Jonathan India's go-ahead grand slam gives the Reds the type of moment they needed

If the Cincinnati Reds end up making the in-season 180-degree turnaround that would be unbelievable but not impossible, they’ll look back at second baseman Jonathan India’s go-ahead grand slam against the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers as the moment the Reds got their groove back.

The Reds are still nine games under .500, and they may have already lost more ground in the standings than they can make up. The lineup still hasn’t proven that it can be an impact unit.

But on Friday, in a 9-6 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in front of a packed crowd at Great American Ball Park, the Reds got their first moment that felt like last year.

“We build off momentum,” India said. “This team is full of energy. We’ve been down this past month, trying to find a way and pressing. Trying to get wins. Moments like that definitely help a team turn.”

Last year, the Reds’ series win at home over the Dodgers in early June announced the turnaround for their season. They were six games under .500 at the time. But then the Reds got back-to-back walk-off wins over one of the best teams in baseball. Matt McLain wearing a bubblegum bucket as a helmet and Will Benson slamming his bat into the ground so hard that it made a dent changed the way that the 2023 Reds felt about their season.

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India’s grand slam in the fifth inning on Friday has the ingredients of one of those moments. The Reds might not dig themselves out of their poor start to the season this time, but they only have a chance to do so if they find a bit of magic.

“Once you break through that wall mentally of telling yourself you can still do this, it’s an amazing feeling,” India said. “Emotion comes out. You just have to carry it over and keep playing the game.”

No one on the Reds needed such a big swing more than India, who’s in the worst stretch of his big league career. India has been taking his walks, but he hasn’t shown much ability as a power hitter. As a result, manager David Bell moved him down to the No. 8 spot in the lineup.

India was the Reds’ leadoff hitter on Opening Day, and he should be in the top-half of the order when a left-handed heavy Reds lineup faces a left-handed pitcher. But because of how much India has been struggling, he was batting eighth and slotted behind Santiago Espinal and Nick Martini on Friday.Entering the fifth inning against the Dodgers, the Reds were down 5-3 and looked headed toward another loss. They entered the game with a 4-16 record in May, and they had only scored six-plus runs in a game twice all month.

“They continue to work and make adjustments and continue to believe and have confidence that we’ll get through this,” Reds manager David Bell said. “The results, you need to get those to keep that going. At some point, you deserve for that to happen.”

India’s grand slam was the final touch on a six-run inning that gave the Reds a 9-5 lead. He started flexing and shouting before he even crossed first base. He shouted something to himself as he stepped onto home plate, and India got a big reception in the dugout from a Reds team that has been looking for a spark for weeks.

The 2024 Reds still have plenty of concerns. Graham Ashcraft allowed five runs in 5 ⅓ innings, and he hasn’t looked like himself over his last few starts. The bullpen hasn’t been consistent and has lost some key pieces to the injured list. The lineup still has unproven players in roles that no one expected them in at the start of the year.

On Friday, the Reds looked like they found some confidence that they’ve been missing for a while.

“It gives the team confidence, putting up a big inning like that where we strung together some great at-bats,” Reds designated hitter Nick Martini said. “You can build on that. The energy was massive. To put up that number of runs against that team, that’s big.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Jonathan India powers the Reds to a win over the Dodgers