The Dodgers (61-36) open the second half of the season with a three-game series against the Yankees (54-42) in New York.
Roki Sasaki (3-5, 5.33 ERA, 1.66 WHIP) looks to find consistency in the second part of the season.
Gerrit Cole (3-4, 4.04 ERA, 1.20 WHIP) starts for the Yankees.
Officially, the second half of the 2026 season begins for the San Diego Padres with a 10-game road trip. The gauntlet includes playing two of the top National League East foes (Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins) after a weekend series against the Kansas City Royals.
This might sound like a daunting task, but the Padres have a chance to put themselves back into the postseason chase. Currently, they trail the Los Angeles Dodgers by a whopping 12-and-a-half games in the NL West standings. But the Friars are only three-and-a-half games behind the Marlins for the final Wild Card berth.
We cannot expect a total collapse from the two-time World Series champs, but chasing down the Fish seems like a reasonable goal.
Here is what to expect from the Padres in the second half:
One of the surprises before the All-Star break was the return of Jake Cronenworth to the starting lineup. Barring any physical setbacks, he will play second base and hit ninth in the batting order.
The Friars need his left-handed stick, as getting the stagnant offense going is of great importance right now. We have seen throughout the season that the team’s best hitters can go cold for long stretches.
Even Manny Machado is experiencing the worst hitting slump of his major league career. Adding Cronenworth to the mix should allow the lineup to get back on track and score runs.
But to achieve postseason aspirations, the Padres need Cro sharp at the plate.
Playing through injuries is expected from those who put on the tools of ignorance. But the number of catchers sustaining a concussion has grown at an alarming rate this season.
Everyone should be worried about the amount of time Freddy Fermin has spent in concussion protocol this season. We need to get him healthy before he begins playing in the second half of the season.
Concussions are lingering injuries that stay with a sufferer for an extended time. Even if Fermin has passed all the protocol testing, a few extra days out of the lineup will not hurt.
The position’s offensive production has been non-existent all season, but Fermin is an outstanding defensive catcher. The Friars will need his experience to call a game if they expect to move up the standings.
Let’s stop fooling ourselves; the Padres starting rotation is in shambles. No question, injuries have forced constant change, but the days of juggling starting pitchers in and out of the rotation are over. Team skipper Craig Stammen has to play the cards he was dealt.
Sorry, the Friar Faithful are tired of waiting for Joe Musgrove to make his season debut or the return of Nick Pivetta to the rotation. Their replacements failed to live up to expectations. They struggled with consistency and could not stop opponents from putting runs on the scoreboard.
The second half will begin with Michael King, Griffin Canning, and German Marquez in the opening series against the Royals. Each pitcher is rested and should be sharp for their first start after the All-Star break. Stammen needs to show confidence and allow each starter to work out of potential jams.
The Friars have a grueling road trip ahead, and the club needs quality starts from their starting rotation.
The chase is just starting, but do not plan any postseason viewing parties just yet. The Padres will have to put their foot on the accelerator because it is time to gain some ground in the standings.
All the Friar Faithful want is for the team to be in a position to contend.
Go Rays!
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With the All-Star break now behind us, it’s back to the grind of the MLB season. In what can only be described as the shock of the season, the Chicago White Sox enter the second half of the season tied for first atop the AL Central. With 67 games left, the final push for the playoffs starts now.
The first team to be tasked with testing the White Sox is the Toronto Blue Jays. When these two teams met at the beginning of the season, the White Sox made a statement by sweeping Toronto over the three-game series, outscoring the Blue Jays, 14-7. Now, judging by how the two teams have fared since that series, that matchup looks more like an early indication of how the two teams would play out the season.
To say the Blue Jays have been undergoing a World Series appearance hangover would be an understatement. The team that fell just two outs short of a championship now find itself in dead-last in the AL East. To start the second half of the season, they’re throwing out Spencer Miles.
Miles made his MLB debut earlier this season for the Blue Jays after being acquired by the San Francisco Giants in last year’s Rule 5 draft. He’s mostly been used as a long reliever this year, but has started three games so far as an “opener.” On the season, Miles has been on an absolute tear after a difficult start: He comes into this game with an 2.85 ERA and a 4-1 record. Miles is a pitcher who prides himself on limiting damage when he does allow runs, as he has allowed more than two scores in just two of his 26 outings.
