After going 4-for-5 with two homers and seven RBI in the Reds' 14-3 win over the Texas Rangers on Monday, De La Cruz laughed when asked by reporters if he would be using the torpedo bat again (starts at 3:00 mark).

Cincinnati Reds star shortstop Elly De La Cruz, like every baseball player and fan, has heard all about the torpedo bat. And he wanted to see for himself what all the fuss was about. So, De La Cruz, in the lead-up to the Reds' game against the Texas Rangers on Monday night, took some practice hacks with the torpedo bat.

MLB’s bat regulations are fairly lax. The “torpedo” bats are legal so long as they follow league Rule 3.02, which states: “The bat shall be a smooth, round stick not more than 2.61 inches in diameter at the thickest part and not more than 42 inches in length. The bat shall be one piece of solid wood.”

With his Cincinnati Reds up 14-0 over the visiting Texas Rangers, shortstop Elly De La Cruz stepped to the plate a triple shy of the cycle. To be sure "a triple shy of the cycle," typically qualifies as overdramatic phrasing.

It took four games but the Reds found the full throttle for their offense, with both their little engine -- Matt McLain \-\- and their big engine -- Elly De La Cruz \-\- combining forces to provide the power.

Matt McLain gets the Reds on the board with a no-doubt home run in the first inning vs. the Rangers.