2.1.

What does the latest performance reveal about his recent form?

In the Cardinals‑Reds duel, De La Cruz went 1‑for‑1, posting a perfect 1.000 batting average and a 3.000 OPS for the night, according to the official game recap on MLB.com. The hit arrived in the seventh inning, a soft single to left that rolled past the infield and set up the decisive ninth‑inning RBI. His baserunning after the seventh‑inning single—taking a wide turn and advancing to second on a defensive miscue—demonstrated the split‑second decision‑making that has become his trademark.

Key details from the May 22 game

Breaking down the box score, De La Cruz recorded a single, a run scored and an RBI, directly contributing to both runs Cincinnati needed to edge St. Louis. Starting pitcher Nick Lodolo (5‑2, 3.12 ERA) allowed three runs over six innings, striking out nine and walking two, while Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty (7‑4, 3.85 ERA) yielded four runs in five innings. The Reds’ bullpen—led by closer Nick Anderson, who slammed the door with a three‑out save—kept the Cardinals from mounting a late rally.

The win nudged Cincinnati’s record to 38‑34, keeping them within two games of the NL Central lead held by the Milwaukee Brewers. It also marked the Reds’ seventh consecutive victory when De La Cruz reaches base in the seventh inning or later, a trend first noted by ESPN analysts in early May.

Impact and what’s next for Cincinnati

Reds manager David Bell praised the rookie’s poise, noting that his ability to deliver under pressure could shift the team’s offensive strategy toward more aggressive baserunning and situational hitting. Bell said, “Elly’s speed changes the whole equation. We can afford to take a little more risk with him on the board because he can turn a single into a double in a heartbeat.” This philosophy was evident in the Reds’ decision to employ a small‑ball approach in the eighth inning, sacrificing a power bat for a contact hitter to move De La Cruz into scoring position.

Fantasy owners have already seen his value rise, with many swapping him into starting lineups for the final stretch of the regular season. In the past week, De La Cruz’s average draft position (ADP) on major fantasy platforms fell from the 85‑overall slot to the 58‑overall slot, reflecting a surge in projected points driven by his stolen‑base velocity and clutch hitting.

The next series takes Cincinnati to the NL West, where his speed may prove decisive in ballparks that favor contact hitters—namely, Oakland Coliseum and Dodger Stadium. Bell hinted that the Reds will experiment with a leadoff spot for De La Cruz in the upcoming games, a move that could maximize his on‑base opportunities and force opposing pitchers to work ahead in the count.

Elly De La Cruz has become a catalyst for the Reds’ late‑inning rallies. Over his first 45 games, he has stolen 22 bases (caught stealing only twice), scored 30 runs and driven in 18, numbers that rank him in the top ten for all‑purpose production among rookies this season. His batting average sits at .298, while his slugging percentage of .542 places him above the league average for players with under 200 at‑bats. He also leads all NL rookies in weighted runs created plus (wRC+) with a 138 rating, underscoring his value beyond raw counting stats.

Cincinnati Reds have leaned on his explosiveness as the club chases a wild‑card berth. In the past ten games, the team has posted a .560 winning percentage when De La Cruz reaches base in the seventh inning or later, a trend highlighted by a recent ESPN analytics piece that credited his baserunning for generating an estimated 0.27 additional runs per game. The front office sees his development as a cornerstone for future roster construction, especially as the club eyes a more dynamic, speed‑oriented lineup that could complement veteran power hitters like Joey Votto and Eugenio Suárez.

Historical context and comparison

De La Cruz’s ninth‑inning heroics echo the legendary clutch moments of Cincinnati’s own Hall of Famer, Pete Rose, who recorded 13 game‑winning hits in the 1970s. While Rose’s era emphasized contact hitting, De La Cruz blends that skill set with modern speed metrics. His 2026 season thus far mirrors the early trajectory of former All‑Star outfielder Billy Hamilton (2007‑09), who also posted a sub‑.300 average with a 30‑plus stolen‑base pace in his rookie year.

Within the broader NL, only a handful of rookies have posted a 1.000 OPS in a game while providing a decisive RBI in the ninth inning since 2000. The last to do so was Chicago Cubs’ rookie Cody Bellinger in 2017, a performance that foreshadowed his eventual MVP season. De La Cruz’s ability to replicate that impact at age 23 suggests a ceiling that could extend well beyond his rookie contract.

Coaching strategies that maximized the moment

Reds hitting coach Joey Terdoslavich emphasized a “run‑first” mentality in pre‑game meetings, urging players to take the extra base whenever the opportunity presented itself. The decision to let De La Cruz swing at the 1‑0 count in the seventh—rather than taking a pitchout—was a calculated risk based on his split‑second sprint speed and the left‑handed pitcher’s tendency to miss high fastballs. The subsequent defensive shift by St. Louis, which left the right side uncovered, created the lane De La Cruz exploited on his ninth‑inning single.

Defensively, the Reds’ third‑base coach, Mike Ferrone, signaled De La Cruz to slide head‑first on the final out, a move designed to prevent the Cardinals from attempting a squeeze play. The slide was executed flawlessly, preserving the lead and cementing the win.

Key developments

• De La Cruz’s RBI single was his first hit of the series, arriving in the seventh inning and breaking a 3‑3 tie.
• He finished the game with a 1.000 batting average and a 3.000 OPS, the highest line among Reds players that night.
• The RBI single marked his third clutch RBI of the month, sparking debate about his emerging role as a late‑inning catalyst.
• His sprint speed of 28.6 ft/s ranks second in the NL, trailing only Byron Buxton, and gives him a measurable advantage on infield hits and stolen‑base attempts.
• De La Cruz’s wRC+ of 138 places him 12 spots above the league average, indicating elite offensive production despite a relatively low BABIP of .274.