Looking more at his “stuff” as a pitcher, Miles leans heavily on a sinker and curveball combo, as he throws one of those two pitches 67% of the time. He doesn’t get batters to chase or whiff very often, but he does limit hard hits and not many batters are able to barrel anything up on his pitches. Due to his low ability to get guys to swing and miss, if Miles isn’t able to locate his pitches as he wants he can open himself up to some damage.
As for the White Sox, they are throwing out none other than Anthony Kay. After a sensational month of May and a bad June, Kay has steadied the ship a bit in July. In his two starts, against the Cleveland Guardians and Boston Red Sox, Kay has allowed just three earned runs in just a shade more than nine innings. It’s also important to remember that Kay was terrific in his start against the Guardians, allowing just one hit over four innings, until the rain delay ended his night early.
With both the White Sox and Guardians having relatively easy schedules to start the second half of the season, it’s crucial for the South Siders to win each and every time out as they no longer have a margin for error. With their team healthy and the Blue Jays still beaten up with some injuries to key players, there is no excuse for the White Sox to not take this series.
Here is the starting lineup for your Chicago White Sox:
Here is the starting lineup for the Toronto Blue Jays:
First pitch is 6:15 p.m. CST. You can watch on Apple TV or listen on ESPN Chicago 1000. Let us know your thoughts and predictions below!
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The San Diego Padres finally managed to win a series, pushing past the Toronto Blue Jays to take their first series in July. After an 8-7 comeback win on Saturday night, the Friars pulled off the same feat with a 5-4 comeback on Sunday afternoon. Those wins gave their offense some much needed momentum heading into the All-Star break.
The Padres desperately need a consistent turnaround. Now is the time to do it. San Diego has a 10-game road trip with no off days before returning to Petco Park on July 28. That’s six days before the Trade Deadline on Aug. 3. There’s an abundance of speculation on how the Friars will approach the deadline this year. The next 10 games will make or break the rest of San Diego’s season.
Lugo has been stabilizer in years past for the Kansas City Royals. That has not been the case this season. Lugo has struggled toward a 4.56 ERA alongside a 6.68 ERA across his last 33 2/3 innings. That line is primarily due to the righty’s fall off after a hot start to the year.
The Royals themselves have struggled, mostly regressing after a solid but uninspiring 2025 campaign. The offense looks rough, but the rotation has been worse. Lugo has been part of an overall regression from Kansas City’s starting pitchers. The Padres will look to add to those troubles.
King had been looking for a bounce back and seems to have found it. After surrendering four runs in as many innings to the Los Angeles Dodgers, King has given up just three runs across his last 12 innings pitched. The right-hander’s command has been excellent lately, and he’ll look to follow it up against the Royals.
The majority of Kansas City’s lineup has seen King minimally. The only batter with 10 or more at-bats against the righty is veteran catcher Salvador Perez. The backstop owns a career .200 batting average against King. San Diego’s ace will hope to limit the rest of the Royals similarly on Friday night.
The lineup has looked healthy over the last few games, but the Padres have yet to prove consistency in their offense. Their final two games against Toronto showed that San Diego still has some grit in them, with back-to-back comeback wins against the Jays. If the Friars can show that fight through the second half of the year, they’ll be well on their way to the playoffs.
Expect Andujar and Sheets to play a big role on offense tonight. Both have a batting average over .300 and an OPS over 1.000 in their careers versus Lugo. France and Merrill do as well, but the former duo has more experience against Kansas City’s right-hander (18 combined at-bats).
The entire bullpen will be available with the series opener being the first game back from the All-Star break. That said, Wandy Peralta was placed on the bereavement list Wednesday afternoon. The Padres recalled Jhony Brito from Triple-A to fill out their ‘pen.
The rest of the available relievers will be made up of Kyle Hart, Ron Marinaccio, Yuki Matsui, Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon, Bradgley Rodriguez and Matt Waldron. Brito and Waldron will figure to cover multiple innings as both have worked as starters and bulk relief pitchers.
Garry Sobers, the West Indies all-rounder regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time, has died at the age of 89.
I’m busy all day today, so getting a Game Thread together early in case I can’t get to it later.
