Elly De La Cruz hit a two-run single in the seventh inning to break open a tie game and the Cincinnati Reds went on to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-2

In honor of the National Baseball Hall of Fame induction festivities taking place in Cooperstown, New York, each team wore a retro-style hat with a Hall of Fame patch on the side. For Cincinnati and Tampa Bay, they donned their hats on July 26. The Reds' hat was blue was a wishbone "C" larger than what they typically wear.

Ryan Pepiot was dealing. The Tampa Bay pitcher has breezed through five scoreless innings, and was about to get through the sixth with a lead

After four straight quality starts, Baz gave up eight runs on eight hits over four innings in his last outing, an 8-3 loss to the visiting Chicago White Sox on July 21. He is 0-1 with a 9.72 ERA in 8 1/3 innings over two career starts against the Reds.

Graham Ashcraft was the winning pitcher for the Reds. Andrew Abbott started the game and allowed one run in six innings as his ERA dropped to from 2.13 to 2.09. Abbott pitched six innings and allowed one run on two hits.

The managers became close when Cash played for the Red Sox, and they keep trying to one-up each other with pregame hijinks.

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.

The Reds placed Scott Barlow on the paternity list on Friday ahead of their weekend series against the Tampa Bay Rays. They recalled right-hander Luis Mey from Triple-A Louisville. Mey has a 4.40 ERA in 15 big league appearances this season.

The Tampa Bay Rays (53-50) and Cincinnati Reds (53-50) open a 3-game series Friday. First pitch from Great American Ball Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET. Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's MLB odds around the Rays vs. Reds odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.