Astros activate Ronel Blanco for season debut

De La Cruz walked to open the home half of the first inning and swiped second base, but the Reds couldn’t cash him in from there. The 24-year-old superstar then smacked an RBI double in the third and scored on an RBI knock by Sal Stewart. He also doubled in the fifth inning and swiped third before being stranded there. De La Cruz finished his night with a leadoff double off of Gregory Soto in the ninth inning and he scored the winning run on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Nathaniel Lowe. For the season, De La Cruz is now hitting a robust .279/.355/.504 with 18 homers, 48 RBI and 20 stolen bases.

Lowe strolled to the dish with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth inning and the score knotted at two runs apiece. He ended up hitting a slow ground ball to shortstop that resulted in an out at second base, but Lowe beat the relay throw to first to plate the winning run. He finished the day 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI and is now hitting .255/.332/.472 with 12 homers and 34 RBI in 262 plate appearances on the season.

Pagan was utilized in the top half of the ninth inning with the score tied at 2-2. He did surrender a two-out single to Jhostynxon Garcia, but followed that with a strikeout of Jake Mangum to end the inning. Pagan then became the beneficiary when the Reds walked it off in the home half of the inning. He now sports a 4.84 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and a 25/8 K/BB ratio over 22 1/3 innings on the season while converting 11 of his 14 save chances.

Lowder struck out five batters on the evening and did not allow a base on balls. He kept the Pirates off the board through the first four innings, then they scratched out a run against him on a sacrifice fly in the fifth. Lowder also served up a solo homer to Brandon Lowe in the sixth. The 24-year-old hurler got 12 whiffs on 90 pitches on the day, posting a solid CSW of 31 percent. Lowder now sits at 3-7 on the season with an uninspiring 5.42 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and a 70/37 K/BB ratio over 83 innings. He’ll try to turn things around when he squares off against the Athletics on Wednesday.

Lowe ambushed a first-pitch curveball from Rhett Lowder for a 402-foot (103.4-mph EV) solo shot in the sixth inning that tied the game at 2-2. That would be his lone hit in the contest. On the season, the 32-year-old slugger is slashing a solid .253/.320/.490 with 23 homers and 70 RBI in 450 plate appearances.

Ramirez racked up four strikeouts on the night. The Reds threatened against him in the opening inning as Elly De La Cruz walked and swiped second base, but Ramirez was able to strand him there. The 31-year-old hurler got seven swings and misses on 39 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 31 percent. For the season, he now boasts a 3.10 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and a 66/34 K/BB ratio over 58 innings.

The 28-year-old superstar crushed a 421-foot (104.9-mph EV) solo shot off of Jake Irvin in the fourth inning that increased the Braves’ advantage to 3-0. He also drew a walk in the sixth inning and raced home on a two-run single off the bat of Ozzie Albies. Acuña is now slashing .244/.365/.416 with eight homers, 23 RBI and 15 stolen bases (in 22 attempts) on the season.

Yastrzemski did his damage off of Jake Irvin in the fifth inning, with his 413-foot (104.7-mph EV) two-run blast tying the score at three runs apiece. It has been a rough season overall at the plate for the 35-year-old outfielder, slashing just .226/.313/.363 to go along with seven long balls and 30 RBI in 281 plate appearances.

Iglesias started the inning by getting a pair of ground outs, then he made things a bit more interesting by issuing a two-out walk to James Wood. Not to worry though, as he battled back to retire Luis Garcia Jr. on a fly ball to right to end it. For the season, the 36-year-old righty now sports a 2.31 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and a 43/9 K/BB ratio across 39 innings while converting 23 of his first 25 save chances.

Holmes also issued a pair of walks in the contest while punching out four. All of the damage done against him came via the long ball, as Daylen Lile crushed a pair of solo homers and Luis Garcia Jr. added one of his own. The 30-year-old righty got 10 swings and misses on 69 pitches on the evening, registering a CSW of 28 percent. He’ll look to bounce back as he brings a 3.88 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and an 87/45 K/BB ratio (102 innings) into Wednesday’s battle against the Marlins.