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.

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.

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.

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.

J ust over a month ago, the Tampa Bay Rays were one game back of the AL East lead, while the Boston Red Sox were scuffling along, below .500, only ahead of the Baltimore Orioles i

The Rays are reportedly open to trading Yandy Diaz, possibly allowing the Red Sox to acquire one of their top trade deadline targets.

Elly De La Cruz certainly looks well-equipped for a playoff race. In fact, the Cincinnati Reds all do when they're rolling like they are right now. But it was De La Cruz, as fans chanted his name, who came up big and brought a crowd of 39,

The Tampa Bay Rays are struggling, and if they sell at the deadline, the Boston Red Sox seem like an ideal fit for Yandy Diaz, ESPN's Buster Olney says.

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Scott Barlow (58) throws a pitch in the sixth inning of a MLB game between the Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies, Sunday, July 13, 2025, at Great American Ball Park in Downtown Cincinnati. Reds won 4-2. / Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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.