Bryan De La Cruz grand slam lifts Miami Marlins over Chicago Cubs in series opener
As Bryan De La Cruz participated his round of interviews in the Miami Marlins’ clubhouse following Monday’s 10-3 win over the Chicago Cubs, shortstop Miguel Rojas walked by with a message.
“Go to the weight room, De La!” Rojas shouted. “You have no power.”
De La Cruz shrugged it off. Why wouldn’t he? He showed a shining example of the power he has at the plate in the third inning.
With a full count, the bases loaded and the Marlins trailing by a run, De La Cruz sent a Wade Miley changeup 398 feet to right-center field for a go-ahead grand slam.
De La Cruz let out a burst of pure emotion as he rounded first base, flexing his arms before letting out a full yell as he finished his trot around the diamond.
“He’s learning,” Rojas said. “He’s becoming a really good hitter. He knows the zone now and he knows where to attack. I’m happy for him.”
It’s simply the latest confidence-building moment for De La Cruz, who has thrived over the past two weeks since being recalled by the Marlins when rosters expanded on Sept. 2 following a three-week stint with the Triple A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.
In his 11 games back, De La Cruz is hitting .333 (10 for 30) with three home runs, one double, 12 RBI and seven runs scored. He has safely reached base or driven in a run in the 10 games in which he has had at least one plate appearance.
He’s looking a lot more like the hitter who had a .296 batting average and .783 OPS in his 58 games last season than the guy who was sent down to Triple A mired in a more than two month slump in which he was hitting just .180 from early June through his early August demotion.
“You know the guy’s swing is good,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “You see the strength. The ball comes off his bat. ... To see him a little more disciplined on what the pitchers are trying to do, sometimes it takes a while to get through, so hopefully De La has made that breakthrough.”
The confidence has returned, too.
“It’s obvious I didn’t have the best season,” De La Cruz said. “The results of the hard work I put into the season, I’m starting to see it. I just want to finish strong.”
A game like Monday definitely helps. De La Cruz went 2 for 5 on the night, with his grand slam the highlight.
But how that situation presented itself is worth reviewing.
So here’s the scene:
The Marlins (61-87) were down 2-1 with one out in the third inning after Jon Berti hit a home run to left-center field. Charles Leblanc reached on an error when Cubs shortstop Christopher Morel’s throw pulled first baseman P.J. Higgins off the bag. Brian Anderson was then hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second base.
After a Garrett Cooper lineout, Nick Fortes loaded the bases with a broken-bat infield single when his ground ball bounced off the third-base bag and skipped into the air long enough for all three runners to be safe.
De La Cruz then proceeded to work the count full against Miley before sending the changeup to right-center field for his 10th home run of the season.
Miami scored two more runs in the fourth on a Berti RBI single and a wild pitch that allowed Jerar Encarnacion to score from third base. Rojas tacked on an RBI single of his own in the seventh as part of a three-hit night and Leblanc hit a two-run home run in the eighth.
And De La Cruz nearly had another home run — or at the minimum an extra-base hit — in the eighth when he sent a Rowan Wick fastball to right-center field only for Cubs center fielder Michael Hermosillo to make a leaping catch at the wall for the inning-ending out.
“It’s part of the game,” De La Cruz said, noting he felt “95 percent” confident it was a home run. “Next time, I should hit it a little harder so they can’t grab it.”
Maybe a trip to the weight room is in order after all.
After being sent down to minor leagues, Marlins’ Bryan De La Cruz has a newfound focus
This and that
▪ Marlins starting pitcher Edward Cabrera was relieved after just five innings and 79 pitches on Monday. He held the Cubs (62-85) to three runs on three hits, three walks and two hit by pitches while striking out four. Cabrera was starting to develop a blister on his middle finger, which prompted the Marlins to end his night early.
Huascar Brazoban, Richard Bleier, Bryan Hoeing and Andrew Nardi tossed the final four innings.
▪ In addition to a three-hit night and two RBI, Berti stole two more bases to bring his MLB-best total to 36 on the season over 88 games. The next closest are the St. Louis Cardinals’ Tommy Edman and Baltimore Orioles’ Cedric Mullins, who have 31 stolen bases each in 143 and 142 games respectively.