Lineups haven’t been announce yet.
Spencer Miles (4-1, 2.85) and former Jay Anthony Kay (6-4, 4.23). I wonder if they can push Miles thru five innings? At least the pen is rested.
Hopefully some time off did the hitters some good too.
Go Jays Go
LeBron James has been enjoying the process of selecting his next NBA team during this free agency period.
He's made multiple public appearances during Fanatics Fest in New York City where he has spoken at multiple events, including in front of crowds who piled in to hear live podcast recordings of his show "Mind the Game" and "The Shop".
During a live recording of "The Shop", James reminisced about the times in his career where he's been thrown out of games, which happened twice. He looked back at the most recent ejection, a Nov. 22, 2021 game as the Los Angeles Lakers visited the Detroit Pistons.
James and then-Pistons center Isaiah Stewart II were jockeying for position on a rebound during a free throw attempt from Jerami Grant with 9:18 remaining in the third quarter. Grant made the free throw to extend the lead to 78-66 when James accidentally struck Stewart in the face, leaving him with blood dripping down his face.
Words were exchanged, pushing and shoving ensued and Stewart infamously pursued James around Little Caesars Arena.
"He's chasing the (expletive) out of me," James said in laughter. "I was like 'get this big (expletive) up off of me'. That's a big boy. (I was like) aye, y'all better make sure he don't get me."
For what it's worth, Stewart stands at 6-foot-8, 250-pounds of brute force. Both players were ejected from the game, which the Lakers won 121-116.
Now, five years later, James is a free agent and Stewart was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for three future second-round draft picks in June, allowing Detroit to clear $15 million in cap space.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: LeBron James reminisces about 2021 fight, ejection with Isaiah Stewart
We’re back with Braves baseball. Let’s see if the Braves can take a dub and start off hot. First things first, the offense needs to step up. And consistency has to come through as well.
The Braves aren’t too far off from being great. They’re just missing pieces that need to be combined to get past slumps and find consistent success. Starting with tonight, we’ll see what version of the Braves we’re going to get.
Until 7:15 p.m. ET, happy race to October!
Two World Series contenders coming off sweeps before the All-Star break will meet at Yankee Stadium for a three-game weekend set to begin the second half. There’s just one thing: the Dodgers weren’t the ones doing the sweeping in their last series at home against the Diamondbacks, suffering their first dusting of the season. It’s not the same because of the down period in between these two, but this scenario brings forward the age-old question: Is it actually a good thing to play a strong team coming off a difficult period, or will they only be hungrier because of it? I guess we’ll find out.
Both teams took longer than we would’ve liked to announce their respective starters for this series, and the first of three matchups will pit Gerrit Cole and Roki Sasaki against each other. Acknowledging the differing levels of expectations for each of these starters, one might be right in affirming they’ve both been disappointing this season—Cole not as sharp coming off a lengthy absence as the Yankees would’ve liked and needed him to be, and Sasaki dealing with yet another choppy campaign trying to establish himself as a starter—taking one step forward, two steps back. Things may not always be this simple, but the fact that both of these starters have losing records playing for some of the winningest teams in each league is quite telling.
What has hurt both of these starters, in particular Sasaki, has been his inability to keep the ball in the yard. In his last two starts alone, Sasaki has given up five home runs—music to the ears of hitters for a lineup that leads baseball in home runs (142), the Yankees. Although lefties and righties have both taken him deep often enough, right-handers have given Sasaki far bigger problems overall, with an .886 OPS against him.
This will be the Dodgers’ first trip to the Bronx since embarrassing the Yankees in the Game 5 clincher of the 2024 World Series. Cole was obviously on the mound for that as well, his last start before undergoing Tommy John surgery, but the starting lineup behind him will be quite different than it was back then. Since Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are injured (they had an update on Judge today) and Anthony Volpe is on the bench (as Trent Grisham was back then), the only lineup overlaps are Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second and Austin Wells behind the plate. None of the relievers who follow him today are still on the team, either. So it’s quite a different group, but no doubt one still eager for the challenge of beating LA.
