Worldwide Sports News

Here are the lineups. For the Phillies:

For the Reds:

Let’s talk about it.

Interim Mets manager Andy Green provided some injury updates prior to Tuesday’s series opener against the Royals… 

Plan for Polanco

For the first time since April 14, Jorge Polanco is back in the big leagues.

Polanco has been sidelined for the majority of the season with Achilles and wrist issues, but he’s been grinding his way back in the minors over the last few weeks. 

After his latest rehab games with Syracuse, the club deemed him ready to return. 

Polanco immediately jumps back into the starting lineup, batting sixth and serving as the DH for Tuesday’s meeting with former Met Seth Lugo.

“We’re all excited to have him there,” Green said. “He had some nice games in rehab, homered in his last game, so we think he’s ready to DH for us and ready to get going here.”

Polanco’s playing time will be based on how he responds on a daily basis, but he’s expected to be available off the bench on the days he doesn’t start.

His bat is the big thing Green values at the moment, but the team will see if he can get into the field at first base depending on how he feels. 

“We have guys we can slide to first, somebody is going to have to DH,” he said. “We’re just happy to have his bat, and if he gets to first in the near future, we’ll be thrilled about that.” 

Next steps for Robert Jr. 

Robert Jr. had his rehab assignment transferred to Double-A Binghamton on Tuesday, where he’ll continue to play to see exactly how far off he is. 

The outfielder won’t be in the Rumble Ponies’ lineup Tuesday as he takes the day to workout, but the hope is that he’ll be back out there Wednesday. 

He reached base just twice across 10 at-bats over the past week with Syracuse. 

Green hasn’t figured how the team will handle the outfield mix when Robert is ready to return, but he continues to be impressed by youngsters Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing. 

Plus, a Marcus Semien update

Green said that Semien is progressing well in his recovery from a hip flexor strain. 

The veteran ran up to 80 percent on Monday, and was spotted running and taking grounders again Tuesday. 

Semien, still however, remains without a timeline for a return.

“He’s a baseball player, he wants to be on the field,” the skipper said. “He’s doing everything humanly possible to make that happen as fast as possible -- he’s progressing very well.”

Semien’s reported timeline called for him to miss at least 4-to-6 weeks. 

Fresh off a sweep by the suddenly resurgent Miami Marlins, the Athletics take on the Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit today. The Tigers enter the game with a 40-50 record and sit in fourth place in the American League Central, while the visiting A’s are 41-49 and are also in fourth place, but in the AL West.

The A’s will welcome Jacob Wilson back from a short stint on the Injured List (IL) today with an inflammation in his right thumb. He’ll re-enter the lineup batting fifth and playing his usual shortstop position.

J.T. Ginn will get the start today against the Tigers. Ginn is 7-4 with a 3.04 ERA in nineteen 2026 appearances. He has 82 K’s in 94.2 innings of work. He’ll go up against reigning Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal for Detroit. The 29-year-old lefty is 4-4 this season with a 3.15 ERA in an injury-shortened sixty-five innings of work.

Skubal, the most coveted name tossed around as a trade deadline mover, will face this lineup for the Athletics this afternoon:

Ginn, who has emerged as the team’s ace this season will go up against this lineup for the Tigers today:

Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

Listen:
Athletics – Talk 650 KSTE, A’s Cast

Well, it’s not quite over yet. Despite snapping their eight-game losing streak on Sunday afternoon, the San Diego Padres went back to their unfortunate losing ways with an 8-0 shutout against the Arizona Diamondbacks Monday night. The club couldn’t manage a single run against Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt and didn’t reach second base until Jackson Merrill did so in the seventh inning.

San Diego’s Walker Buehler went five innings but surrendered seven runs to the Dbacks. It’s a worrying trend as Buehler has now given up 16 runs between his last two outings. Prior to that, the righty hadn’t given up more than a run in each of his June starts. Now Buehler is barely a serviceable back-end starter. The Friars were out of the game before they ever came to bat. They’ll need to turn things around in Game 2 tonight against Arizona. If they can’t, it will worsen the tough stretch the club has found themselves in.

Taking the mound

Zac Gallen (AZ) v. Germán Márquez (SD)

It’s unfortunate, but Gallen has been one of the worst pitchers in the league. After re-signing with Arizona this offseason, he hasn’t helped the club at all. The righty owns a 6.36 ERA through 92 innings and has just 56 strikeouts with an overblown 1.57 WHIP.

Gallen has had the worst season of his career this year. The Dbacks’ ace hasn’t been able to put it together at any point this year. He’s been even worse lately, with an 8.60 ERA in his last seven starts. The Friars should be able to tag Gallen for plenty of runs tonight.

