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CINCINNATI -- For the fifth straight time, the Reds won a game in Kansas City against the Royals with a 7-4 win on Monday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium.
Battery mates Nick Martinez and Tyler Stephenson had huge days on the mound and at the plate, leading the Reds to a win over a Royals team that entered play Monday four games over .500.
The win gives Cincinnati another chance to get back to .500 on Tuesday, and it also served as an immediate and short-term bounce-back from Sunday's metldown against the Chicago Cubs.
Let's look at some key takeaways from Monday afternoon's 7-4 win over the Royals.
Takeaways from Reds 7-4 win over the Royals
Tyler Stephenson's Big Day at the Plate
Facing his former battery mate in Royals right-hander Michael Lorenzen, Stephenson delivered his best performance since his season debut on May 3rd.
The Reds catcher went 3-5 on Monday afternoon, including belting his second home run of the season. Stephenson totaled three RBIs and a run scored against the Royals, and his three hits tie a career-high.
While the Reds catcher hasn't had a breakout series or stretch yet this season, this could be the game that ignites one. The Reds need Stephenson to be a big part of their offensive production, and Monday was certainly a good day at the plate for him.
Nick Martinez's Efficient Start
Martinez has had an outstanding month of May, and Monday may have been his best start this month. The Reds' right-hander needed just 79 pitches to get through seven innings in Kansas City, and he may have been back out on the mound in the eighth inning had he not allowed three runs in the seventh.
Martinez allowed just six hits on Monday, his fourth start this month allowing six hits or less. He's pitched at least six innings in each of his five starts this month and in each of his last six starts overall.
We know that Hunter Greene is the Reds' ace, but Martinez is making a strong case to be the Reds' second-best starting pitcher. Every time he's gone to the mound in his last six starts, he has delivered a really solid outing. Martinez has become a very reliable starter for the Reds, justifying the $21 million they gave him this past offseason.
Jonathan India Held in Check
In his first game against the Reds since being traded last November, India went just 1-4 at the plate.
The Reds traded India to the Royals just before Thanksgiving this past offseason for right-handed pitcher Brady Singer. India is hitting just .227 with one home run and 12 RBIs and just a .325 on-base percentage.
Singer, who will start for the Reds on Tuesday night, is 5-3 with a 5.88 ERA through 51 2/3 innings pitched over 10 starts.
This series features a lot of players going aganinst their former teams, including the aforementioned Lorenzen having pitched for the Reds from 2015-2021.
Notes and Observations
- Cincinnati went 3-10 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base.
- The Reds doubled the Royals in hits 14-7.
- With seven runs on Monday, the Reds now have four straight games with six+ runs for the first time this season.
- Emilio Pagan sure made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth. Only 10 of his 22 pitches were for strikes, and he walked the bases loaded to bring the tying run to the plate. A run scored when Pagan balked, but he managed to limit the damage to just that one earned run.
On Deck
The Reds will continue their series against the Royals in Kansas City on Tuesday night. Singer will start for the Reds, while the Royals have not named a starter for the game.
First pitch is scheduled for 7:40 E.T. on FanDuel Sports Network Cincinnati and 700WLW.
