Elly De La Cruz homered, scored three times and drove in three runs as the Cincinnati Reds rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-4.

Detroit Tigers' Javier Báez holds his tag on Cincinnati Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand (33) at second base for an out on an attempted stolen base in the fourth inning during a baseball game, Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) AP

Elly De La Cruz provided some insurance in explosive fashion on Sunday, crushing a home run in the Cincinnati Reds' runaway win over the Detroit Tigers.

News broke Sunday on a relief pitcher who struggled during Saturday's loss, prompting a change of heart by the Tigers' brass. Detroit announced pitcher John Brebbia was optioned to Triple-A Toledo, making room for relief pitcher Tyler Owens on the roster.

Both teams have put on a power display during the first two games of the weekend series between the Cincinnati Reds and the host Detroit Tigers.

The Reds did tack on three too-little, too-late runs in the ninth when De La Cruz doubled home Santiago Espinal to make it 11-3, then Tyler Stephenson doubled in two more runs to make it 11-5. De La Cruz was 3-for-4, raising his average to .267.

It's Friday, June 13 and the Reds (35-34) are in Detroit to take on the Tigers (45-25). Nick Martinez is slated to take the mound for Cincinnati against Brant Hurter for Detroit. Detroit is coming off back-to-back series wins and have taken four of the past six as they host the Reds.

The Cincinnati Reds view this weekend as a measuring stick to see just how much they have improved. The Reds pushed their record above .500 with a five-game winning streak that was snapped Wednesday.