How to watch
Location: Yankee Stadium — Bronx, NY
First pitch: 7:05 pm ET
TV broadcast: YES, SportsNet LA, MLB Network (National)
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280, Dodgers Radio AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Online stream: MLB.tv
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Today, the Astros announced the following roster moves:
Teng had been sidelined with a right knee sprain, though he also admitted to some arm fatigue as well. He has been on IL retroactive to June 28. Teng will transition to a bullpen role going forward.
In 23 appearances including 10 starts, Teng is 4-6 this season with a 4.36 ERA and 1.36 WHIP.
Spence, 23, has moved through both Double-A and Triple-A this season. He will be making his major league debut tonight in centerfield. In 63 combined minor league games this season, Spence is batting .258 with a .353 OBP and .776 OPS. He has 6 HR and 44 RBI, with 13 doubles and 13 SB. The lefthanded-hitting Spence is the Astros #10 overall prospect according to MLB.com.
Matthews injured his knee July 12 crashing into the outfield wall in Arlington against the Rangers. Matthews has batted .197 this season with a .250 OBP and .582 OPS, with 7 HR and 22 RBI. Matthews numbers have been greatly impacted by his extreme home-road splits.
On the road this season, Matthews is batting .260 with a .328 OBP and .759 OPS in 123 AB. However, his numbers at Daikin Park are incomprehensively poor. At home, Matthews is batting .106 with a .126 OBP and .315 OPS in 85 AB.
Texas Rangers @ Atlanta Braves
Friday, July 17, 2026, 6:15 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / CW33)
Truist Park
RHP Cal Quantrill vs. LHP Chris Sale
Go Rangers!
On Wednesday, Alberts Šmits signed his three-year, entry-level contract with the New York Rangers.
What does this new development mean for Šmits’ immediate future?
Šmits is considered to be one of the most pro-ready defensemen in the 2026 NHL draft class, which is likely a reason the Rangers decided to take him over other blueliners, including Chase Reid and Keaton Verhoeff, with the fifth overall pick.
Playing at the Olympics, World Championship, and Liiga this past season, Šmits showed his maturity on the ice and cemented his status as a top prospect.
Now that he signed his entry-level contract with the Rangers, the 18-year-old defenseman will join the team for training camp starting in September, with the hopes of earning an opening-night roster spot.
He won’t have an easy path to make the Rangers’ roster due to the additions of Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson, as well as the re-signing of Braden Schneider.
There’s a scenario in which Šmits spends his entire rookie campaign in the American Hockey League with the Hartford Wolf Pack.
When speaking about Šmits, Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury emphasized that the team will do what’s in Šmits’ best interest in terms of his long-term development.
“We're gonna do right by him and the long-term health and well-being of him as a Ranger,” Drury said of Šmits. “This is not a sprint for him. We hope he's a rock-solid defenseman for the Rangers for the next 15 years. We're not going to put him in positions or situations that he can't handle. So excited to add him, but again, not going to do anything that's not in the best interest long term for him.”
Even if Šmits starts the season in Hartford, there’s always potential for him to be recalled over the course of the year if his play warrants it or if injuries occur.
At the very least, we’ll see Šmits at training camp, as he has a real opportunity to make an immediate impact for the Blueshirts.
Inductees into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by definition have plenty of marvelous memories when reflecting on the career accomplishments that led them to Cooperstown.
Bumps in the road were inevitable as well.
One big bump for Jeff Kent and Andruw Jones came with the Dodgers in 2008, Kent’s last of 17 MLB seasons and Jones’ first following 12 years with the Atlanta Braves.
Suffice to say neither will enter the Hall of Fame wearing a Dodgers cap.
Kent signed with the Dodgers ahead of the 2005 season fresh off a National League Championship Series Game 7 loss with the Houston Astros. Already recognized as perhaps the top power-hitting second baseman of all time, he yearned for a championship ring to make his career complete.
Jones, a center fielder from the Caribbean island of Curaçao, signed a two-year, $36-million contract with the Dodgers at age 31 only three years removed from leading the league with 51 home runs and 128 runs batted in. A winner of 10 Gold Gloves, he also was chasing a title after losing twice in the World Series.
Read more:Plaschke: Who says they don’t need him? Dodgers need to trade for Tarik Skubal
“It’s one of those things where we didn’t sign to make the Hall of Fame, we played this game because we love it and because we wanted to win championships,” Jones said Friday.