More must-reads:
- Dream (but realistic) trade targets for every MLB team this offseason
- Three offseason trade targets for Blue Jays to add an impact bat
- The 'World Series single-game K leaders' quiz
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Three wild statistics about the 2025 World Series you may not know
The 2025 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays will go down as one of the best seven-game Fall Classics in history. Won in extra innings by the Dodgers on Saturday night, this year's World Series had plenty of wild moments and memorable performances. However, there were also some things that happened during this year's World Series that were historic but also didn't make as many headlines as Yoshinobu Yamamoto's MVP pitching or Will Smith's World Series-winning home run. With that in mind, here are three things that will add this year's World Series to the baseball record books. This 2025 World Series was just like ... 1926? Sure, this year's World Series went seven games. However, the pattern of wins between Toronto and Los Angeles was unlike anything seen in the Fall Classic since the St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Yankees in seven games in 1926. Per Elias, the 2025 World Series was just the second-ever World Series to follow the path of the home team winning Game 1, road team winning Game 2, home team winning Game 3, and the road team winning Games 4 through 7, joining the Cardinals and Yankees 1926. The Dodgers player made headlines and history Los Angeles outfielder Justin Dean was in the middle of one of the most talked about plays of Game 6 when he signaled to the umpires that Addison Barger's hit to left-center in the ninth inning was wedged under the wall. With that signal, the umpires ruled it to be a dead ball, keeping Barger to a double and preventing Myles Straw from scoring from first base (he was held at third with the dead ball call). That decision kept the Los Angeles lead at 3-1, which would be the final as Tyler Glasnow worked his way out of the jam to record the save. Dean being put into the game for defensive purposes happened more than you might have thought during not only the World Series but the entire postseason as well. The 28-year-old Dean appeared in 12 games this postseason but did not register a plate appearance, entering a defensive replacement in center field 10 times and as a pinch-runner twice. His 12 games played during the postseason are the most ever in a single postseason without any plate appearances (among non-pitchers), surpassing the previous record of 10 games without a plate appearance by Clay Bellinger in 2000. Bellinger appeared in 11 games for the Yankees in 2000, getting a hit in his lone plate appearance. Hitting home runs? It's an international thing. Trailing 4-3 in the ninth inning of Game 7, Miguel Rojas of the Dodgers launched a game-tying home run, marking the 10th home run of the World Series hit by an internationally born player. Also joining Rojas as a player born outside the United States to hit a homer during the Fall Classic were Shohei Ohtani (three homers), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (two), Alejandro Kirk (two), Enrique Hernandez (one) and Teoscar Hernandez (one). Per Elias, the 10 home runs are the most in a single World Series by internationally born players, breaking a tie with 2017 and 2019, which had nine each.
Seahawks GM's comments offer clue at potential NFL trade deadline partners
If there was any question about whether the Seattle Seahawks should be buyers or sellers going into the NFL trade deadline, last night's crushing victory over the Washington Commanders answered it. After eight games played, Seattle has a top-five scoring offense, a top-five scoring defense and a special teams unit that's making high-impact plays routine. That gives the Seahawks all the reason in the world to be aggressive at the trade deadline, and the latest reporting suggests that's exactly what they're going to do. General manager John Schneider may have offered a hint in his pre-game radio hit with KIRO, saying that the Seahawks spoke with teams at the Maryland-Indiana game on Saturday. That give us an idea of who they might be dealing with, based on the reports of the other teams who sent personnel to that game. That includes the San Francisco 49ers, the New York Jets, the Carolina Panthers, the Cleveland Browns and the Washington Commanders, who may have had some extra face time with the Seahawks during last night's game. We can safely cross the 49ers off the list of potential trade partners, but we can't do that with any others. The one question mark is the Panthers - and nobody seems to know which way they're leaning. Carolina is a surprise 5-4 after shocking the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, but the gap between the Panthers and the NFC teams currently on pace for a playoff spot is pretty massive. That makes the Jets, Browns and Commanders the most likely candidates to make a deal with the Seahawks from this list but we also have to assume they're talking with other teams. Pete Carroll's Raiders are another obvious potential trade partner based on their relationship and the fact that they're 2-6 going into the deadline. The Seahawks have also had a long history of making deals with the Philadelphia Eagles, who need cornerback help an have reportedly been considering a deal for Riq Woolen. On that note, the math may have changed last night due to the injuy to Josh Jobe, who was ruled out early with a concussion. Woolen responded with his best game of the season - which might be just enough to convince the Seahawks to keep him around for the playoffs.
