With playoff chances sliding, De La Cruz moved to 7th in Reds' order

ST. LOUIS -- Throughout this season of inconsistent offense, but especially lately, the Reds have sorely missed power and production from Elly De La Cruz. Manager Terry Francona has resisted giving the Reds’ All-Star shortstop a day off. But Francona tried something on Monday, seeking to spark his club amid its fading playoff hopes.

For the opener of a critical series vs. the Cardinals, De La Cruz was moved out of his usual third spot in the order for the first time this season to seventh. He last batted there as a rookie in 2023, when he did so six times.

“I value consistency so much. Sometimes, I think that can turn into stubbornness," Francona said before the Reds took an 11-6 win at Busch Stadium. "I believe in Elly so much, and I don’t want people pointing fingers at him. Because we’re going to do things as a ballclub -- good things and when they don’t go so well. But I do think this can take a little bit of the glare off of him.”

De La Cruz was 1-for-3 with two walks and a blooped double near the left-field foul line during Cincinnati's four-run top of the ninth inning. The walks came in the seventh and eighth innings during rallies, which was a good sign he is seeing pitches well.

“We’ve got to build the confidence again. We’re going to get there," said De La Cruz, who scored in the seventh inning.

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With Cardinals lefty Matthew Liberatore starting, Francona also saw the lineup change as a way to move designated hitter Miguel Andujar -- a right-handed hitter who’s been more productive as of late -- into the third spot.

“There is no pressure. I’m not doing really good right now and [Francona] is doing whatever is best for the team," De La Cruz said after the game.

The Reds came to St. Louis after being swept in three games by the A's on the West Coast. They are two games behind the Mets for the third National League Wild Card spot -- with the Diamondbacks and Giants both tied with Cincinnati in the loss column.

De La Cruz is batting .263 with a .768 OPS while playing in all 150 games, leading the team with 19 home runs, 82 RBIs and 35 stolen bases. But the switch-hitter has not hit a homer since July 31, and has only one homer in 71 games since June 24.

In 40 games since Aug. 1, De La Cruz is batting .208 with a .551 OPS. He's been getting more off-speed pitches this season than in past years, which he has had trouble adjusting to.

"Lately, it’s almost like he’s been swinging with two strikes right from the get-go. He’s just in between," Francona said. "He’s just kind of got himself in a bind. I know there’s not a ton of time left, [but] he’s a big part of what we do. I’d rather spend time thinking about how we get him going than sitting him or resting him. He’ll rest here pretty soon.”

In a sign of how challenged the Reds have been offensively, two hitters who opened the season in the top third of the order -- Matt McLain and De La Cruz -- are now in the bottom third. McLain, who has endured a season-long slump, has batted ninth for much of the second half.

Is De La Cruz fatigued down the stretch?

"I feel really good," he replied.

Although De La Cruz has shown decreased bat speed from the start of the season, Francona and strength coach Rob Fumagalli have emphasized his sprint speed. While also lower than earlier in the year, it's still at 28.1 feet per second in September, well above the league average of 27.0.

“Fumo [Fumagalli] keeps an eye on that, really, a lot, which helps me. Because if that starts to go down, that’s when I would be worried," Francona said. "There are 13 games left, we need to play.”

Still only 23, De La Cruz is a two-time All-Star and a dynamic face of the franchise. Francona did not view that as added pressure for a young player who has handled a lot in his three big league seasons.

“Just play the game of baseball. He certainly knows how to do that," Francona said. "It doesn’t matter what your age is. It just comes back to playing the game. And the better you can do it as a team, then sometimes it takes the glare off of guys too. We win as a team. We lose as a team.”