Catcher Tyler Stephenson has been with the Cincinnati Reds since 2020, the longest-tenured player on the roster.

Whether he’s still with the team two weeks from now — or even beyond the Reds’ three-game interleague series that begins Monday in Seattle — remains to be seen.

With the Reds in last place in the National League’s Central, they’ll likely be sellers by the Aug. 3 trade deadline. Stephenson, who hit two homers in a 9-6 victory Sunday at Colorado, could be an attractive option for a contender looking for a backstop.

“I’ve got no control,” said Stephenson, whose contract is up after this season. “I guess it’s as real as it’s ever been in my career. So whatever happens, happens. I’m enjoying it. I love these guys and I’ve been very grateful to be here with this organization, and whatever happens is going to take care of itself.”

Nathaniel Lowe, another potential trade chip, and rookie Sal Stewart added three-run shots for the Reds, and right-hander Hunter Greene pitched six quality innings with seven strikeouts.

Reds manager Terry Francona has been around long enough to know what could transpire before the trade deadline.

“There’s a good word, and I want to use it because it’s how I feel,” Francona said. “It’s not uneasiness, but the unknown a little bit. It’s like you want it to be over, like now. And that’s not the way it is. Because you’re with these guys every day, and it means something.

“I’m realistic enough to know things happen. That’s the way the game is. When you’ve played to our record, there’s going to be conversations. That’s just the reality of it.”

The Mariners are in the opposite boat. Sunday’s 6-3 victory against visiting San Francisco got them back to .500. They’re a half-game behind Texas in the American League West and one back in the AL wild-card race.

“We know where we’re at. It’s hasn’t been exactly what we wanted up to this point, but (manager Dan Wilson) keeps talking about everything’s right in front of us,” said Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert, who got the victory against the Giants with six quality innings in which he tied his season-high with 10 strikeouts.

Pinch hitter Luke Raley hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth inning, and Cole Young added a two-run shot an inning later for the final margin.

“It’s just hard going into a game that’s in full swing, coming in cold off the bench. You haven’t seen any pitches yet and a lot of times you’re getting a nasty bullpen arm,” Raley said. “It’s just one of those things you got to go up with plan.”

Monday’s series opener is set to feature Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott (5-5, 4.11 ERA) against Mariners right-hander George Kirby (7-8, 3.76).

Abbott lasted just four innings in his last start July 12 against the visiting Chicago Cubs and didn’t get a decision. He allowed four runs on four hits with three walks and three strikeouts in a game the Reds lost 8-4.

Abbott lost in his one career start against Seattle on the road April 17, 2024, when he allowed two runs on four hits and three walks with six strikeouts in six innings.

Kirby is coming off a quality start in a 2-0 loss July 8 at Miami. He went six innings and yielded two runs on eight hits, with no walks and seven strikeouts.

Kirby won in his only start against Cincinnati on April 15, 2024, when he surrendered two runs on five hits with no walks and six strikeouts in six innings.

–Field Level Media

The Arizona Diamondbacks aim to build off a big win when they host the Athletics for a three-game series beginning Monday in Phoenix.

Trailing 7-0 entering the sixth inning Sunday against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals, the Diamondbacks rallied with eight unanswered runs over the next five innings, culminating in Max Kepler’s walk-off RBI double in the 10th to take an 8-7 victory.

“Obviously, we needed it as a team,” said third baseman Nolan Arenado, who tied the game with a two-run homer in the eighth inning.

“Just a well-fought game for us, just to come back like that was incredible. Arguably, our best win of the year, but just to see us — the way we fought and didn’t give in, we could have easily done that. We didn’t, so that was great.”

The win, which matched the largest come-from-behind victory in franchise history, was key for Arizona in the race for a playoff spot. It pulled the team within a half a game of St. Louis, the Miami Marlins and the Pittsburgh Pirates for the final wild-card spot in the National League.

It also clinched the season series against the Cardinals with just one game remaining between the two clubs, as Arizona has taken four of six. That would give the Diamondbacks the first tiebreaker edge should the two teams finish the season with identical records.

“What looks so good to me is the guys are very focused on their task despite it being a very rugged terrain for them to climb through. And they managed it,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said.

Designated hitter Adrian Del Castillo, recalled from Triple-A Reno on Saturday, went 2-for-3 and scored a pair of runs in Sunday’s win.

