Postgame Takeaways: Reds Beat Twins 8-4 Behind Elly De La Cruz's Grand Slam

The Reds improve to 17-8 in series openers on the road.

Sep 13, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Cincinnati Reds center fielder TJ Friedl (29) hits a solo home run against the Minnesota Twins in the second inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Reds (72-77) beat the Minnesota Twins (78-69) 8-4 on Friday night.

Here are our postgame takeaways:

Aguiar Continues to Impress

Julian Aguiar was forced to be called up earlier in the season with the Reds' injury woes and he has put together a string of good starts.

He tossed 6 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on just three hits against the Minnesota lineup. Two of the three were runs scored off of Buck Farmer after Aguiar left the game.

Bats Come Alive, Finally

After a tough series in St. Louis, the Reds' offense came alive. Friedl opened the scoring with his 12th home run of the season in the second inning.

It was a 1-1 game through six innings before Spencer Steer opened the seventh inning with a triple and scored on a bunt single by TJ Friedl. Ty France roped a double to the left field gap to give the Reds a 3-1 lead.

Later in the inning, Elly La Cruz hit his first career grand slam to put the Reds on top 7-1.

The Reds played add-on in the eighth when Friedl singled home a run for his third hit and third RBI of the game.

Up Next

The Reds and Twins will face off in game two of the series on Saturday at 7:10 ET.

News and Notes

• The Reds are 34-13 this season when they hit two or more home runs in a game.
• The Reds are 50-10 when they score five or more runs.
• The Reds are 17-8 in series opener on the road.

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