CINCINNATI (AP) — Elly De La Cruz homered and drove in four runs and Chase Burns reached 100 strikeouts faster than any other Cincinnati pitcher as the Reds beat the Colorado Rockies 7-2 on Tuesday night.
De La Cruz sandwiched a pair of RBI singles around a two-run homer by Spencer Steer — his fifth — for a 4-1 lead in the third inning. De La Cruz then hit his team-leading 10th homer in the eighth after a base hit by Dane Myers, giving the Reds a 6-2 lead. He finished 3 for 4 with two steals.
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Cincinnati Reds' Spencer Steer, center, is congratulated in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)
Colorado Rockies' Kyle Freeland delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)
Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly de la Cruz throws to first base for a out of Colorado Rockies' Kyle Karros (not shown) during the second inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies', Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)
Cincinnati Reds' Chase Burns delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies', Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)
Cincinnati Reds' Elly de la Cruz hits a single during the first inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies', Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)
Burns (3-1) issued a game-opening walk to Edouard Julien and then struck out the side. He struck out TJ Rumfield swinging for the third out and his 100th strikeout in 72 1/3 innings.
Burns matched his season high with nine strikeouts, allowing two runs on seven hits and a walk in six innings. He threw 97 pitches and left after striking out Kyle Karros with one out and runners on second and third and retiring Ezequiel Tovar on a flyout.
Relievers Graham Ashcraft, Tony Santillan and Brock Burke closed it out the win for Cincinnati.
Kyle Freeland (1-2) came off the injured list and walked Myers to begin his first start since April 7th. Myers scored on De La Cruz's single before Steer homered for a 3-0 lead. The Reds are 13-1 when scoring first.
Freeland allowed four runs on five hits in five innings. Tanner Gordorn gave up three runs in three innings.
Burns allowed a leadoff single to Tyler Freeman in the second, but De La Cruz robbed Karros of a one-out base hit to help keep it 3-0.
Julien hit his second homer — a solo shot in the third — before Burns struck out the side. Julien added an RBI single in the fifth and finished with three hits. Mickey Moniak went 1 for 5 and extended his hitting streak to 12 games.
Sal Stewart doubled and scored the final run on Nathaniel Lowe's single as Cincinnati improved to 12-2 in the last 14 games with Colorado.
Rockies RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (2-1, 3.42 ERA) starts Wednesday opposite Reds LHP Brandon Williamson (2-2, 5.40).
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Cincinnati Reds' Spencer Steer, center, is congratulated in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)
Colorado Rockies' Kyle Freeland delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)
Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly de la Cruz throws to first base for a out of Colorado Rockies' Kyle Karros (not shown) during the second inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies', Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)
Cincinnati Reds' Chase Burns delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies', Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)
Cincinnati Reds' Elly de la Cruz hits a single during the first inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies', Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)
WASHINGTON (AP) — King Charles III marked the 250th anniversary of American independence from Britain with gratitude that the two countries united to build “one of the most consequential alliances in human history” while urging “that we ignore the clarion calls to become ever more inward-looking.”
Speaking Tuesday to a joint session of the U.S. Congress, Charles repeatedly highlighted the historical and cultural ties that he said have cemented an enduring bond between the United States and the United Kingdom. But even as he spoke in unifying, optimistic terms, he delivered a series of nuanced warnings encouraging leaders in the U.S. to remain collaborative and engaged in global affairs.
He said the alliance between the U.S. and the U.K., tested anew by President Donald Trump's war in Iran, “cannot rest on past achievements.” Charles urged “unyielding resolve” in backing Ukraine against Russia and heralded the NATO alliance that Trump has consistently undermined.
The king praised religious pluralism and interfaith dialogue in terms that are rare in Trump's Washington. As the White House rolls back regulations aimed at denting climate change, the king encouraged those in power to “reflect on our shared responsibility to safeguard nature, our most precious and irreplaceable asset.”
At one point, Charles traced the notion of checks and balances on executive power to the Magna Carta, the foundational legal document sealed by King John in 1215. Trump told The New York Times earlier this year that he was constrained only by “my own morality.”
And acknowledging a scandal that has roiled politics in both the U.S. and U.K., Charles subtly alluded to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender with ties to British officials, including the king's brother, Andrew.
Charles is on a four-day visit to the U.S. intended to both celebrate American independence and to repair the country's fraying relationship with the U.K. He hardly arrived in Washington as an oppositional figure to Trump. Joined by Queen Camilla, Charles had a warm greeting with the president and first lady Melania Trump at the White House earlier Tuesday.
In his welcome remarks, Trump also highlighted the shared history between the two countries.
“American patriots today can sing, ’My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty,’ only because our colonial ancestors first sang, ‘God save the king,’” Trump said.
The leaders met privately in the Oval Office for a meeting Trump later described as “really good,” adding that Charles is a “fantastic person.”