“Del is a good hitter,” Lovullo said. “When his timing’s right, when the flow to the swing is on time, he can impact the baseball, he can impact a baseball game.”

Mitch Bratt (0-0, 6.00 ERA) will take the mound for the hosts in search of his first career win in his third appearance. The 23-year-old rookie allowed three runs on three hits over three innings a no-decision in his last outing, a 5-3 Arizona road win against the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 12.

The Athletics will counter with fellow left-hander Jeffrey Springs (3-9, 6.08), who is 1-0 with a 2.79 ERA in three career appearances (one start) against the Diamondbacks.

The lefty surrendered six runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings in the Athletics’ 6-1 loss to the host Detroit Tigers on July 8. Springs hasn’t won since earning his third straight victory on April 14. Since then, he is 0-9 over his past 15 appearances.

The Athletics will be hoping for a strong outing from Springs as they try to break out of a stretch of 19 losses in their past 23 games. They snapped a 10-game skid with a 15-1 win against the Washington Nationals on Saturday before falling 5-2 in the finale of the three-game set on Sunday.

They went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine in their most recent loss.

“We just couldn’t get the big hit to get back in that game,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. “The guys took good at-bats. … We couldn’t put them together enough and capitalize with some guys in scoring position with two outs.”

–Field Level Media

Coming in off arguably their worst loss of the season, the St. Louis Cardinals open a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night in Anaheim, Calif.

St. Louis, in a three-way tie for the final wild-card spot in the National League, squandered a 7-0 lead while dropping the decisive contest of their three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks, 8-7, in 10 innings on Sunday in Phoenix.

The seven-run comeback matched the largest in team history for the Diamondbacks, who are just a half-game back of the Cardinals, Miami and Pittsburgh in the race for the final wild card.

Max Kepler lined a double over the head of right fielder Lars Nootbaar with one out in the 10th inning to drive in automatic runner Jorge Barrosa to win it for Arizona, which trailed 7-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning.

It marked the first time since July 2010 that St. Louis blew a lead of seven or more runs in a loss. Rubbing more salt in the wound was the fact ex-Cardinal Nolan Arenado hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to forge a 7-7 tie.

“We don’t deserve to win that game in any way, to be quite honest with you,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said. “We did a nice job early getting ahead, but the way that one unfolded … I tell you what, there’s a lot of learning opportunities in that one. It stings. It (stinks), and no one is more mad than me. At the end of the day, we gave that one away.”

Marmol said it was important for his team to move on from the bitter loss and focus on its three-game series against a Los Angeles team that owns the worst record in baseball at 39-61.

“We already talked about it,” Marmol said. “Dwell on (the loss) for the time being, take what you need out of it. Before you guys were let in here, they were already talking about some of the things that we felt that we gave away. Their ability to (rebound) quickly and move on to the next day is, at this point, part of our identity.”

Kyle Leahy (7-4, 3.73 ERA) gets the start in the potential bounce-back game for St. Louis. He will be opposed by fellow right-hander Jose Soriano (8-6, 3.49).

Leahy is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in three career relief appearances against the Angels. He hasn’t allowed a hit over 5 1/3 innings.

He threw three shutout innings and allowed one hit in a 2-1 home win over Atlanta in his last start on July 10. He departed after throwing just three pitches in the fourth inning because of a two-hour, 44-minute rain delay.

Soriano has started against the Cardinals once in his career. That came in 2024 when he allowed two hits over 5 1/3 shutout innings and struck out six in a game that St. Louis used an eight-run seventh to rally for a 10-5 victory at Angel Stadium. Even more coincidental is the fact Leahy picked up the win with 2 2/3 innings of hitless relief.

Soriano, the American League Pitcher of the Month in April, is 0-2 in his last five starts following an 8-0 home victory over Tampa Bay on June 13.

The Angels held on for a 3-2 victory over the visiting Detroit Tigers on Sunday afternoon to snap a four-game losing streak. It was just the third win in the last 15 games for Kurt Suzuki’s squad.

Right-hander Ryan Johnson allowed a leadoff homer to fellow rookie Kevin McGonigle on the third pitch of the game but rebounded to allow no more runs and just one more hit over five innings to pick up his third career victory.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever given up a leadoff home run, so that’s a new experience,” said Johnson, 23. “But I was able to stay focused, stay with the game plan and attack.”

–Field Level Media