Rays take their show on the road and lose again, this time to Reds

Marc Topkin, Tampa Bay Times on Jul 25, 2025

Published in Baseball

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

CINCINNATI — Zack Littell had a rough start and his Rays mates a quiet night at the plate Friday in another potentially costly loss leading up to the trade deadline.

The 7-2 defeat to the Reds was the Rays’ fourth loss in seven games since resuming play after the All-Star break. It dropped them to 53-51, nine games out of first place in the American League East and kept them out of the AL wild-card field.

It also was a bad start to a stretch in which the Rays play 19 of 22 games on the road. They have lost five straight away from Steinbrenner Field and 11 of their last 14 on the road.

Littell allowed five runs for the first time since April and a season-high-matching 10 hits, including two home runs, extending his majors-leading total to 26.

The Rays managed just six hits, scoring single runs in the third and fourth innings, against a quintet of Reds pitchers, and went 2 for 8 with runners in scoring position.

The Reds took a 1-0 lead in the second when catcher Tyler Stephenson drove a 1-2 Littell sinker over the right-center-field fence.

The Rays got even in the third and then got their only lead, albeit briefly, in the fourth.

Speedy rookie Chandler Simpson reached on a fielder’s choice grounder in the third, stole second, went to third on a fly out and scored on a single by All-Star Jonathan Aranda.

The Rays went ahead 2-1 in the fourth. Christopher Morel singled with one out and scored on a two-out double by Taylor Walls, whose 34 RBIs are second most in his career.

But Littell gave the lead right back in an odd bottom of the fourth, when the Reds turned two singles, a bunt hit and two fielder’s choice grounders into two runs.

Austin Hays led off with a single, then Gavin Lux reached on a fielder’s choice grounder that Aranda snared at first but didn’t make a throw to second that Walls could convert into an out. Spencer Steer’s bunt single loaded the bases.

After a pop out, Will Benson’s grounder to first scored one run, a single by Noelvi Marte the other.

The Reds turned the 3-2 lead into 5-2 in the sixth, when Littell allowed a two-out double to Marte then a 1-0 homer to TJ Friedl.

Recent call-up Ian Seymour allowed two more runs in the seventh.