MINNEAPOLIS — Elly De La Cruz hit his first big league grand slam in a six-run seventh inning, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Minnesota Twins 8-4 on Friday night.
Minnesota (78-69) lost for the seventh time in 10 games and is 2 1/2 games ahead of Detroit for the final AL wild card.
TJ Friedl drove in the Reds' first two runs with a second-inning home run and a tiebreaking squeeze bunt single in the seventh off Bailey Ober (12-7) that put Cincinnati ahead 2-1. Ty France hit an RBI double and De La Cruz followed with his 24th home run, his second since Aug. 21.
De La Cruz stood at the plate and held his bat high, watching the drive off Jorge Alcala soar into the right-field second deck.
Julian Aguiar (2-0), in the longest of his six major league starts, held the Twins to three hit over 6 1/3 innings with four strikeouts.
Friedl had three hits including a second-inning homer, and drove in three runs.
Byron Buxton homered for the Twins in his first game since Aug. 12 after recovering from a hip injury.
Ober gave up five runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings.
UP NEXT
Minnesota RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (5-4, 3.96) starts Saturday.