The Dodgers had high expectations in 2008. Joe Torre, with four championships as manager of the New York Yankees on his résumé, was in his first year in L.A. The roster was a blend of accomplished veterans (Nomar Garciaparra, Greg Maddux, Derek Lowe and midseason pickup Manny Ramirez) and budding stars (Matt Kemp, Russell Martin, Andre Ethier, James Loney and midseason call-up Clayton Kershaw).
Kent was the resident no-nonsense, old-school veteran whose bat remained potent at age 40. Near the end of the previous season he had gone public with his frustrations about the approach of some young players.
“A lot of kids in here, they don’t understand that ... you hate to waste an opportunity, even if it’s one and even if it’s your first time,” he said at the time. “It’s hard to get them to understand that because they haven’t been there.”
By spring training in what he acknowledged was his final season, Kent had gotten over it and was ready for a last try.
Read more:Most pressing question for Dodgers in the second half: Can Shohei Ohtani stay healthy?
“So much is made of the idea that we should be hugging, that we should all go out to dinner, but more important is the translation of talent and knowledge, with the older guys showing what they know and the younger ones asking for it,” he said.
Jones was expected to lock down center field and provide leadership. But a poor start and a midseason knee injury torpedoed his performance. He batted .158 with three home runs and 14 RBIs in 75 games and suffered torn cartilage in his right knee that required surgery and landed him on the disabled list for the first time in his career.
Kent, as always, was consistent at the plate, batting .280, but he also sustained a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery and sidelined him for almost all of September.
In what could have been a legit postseason opportunity, Jones did not play and Kent came off the bench to go 0 for 9 during a division series sweep of the Chicago Cubs and five-game loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Championship Series.
Kent will wear a San Francisco Giants cap into Cooperstown. His six seasons playing alongside Barry Bonds vaulted him into the conversation on as best-hitting second baseman of all time. Kent drove in more than 100 runs eight times, was NL most valuable player in 2000 and finished his career with 55.4 wins above replacement (WAR).
In a video call with reporters Wednesday, Kent made it clear that his heart belongs not to San Francisco or L.A., but to Austin, Texas, where he lives on a ranch.
Read more:Dodgers' Mookie Betts has six Gold Gloves. And now a baseball glove company
“I’m a boring guy,” he said. “I chase grandkids and chase cows and ride motorcycles. When I retired I kind of went into my hole in Austin and I like living in my hole.”
Jones will don a Braves cap. He made his debut at 19 in 1996 and hit 25 or more home runs in 10 consecutive seasons beginning in 1998, finishing his career with 434 homers and a 62.7 WAR.
“When I came [to Atlanta] at the young age of 19, they welcomed me in,” he said. “I never moved from here. I made Atlanta my home.”
The Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place Sunday, July 26 at 10:30 a.m. PDT. Outfielder Carlos Beltrán also will be inducted.
“It’s a bigger emotional deal than I ever thought it would be, absolutely,” Kent said. “I still tear up talking about it.”
Added Jones: “Thinking that this kid from Curaçao who came here chasing a dream, gets a chance to play a sport he loves and ends up in Cooperstown, is wild.”
Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are back after the All-Star break with a series against the AL Central’s Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. It’s the first time the Pirates are in Cleveland since 2024, and they will need to use this weekend as a launching pad to keep them in the NL Wild Card race.
Pirates will hand the ball off to Jared Jones, who is 1-1 with a 4.37 ERA and eight starts so far this season. His last appearance came back on July 8 against the Atlanta Braves at home. It was his longest start of the season, pitching six innings with no hits and no runs, but the offense failed to support him in a 3-0 loss. Hopefully the bats will be turned on for tonight’s game.
The Guardians are countering with Gavin Williams, who has arguably been their best starter so far this season. Williams notched 10 victories during the first half of the season, including one in his last start on July 9 against the Minnesota Twins. He pitched seven innings, giving up three hits and two earned runs in a 5-2 victory at Target Field.
The Pirates find themselves two games back in the NL Wild Card standings, so every game from here on out is crucial.
Location: Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH
Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh
Pitching Matchup: Jared Jones (1-1, 4.37 ERA) vs. Gavin Williams (10-4, 3.81 ERA)
BD community, chime off in the comments section below.