Q. Doing more of a leg kick recently, do you think that helped you get into a rhythm over the plate the last couple of weeks?
ELLY DE LA CRUZ: Yes, absolutely. I feel more comfortable now and I think it will help a lot.
Q. How much more comfortable do you feel over this last week or so? And did almost the home run against the Cubs just lessen things and make you feel a little easier and lighter?
ELLY DE LA CRUZ: I feel more comfortable now. I've been working a lot. I know there's been a lot of tough times, but I feel comfortable and I'm just going to keep going.
Q. Earlier in the season, you were dealing with a hamstring issue and later it was a quad issue. How are your legs? Have you got full strength in your legs again or at least as much as you can this late in the season.
ELLY DE LA CRUZ: I was being good, ready to play every day. If I feel like I can go out there and play, I'm good.
Q. Regarding baseball's payroll, the Reds have one of the lower third tiers of payrolls. How much of an impact do you see payrolls having and getting to the postseason on your team?
ELLY DE LA CRUZ: I think it doesn't matter. It's just the chemistry of the team. We play together. We stay together and we support each other. That's the most important thing for us. We're going to stay together and fight to the end. We're going to fight until the end.
Q. What do you like the most about playing with Hunter Greene?
ELLY DE LA CRUZ: He's a great player. You can see every time he goes out there, he's a dog. And I like being back there when he's pitching because he's really good.
Q. Have you ever been to a postseason game, even as a fan?
ELLY DE LA CRUZ: No, no, this is my first one.
(Spanish)
THE INTERPRETER: Elly was joking about L.A., his second city, it's a city that he likes. He made a cooperation between Hunter Greene, who was born and raised here, said something about L.A. closing the circle of coming back to play an important game in the city where he grew up. So he tried to make a point as if Elly felt the same way about L.A. he said yes.
ELLY DE LA CRUZ: Nice city, though. You guys already know.
THE INTERPRETER: You've got to tell them why, because of the video game; that's where he comes from.
Q. There are going to be a lot of people watching tonight, they're used to seeing the Dodgers on TV or the Yankees. They don't know as much about the Reds. What should everybody know about the Reds?
ELLY DE LA CRUZ: They're going to know. They're going to see. We are ready to go.
Q. How much has having Ke'Bryan Hayes and not to denigrate anybody else who has played third base, but Ke'Bryan is probably the best defensive third baseman. How much has that helped you and kind of made it easier for you to play shortstop every day when you have Ke'Bryan next to you?
ELLY DE LA CRUZ: Absolutely. He's a great defender. He just catches everything. And he helped me a lot when we're inside the clubhouse. He gave me a lot of tips and told me things. Just watching him he made me feel comfortable and I'm more relaxed more when he's right next to me.
Q. What music did you choose for today for your first postseason game?
ELLY DE LA CRUZ: Right now I'm not listening to anything. But I listen to Dominican music, usually what I listen to.
Q. I could see you're tired of Ohtani question, but this is such a big stage. How excited are you to play against Shohei Ohtani?
ELLY DE LA CRUZ: I'm really excited to play against Ohtani and the Dodgers. But you know we come with the mentality to beat them. I'm really excited.
Q. Being one of the most followed Latin players at the moment, what kind of message will you send to the Latin American fans.
ELLY DE LA CRUZ: I just told them to stay active, keep watching us. We came here to beat the Dodgers and we're going to have fun.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports