The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 6-1 in the series opener on Monday night. Reds starting pitcher Rhett Lowder recovered from a difficult first inning to pitch six innings. Sal Stewart hit his eighth home run and later scored on a wild pitch.

Even after scoring six runs in the final 2 innings of a series sweep in Minnesota, the Cincinnati Reds rank last in MLB in many offensive categories.

In addition to a missed strike giving Cincinnati Reds a win vs. Minnesota, umpire Hunter Wendelstedt missed several others

The Cincinnati Reds own MLB’s fourth-best record despite scoring 11 fewer runs than their opponents. The Reds lead the NL Central with a 13-8 mark, trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers (15-5), Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres (both 14-7).

Cincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Friedl is only slashing .154/.267/.167 this season, but that's not how he performed on Sunday. The 30-year-old went 2-for-5 with three RBIs in a 7-4 win over the Minnesota Twins, helping his club complete a three-game sweep and reach a 14-8 record.

The Cincinnati Reds have seen some mixed results from one of their veterans early this season.

The Cincinnati Reds' bullpen twirled another scoreless collective effort Saturday in another one-run win, lowering its MLB-best ERA to 2.31.

Elly De La Cruz found himself on the highlight reel again on Monday night with a spectacular diving catch on Junior Caminero.