Tyler Stephenson homered and drove in three runs and Nick Martinez struck out five in five innings as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-2 on Friday night.

Right-hander Shane Baz was strong for the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, giving up just two earned runs in a 2-1 loss to Cincinnati.

Brady Singer took a shutout into the eighth inning and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 on Sunday for their fourth straight victory. Singer (8-8) left after allowing Taylor Walls’ one-out homer in the eighth.

Tony Santillan took over and struck out Matt Thaiss and got Chandler Simpson to fly out to end the inning. Ex-Ray Emilio Pagan closed it out for the Reds, striking out Yandy Diaz, while getting Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero to fly out. The Rays finished with just three hits on the day.

Preview the July 27 matchup between the Cincinnati Reds and Tampa Bay Rays with odds over/under, game spread, betting lines and more.

BOTTOM LINE: The Tampa Bay Rays will try to end a six-game road losing streak when they visit the Cincinnati Reds. Cincinnati has a 30-22 record at home and a 55-50 record overall. The Reds have a 26-5 record in games when they hit at least two home runs.

In the bottom of the sixth, Taylor Walls made a costly two-run error to give the Reds the lead. Josh Lowe had a pinch-hit RBI single in the top of the seventh to pull the Rays even at 2.

Martinez went on to say the trade deadline was motivation for the 2025 Reds, who stood at 54-50 after Friday's victory and one game back of the San Diego Padres for the third National League Wild Card.