Intriguing reunion on table for Steelers with trade deadline nearing
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a team that is looking to solidify itself as a competitor in the AFC for the 2025 season, and the franchise should be looking to make some moves around the trade deadline. The organization already brought in safety Kyle Dugger from the New England Patriots, and he made an immediate impact in a win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. The Steelers could use some help on the offensive side of the ball as well, but more additions could be made to shore up the defense as well. There is some positional uncertainty at safety for the Steelers as well as a bunch of injuries. The position has changed a ton throughout the season, and the Steelers could certainly use some more depth in the area. Unfortunately, Minkah Fitzpatrick would only be an option if he were to be cut as Pittsburgh cannot trade for him within two years of trading him away. However, his former running mate, Damontae Kazee, is a potential option for the Steelers after he was released by the Cleveland Browns on Monday. Kazee is a veteran with a good amount of experience, and he could certainly sign with Pittsburgh if the front office wants him to return to the black and gold. However, there are other safety-needy teams throughout the league as well. The coaching staff in the Steel City understands and appreciates familiar voices on the roster, and Kazee could provide decent depth while also being familiar with the defense and everyone in the building. Juan Thornhill and Chuck Clark have been other contributors at safety for the Steelers in 2025, but there is a real chance that Kazee might be a better option than either of those players. Both Thornhill and Clark have seemed to be at the center of communication issues in the secondary, and whenever there is an obvious coverage bust, Clark seems to always be one of the players closest to it. Kazee signed with the Browns during the 2025 offseason, and he had only played in four games through the first nine weeks of the season. He had been on the field for just 11 defensive snaps, as he seemed to be more of a special teamer in Cleveland. Despite the reduced role in 2025, he could provide some value to Pittsburgh, even if he is just signed to the practice squad. The fan base in Pittsburgh might not have always loved Kazee, but he played a lot of football for the Steelers throughout the three seasons he spent with the team. At the very least, he provides depth for Pittsburgh at a position of need, and he wouldn't be expensive to sign. This is the type of signing the Steelers would make, and it completely makes sense to do so. Pittsburgh Steelers have found a successful safety combination Ahead of Pittsburgh's game on Sunday against the Colts, it was announced that cornerback Jalen Ramsey would be playing exclusively free safety. He had been playing some safety throughout the year depending on what the opposing offense was doing, but on Sunday, he did not leave the position. It was Ramsey and Dugger leading the way in the defensive backfield, and the duo had a pretty good day. It will be interesting to see if that is something the Steelers continue to use in the coming weeks, but it probably should be since it was so effective against the best offense in the NFL.
DeMeco Ryans sounds displeased with officiating after C.J. Stroud concussion
Quarterback C.J. Stroud suffered a concussion in the second quarter of the Houston Texans' 18-15 home loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday when he took a crunching hit as he attempted to slide following a scramble. Broncos cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine was initially penalized for unnecessary roughness, but referees eventually picked the flag up after a replay showed that Abrams-Draine hadn't hit Stroud in the head. While speaking with reporters on Monday, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans addressed his thoughts on that play. C.J. Stroud concussion showed when quarterbacks are, aren't protected "It’s a tough play," Ryans said, per Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle. "Quarterback is sliding. I thought quarterbacks are protected when they slide. But what I’m learning is, as long as you don’t hit them in the head or neck area, if they slide and you hit them in the chest, then that is just fine. That is what I learned." As ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime shared, Ryans said shortly after the Texans fell to 3-5 on Sunday that he felt the hit on Stroud was unnecessary roughness because Abrams-Draine "hit the quarterback when he was sliding and giving himself up." Stroud was still in the NFL's concussion protocol as of Monday afternoon, and it's unclear if he'll be available for Houston's home game versus the Jacksonville Jaguars (5-3) on Nov. 9. "I spoke to him last night," Ryans said about Stroud. "He’s feeling a little bit better. We’ll see how the week goes and how he progresses throughout the week." What Texans would expect if Davis Mills has to start vs. Jaguars Backup quarterback Davis Mills replaced Stroud against the Broncos and completed 17-of-30 pass attempts for 137 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Mills began Monday atop the Houston depth chart with Stroud not cleared to practice. "I expect him to go out and do his best," Ryans said about Mills possibly getting the start for the Jacksonville game. "Just play the offense the proper way and make great decisions with the football." Shortly after Ryans spoke with media members, ESPN BET had the Texans as 1.5-point favorites over the Jaguars. Ryans may not reveal Stroud's status for the Jacksonville game before Friday at the earliest.
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