Nationals' Dave Martinez Calls Out Elly De La Cruz's 'Antics' After Reds Rookie's HR

Rookie sensation Elly De La Cruz sent a message that angered Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez during Wednesday's 9-2 win for the Cincinnati Reds.

Martinez had the umpires look at a sensor cover on the knob of De La Cruz's bat in the top of the second inning. The sensor was temporarily removed before the umps got word from the Major League Baseball office that he was allowed to use it.

De La Cruz had the knob back on his bat for his second plate appearance in the top of the third. In the fifth inning, he crushed a 455-foot homer off Josiah Gray that left the bat at 111.6 miles per hour.

De La Cruz pointed to the sensor while looking at the dugout when the ball left his bat. Martinez told reporters after his team's loss he likes the way De Le Cruz plays the game, but "I didn't like his antics after he hit the home run."

Martinez added De La Cruz has "only got two weeks in the big leagues," but noted he's "gonna be a good player" after griping about what happened with the homer.

"Just to tell everybody that the knob is not the reason why I am doing a good job," De La Cruz said after the game when asked about pointing to the sensor on his bat when he hit the homer. "It's because of all the work I'm putting out there."

The rookie has been a wonder since getting called up on June 6. He's hitting .318/.356/.536 with 14 extra-base hits and 11 stolen bases in 26 games.

Cincinnati has won 20 of 26 games with the 21-year-old and has vaulted to the top of the National League Central with a 48-39 record overall.

It's hard for any one individual to completely transform an MLB team because the best players are typically getting four or five plate appearances every game.

At the very least, though, De La Cruz has given the Reds a much-needed boost that the rest of the team has been able to take advantage of by racking up a lot of wins.

Cincinnati can open up a big lead in the NL Central going into and coming out of the All-Star break. It has six consecutive games against the Milwaukee Brewers, who are two games back in the division, starting on Friday at American Family Field.

When the second half of the season begins, the Reds will host the Brewers at Great American Ball Park for three games starting on July 14.