Christian Encarnacion-Strand had two hits and two walks in his Chattanooga Lookouts' debut, and Elly De La Cruz's two-hit game included an inside-the-park home run in an 8-5 win against the Birmingham Barons on Friday.
Encarnacion-Strand, acquired earlier this week from the Minnesota Twins in a trade at the deadline for starting pitcher Tyler Mahle, batted fourth and played designated hitter after being assigned to Chattanooga earlier in the day. Shortstop De La Cruz, promoted last month to the Reds' Double-A affiliate, appeared to have a triple in the 5th inning but caught the Barons' defense off guard when he decided to advance to home plate.
Social media reactions to De La Cruz's inside-the-park homer, including video:
Mahle made his Twins debut Friday night, allowing three home runs but completing six innings in Minnesota's 10-inning win against Toronto.
Earlier this week, right-handed pitcher Levi Stoudt, acquired by the Reds from the Seattle Mariners in the Luis Castillo trade last week, impressed in his debut for the Lookouts, allowing just two hits with no walks while striking out six in five shutout innings against the Barons.
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