CINCINNATI (Interstat) — Elly De La Cruz homered and drove in four runs and Chase Burns reached 100 strikeouts faster than any other Cincinnati pitcher as the Reds beat the Colorado Rockies 7-2 on Tuesday night. The game at Great American Ball Park before 24,152 fans took 2 hours, 26 minutes. De La Cruz keyed a three-run first inning, singled in another run in the third and then delivered a two-run homer in the eighth to break open a close game. The shortstop finished 3 for 4 with two stolen bases, raising his batting average and extending his own team lead in home runs to 10. Burns, a right-hander picked third overall in the 2024 draft, struck out nine over six innings and allowed two earned runs and seven hits. He fanned the side in the first inning after issuing a leadoff walk to Edouard Julien, and when he struck out TJ Rumfield looking for the third out of that frame, it gave Burns 100 strikeouts in 72 1/3 innings this season. Burns improved to 3-1. Rockies starter Kyle Freeland took the loss, dropping to 1-2. The left-hander worked five innings, yielding five hits and four earned runs while striking out four. Cincinnati opened the scoring in the bottom of the first. Dane Myers walked, moved to second on a groundout by Matt McLain and scored when De La Cruz singled on a fly ball that first baseman Troy Johnston couldn’t handle. After Sal Stewart popped out, Spencer Steer crushed his fifth home run of the season to left-center field, scoring De La Cruz and giving the Reds a 3-0 lead. The Rockies got one run back in the third when Julien led off with his second homer of the season, a long drive to center field. But Colorado managed nothing else in the frame, as Burns struck out Mickey Moniak and Hunter Goodman around a Julien homer. Cincinnati answered in the bottom of the third. Myers singled with one out, moved to second on a McLain groundout and scored on De La Cruz’s second RBI single of the night, a ground ball through the middle. De La Cruz immediately stole second base, but Stewart struck out to end the inning with the Reds ahead 4-1. Colorado pulled within 4-2 in the fifth. Ezequiel Tovar grounded out to start the inning, but Jake McCarthy dropped down a bunt single that third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes could not handle. Edouard Julien followed with a run-scoring single to center, plating McCarthy. The rally stalled when Moniak flied out and Hunter Goodman grounded into a forceout. The score stayed 4-2 until the eighth inning, when the Reds blew it open. With reliever Tanner Gordon on the mound for Colorado, Myers led off with a soft bunt single to third base. After McLain struck out, De La Cruz launched his 10th homer to left-center, a two-run shot that made it 6-2. Stewart then hit a ground-rule double to right-center, moved to third on a Steer flyout and scored on a single by Nathaniel Lowe. Tyler Stephenson followed with a single, but TJ Friedl struck out to end the frame. Colorado mounted a brief threat in the seventh. Against Reds reliever Graham Ashcraft, Jake McCarthy grounded out, but Edouard Julien singled and Mickey Moniak singled to put runners at first and third. Hunter Goodman grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. The Rockies also put two runners on in the sixth. TJ Rumfield singled to lead off, and Tyler Freeman reached on a fielder’s choice that erased Rumfield. Troy Johnston doubled to put runners at second and third, but Kyle Karros struck out and Ezequiel Tovar flied out. Burns departed after six innings having thrown 71 pitches. Brock Burke pitched a perfect seventh with two strikeouts, Tony Santillan worked a scoreless eighth with one strikeout, and Ashcraft finished with a clean ninth. Edouard Julien went 3 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs for Colorado, accounting for both Rockies runs. Freeland allowed five hits across five innings, walking two and striking out four. For the Reds, Nathaniel Lowe had two hits and drove in one run. Spencer Steer went 1 for 4 with his fifth homer and two RBIs. Colorado outhit Cincinnati 11-11 but left seven runners on base and grounded into two double plays. Rockies pitchers combined for 24 strikes, 41 balls and 24 balls in play; Reds pitchers had 11 strikes, 40 balls and 11 balls in play. The win improved Cincinnati’s record to 19-10, the best mark in the National League Central. The Rockies fell to 13-17 and have lost five of their last seven games. The two teams continue the series Wednesday, with the Reds hosting Colorado again before traveling to Pittsburgh for a weekend set. The Rockies will face Cincinnati again Thursday before returning home to host Atlanta. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Cincinnati 6, Colorado 5. Interstat’s ELO system had projected the Reds with a 70.10 percent probability to win. Cincinnati had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5.

CINCINNATI (Interstat) — The Cincinnati Reds host the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night at Great American Ball Park, with first pitch set for 6:40 p.m. EDT under a forecast of 67 degrees and rain. The Reds (18-10) enter the game atop the National League Central, riding a series victory over Detroit. The Rockies (13-16) arrive after taking two of three from the New York Mets at Citi Field, including a 3-1 win Sunday in which left-hander Jose Quintana allowed one earned run over 5 1/3 innings while striking out five. Right-hander Chase Burns (2-1) will start for Colorado. In his most recent outing, he worked five innings in a 3-1 win over the Mets on April 26, scattering two hits and one earned run with five strikeouts. Burns will face a Reds lineup that has scored at least six runs in five of its past seven games. Right-hander Rhett Lowder (3-2) gets the ball for Cincinnati. Lowder took the loss Sunday against Detroit despite a solid outing — five innings, six hits, two earned runs and seven strikeouts. He has struck out at least four batters in each of his last four starts, including a six-inning, three-hit, shutout performance at Texas on April 4. Quintana, despite two losses in his previous three starts, will be a key arm out of the Rockies bullpen after his strong work Sunday. Cincinnati designated hitter Nathaniel Lowe homered Sunday and has driven in six runs over his past five games. The Interstat game simulator projects a 6-5 Reds victory. This is the first of a three-game series. The teams play again Wednesday and Thursday before Colorado returns home to face Atlanta. Cincinnati heads to Pittsburgh for a weekend series after the set.