Trump hosted the royal couple for a jovial state dinner later Tuesday in the East Room of the White House. About 130 guests were seated at two long tables that were decorated with low floral arrangements. The guests included tech leaders such as outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, along with conservative Supreme Court justices and several Fox News journalists and hosts.
Charles and Camilla will continue their U.S. tour this week with stops in New York City and Virginia.
During his roughly 20-minute speech to Congress, the king, who is expressly apolitical, never directly criticized Trump. Still, the contrast was apparent at times and some British commentators described his speech as more political than they had expected.
Just two months earlier, Trump stood at the same lectern and chided Democrats for not standing during part of his State of the Union address. The king, for his part, elicited multiple standing ovations from Democrats and Republicans who listened with rapt attention.
Charles is just the second British monarch to address a joint session of Congress. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, delivered a similar speech in 1991 highlighting the historic ties between both countries and the importance of their democratic values.
While the king paid tribute to those remarks, he acknowledged that today's environment is “more volatile and more dangerous than the world to which my late mother spoke."
Many of the lawmakers in the room were at Saturday's White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which was disrupted by a shooting that authorities have described as an attempted assassination against Trump.
“Let me say with unshakeable resolve,” Charles said. “Such acts of violence will never succeed.”
Meanwhile, Trump's up-and-down relationship with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has taken a particularly sour turn over the past several months as the Republican president has sought to rally international support for the war in Iran. Trump criticized Starmer, who has largely resisted his overtures, by saying, “This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with.”
Trump has also imposed tariffs on the U.K. and warned of additional levies despite a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that has made such unilateral moves more challenging. Trump threatened just last week to slap a “big tariff” on the U.K. if it doesn’t scrap a digital services tax on U.S. technology companies.
Trump has more broadly challenged the traditional trans-Atlantic alliance with efforts to annex Greenland and threats to walk away from NATO. He has repeatedly imposed tariffs on and taunted Canada, a member of the British Commonwealth.
Ahead of his speech, the king had faced some calls on Capitol Hill to meet with Epstein's victims while he is in the U.S. He didn’t make a direct mention of the convicted sex offender, but did reference the “collective strength” in the U.S. and the U.K. to “support victims of some of the ills that, so tragically, exist in both our societies today.”
If Charles offered low-key criticism of Trump, the president didn't seem to mind. He said later that the king “made a great speech.”
“I was very jealous,” he said.
Associated Press writers Stephen Groves and Aamer Madhani in Washington and Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report.
Britain's King Charles III toasts with President Donald Trump during a State Dinner with first lady Melania Trump and Queen Camilla in the East Room of the White House State Dinner Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., shakes hands with Britain's King Charles III before he addresses a joint meeting of Congress in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Washington. (Kylie Cooper/Pool via AP)
Britain's King Charles III addresses a joint meeting of Congress while Vice President JD Vance, left, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., right, listen in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (Kylie Cooper/Pool via AP)
President Donald Trump and Britain's King Charles III meet in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Washington, during a State Visit, with Britain's Ambassador to the U.S. Christian Turner, Britain's Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Britain's King Charles III listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a State Visit arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave from the Blue Room Balcony during a State Visit arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump, center left, speaks with Britain's King Charles III along with first lady Melania Trump, left, and Queen Camilla during a State Visit arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Queen Camilla, King Charles III, President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
President Donald Trump and Britain's King Charles III, stand together during a State Visit arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Britain's King Charles III talks President Donald Trump during a State Visit arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla stand on the Blue room Balcony during a State Visit arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump, Britain's King Charles III, first lady Melania Trump and stand on stage during a State Visit arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump greet Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla during a State Visit arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
President Donald Trump, from left, King Charles III, first lady Melania Trump and Queen Camilla stand for the national anthems of their respective countries during an arrival ceremony among others on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
President Donald Trump and Britain's King Charles III are seated on stage during a State Visit arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Staff members prepare the South Lawn before President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump welcome Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla during a State Visit arrival ceremony at White House, Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
President Donald Trump and Britain's King Charles III turn to walk into the White House, Monday, April 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump greet King Charles III and Queen Camilla as they arrive at the White House, Monday, April 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon).
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump along with Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla walk on the South Lawn to visit the White House garden and bee hive at the White House, Monday, April 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)
President Donald Trump and Britain's King Charles III talk at the White House, Monday, April 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon).
House Speaker Mike Johnson of La., talks with Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and her husband Paul before Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive at a garden party at the British Embassy, Monday, April 27, 2026, in Washington. (Roberto Schmidt/Pool via AP)
Britain's King Charles III talks with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller during a garden party at the British Embassy, Monday, April 27, 2026, in Washington. (Roberto Schmidt/Pool via AP)
Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive at a garden party at the British Embassy, Monday, April 27, 2026, in Washington. (Roberto Schmidt/Pool via AP)
