Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz achieved his league-leading 30th stolen base on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He leads the league by 13 stolen bases, with Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Jose Caballero in second place. In the Reds’ 7-2 win over the Dodgers, De La Cruz went 4-for-4, including a double and an RBI. He has consistently excelled against the Dodgers, boasting a .483 batting average, two home runs, and five stolen bases in seven career games against them.
De La Cruz is on track to steal 110 bases in 2024. If he maintains this pace, it would rank as the ninth-highest single-season total in Major League Baseball history, and the most since Rickey Henderson’s 130 stolen bases in 1982. The all-time record is held by Hugh Nicol, who stole 138 bases in 1887.
Since making his MLB debut with the Cincinnati Reds in June 2023, De La Cruz has established himself as one of the league’s most captivating players. De La Cruz finished ninth in the league with 35 stolen bases in 2023 despite only playing 98 games.
With nine home runs and 22 RBI this season, his batting average is.277. His 17th-place OPS of.894 in the league.
Cincinnati Reds Season Summary
The season has been disappointing so far for the Reds (19-25), as they are just half a game behind the St. Louis Cardinals for last place in the National League Central. After a decent start, the Reds have struggled significantly in May, posting a 3-12 record in their last 15 games. Offensively, they rank third-worst in batting average, sixth in strikeouts, and fourth-fewest in hits.
Aside from De La Cruz, left fielder Spencer Steer is a key contributor to the Reds’ offense, leading the team with 29 RBIs.
Cincinnati’s pitching staff has performed better than their offense. They rank 14th in ERA, ninth in strikeouts, and 12th in opposing batting average. Leading the pitching staff are Graham Ashcraft and Andrew Abbott. Ashcraft has a 3-2 record with a 4.12 ERA, while Abbott is 2-4 with a 3.06 ERA.
Cincinnati Reds Upcoming Schedule
This evening in Los Angeles, the Cincinnati Reds and Dodgers will resume their four-game series. After this series, the Reds will return home to play the San Diego Padres in a three-game series that starts on Tuesday. As the Reds attempt to turn things around this season, De La Cruz will try to maintain his incredible stolen base rate.