Márquez is making his first start back after returning from the injured list earlier this week. The right-hander pitched three innings against Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night. Márquez pitched in bulk relief after Randy Vásquez exited the game early. With Vásquez now on the IL, Márquez will be taking over for the righty.

He pitched decent against L.A. in his first outing back, giving up two runs on two hits while walking three. He struggled with his command, but showed flashes of the ace-like stuff he once had. The hope for San Diego is that Márquez can quiet Arizona’s bats after a loud series opener (three home runs).

Batter up!

Apart from last night’s mishaps, the San Diego lineup has been effective as of late. The offense produced 15 runs against the Los Angeles Dodgers in their most recent series against the division rivals. More than that, Manny Machado has had a recent power surge. The third baseman has three home runs in his last seven games.

1. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
2. Jake Cronenworth, 2B
3. Manny Machado, 3B
4. Gavin Sheets, 1B
5. Ty France, DH
6. Jackson Merrill, CF
7. Xander Bogaerts, SS
8. Samad Taylor, LF
9. Luis Campusano, C

Cronenworth went 2-for-4 last night against Pfaadt. The second baseman has a fantastic career when facing the Arizona righty. He’s also hit well against Gallen, batting .300 with a .917 OPS against the Dbacks’ ace (30 at-bats). Hopefully, Cronenworth will be able to continue that successful streak.

Relief corps

Thankfully, Alek Jacob was able to cover three innings for the Friars. With Arizona’s lead ballooned to seven runs by the time Jacob came in, the reliever was left on the mound for as long as possible. He threw 42 pitches, giving up just one run on a solo shot by Nolan Arenado. After him, Ron Marinaccio pitched the ninth inning. That outing from Jacob helped to salvage the bullpen for the remainder of the series.

That will allow San Diego to have plenty of options for Game 2. Kyle Hart, Yuki Matsui, Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon, Wandy Peralta and Bradgley Rodriguez will be available if Márquez struggles in his first start back. With no off day before the All-Star break, the club will be forced to rely on quality outings from their starters to save the ‘pen.

Atlanta Braves vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, July 7, 2026, 6:40 p.m. ET

The Pittsburgh Pirates are returning home to take on the Atlanta Braves for the first matchup of a three-game set.

The Braves are handing the ball to Hurston Waldrop, who is making his second start of the season. Waldrop made his 2026 debut on June 26 against the San Francisco Giants, pitching two innings and giving up two hits and zero earned runs.

In his next appearance, he made his first start of the season against the St. Louis Cardinals at home. He pitched 5.1 innings, giving up five hits and three earned runs, in an 11-5 loss at Truist Park. Now he’s making his first start on the road at PNC Park against the Buccos.

The Pirates will hand the ball to their ace, Paul Skenes, but he hasn’t been pitching like one as of late. In his last start, Skenes pitched four innings, giving up six hits and seven earned runs in a 10-6 loss on the road against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 1. The Pirates have lost nine consecutive games when Skenes takes the mound, which is a big surprise given how well he has pitched in his first two seasons.

Skenes still has the stuff to be one of the best pitchers in the league, but the Pirates haven’t been able to put it together with him on the mound.

Location: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh

Pitching Matchup: Hurston Waldrep (0-0, 3.68 ERA) vs. Paul Skenes (6-8, 3.62 ERA)

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There are precious few things that Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler cannot defeat. That includes venous thoracic outlet syndrome, which shut him down in August of last season and cost him most of the month of April in 2026.

At age 36, you may have begun to wonder if the end was near for the three-time All Star. Oh, how far from the case that has been.

Through 13 starts since his return on April 25th, Wheeler sports a 2.36 ERA – a mark that would be his best over the course of a single season. His 3.30 FIP is right in line with his 3.29 career mark, and his 2.3 BB/9 is actually lower than his 2.5 per 9 mark across his brilliant 12 year career. The injury, it would seem, was merely a hiccup over which he would rise again to regain his elite form.

Wheeler will start for the Phillies in Tuesday night’s series opener at Great American Ball Park against the Cincinnati Reds. Fortunately for the ol’ Redlegs, they’ll be sending out a starter who’s been almost as hot as Wheeler for that period of time, too.

Andrew Abbott will toe the rubber in the series opener, the southpaw having pitched to a 2.71 ERA in his 12 starts dating back to the final week of April. The first four weeks of April were positively abysmal from the former All Star, but he’s once again regained the form that has him outperforming all of his peripherals through deception, precision, and an elite ability to induce soft contact. That’s what we’ll hope to see from him again tonight as he faces a Phillies lineup stacked with hitters who mostly excel from the left side of the plate.

First pitch is set for 7:10 PM ET. Here’s how the Reds will line up to begin: