LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 29: J.P. Crawford #3 of the Seattle Mariners gets set against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on July 29, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Former Mariners reliever and current Tiger Will Vest is undergoing season-ending elbow surgery. He is also planning to get a hip procedure done while he’s out.
Players and owners have much to argue about during these CBA negotiations, but among those things is what constitutes “an even 50-50 split,” writes Evan Drellich at The Athletic. ($)
Everyone prepare yourselves for the big bomb this weekend…
Anders’ picks…
Chris Thompson at Defector gave his thoughts on the Portland Trail Blazers’ nightmare situation with their new owner Tom Dundon who may move the team if he doesn’t get someone else to pay for his new arena.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 06: Maikel Garcia #11 of the Kansas City Royals looks on against the Minnesota Twins on June 6, 2026 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This is the real moment that I believe the “anyone but him” answer is arguably the right one. I said it before. You can’t bring Strahm in to that spot. See if you can blow the doors of Clemens. He’s hitting .140 with a .193 SLG this year on pitches coming in at 96 MPH or harder. Putting in Strahm in this spot doesn’t teach the Royals anything, though the stats indicate it wasn’t a terrible move with Strahm entering the game having allowed a .235/.264/.353 line with just one home run. But if you’re using the rest of this season to learn what you have and don’t have for 2027, Pearson is the move and not Strahm.
So yeah, I think Quatraro got it wrong. I also don’t know if there’s a right answer. That’s kind of the story of the 2026 season.
Cameron didn’t get a single called strike on the change, but did get five misses on 15 swings. He alternated with his cutter for the first pitch and got five strikes on six pitches. Add those first pitches (his change and cutter) together and you have 12 first-pitch strikes in 14 at bats.
Getting ahead in the count is key for any pitcher. Cameron is no different, but it’s something he really needs to do to have success. Coming into Thursday’s game, the lefty throttles opposing hitters when jumping ahead with the first strike, allowing a .201/.229/.333 line with an 84 OPS+ if he gets ahead. That means he’s 16 percent better than league average. Conversely, if Cameron throws a ball out of the zone with his first pitch, opposing batters hit .293/.399/.484 with a 117 OPS+. That’s a massive difference in outcomes. It made a difference on Thursday.
You won’t believe this, but a Royals player had a setback recovering from injury. Maikel Garcia has been pulled from his rehab assignment.
This coincides with Maikel Garcia seeing a hand specialist.#Royals MGM Matt Quatraro: “Maikel got his imaging today. He’s going to see a hand specialist early next week just to make sure we’re not missing anything.” https://t.co/aQdfivOPD4
— Jaylon T. Thompson (@jaylonthompson) July 31, 2026
“He’s doing great,” said manager Matt Quatraro. “… We anticipate him playing when we get back home.”
The rationale behind having Witt — who is on the injured list for the first time in his career — get an extra few days of rest even though he was eligible to come off the IL on Friday, was caution.
With only a handful of teams significantly out of the playoff race, Kansas City is positioned to be one of the very few true sellers at the deadline. That scarcity could increase demand for available starters and give the Royals an opportunity to command a stronger return for Wacha than they might receive in a more balanced market.
This barren starting pitching market and opportunity to sell high on him is only made more attractive by the reality that Wacha’s timeline may not line up with Kansas City’s any longer.
Despite the Royals’ postseason appearance in 2024, the franchise still appears to be further away from sustained contention than that breakthrough season suggested.
But when Ávila falls behind, the entire structure changes. Plate appearances become longer, hitters become more patient, and instead of forcing decisions, Ávila is forced to react to them. The first sign appears in his Chase%. In 2025, he ranked in the 75th percentile. Hitters chased pitches outside the strike zone because his sequencing created enough pressure to make them uncomfortable. In 2026, that number has collapsed to the 19th percentile.
Opponents are no longer chasing. They are controlling the at-bat. That change naturally impacts his ability to miss bats. Ávila’s Whiff% has fallen from the 85th percentile to the 40th. With fewer swings and misses, he is reaching deeper counts and needing more precise execution to finish hitters. That has created the next problem: walks
Royals 2026 first-round pick Zion Rose makes his pro debut.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 28: Craig Yoho #48 of the Milwaukee Brewers pitches during the game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Tuesday, July 28, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Bryan Kennedy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Two playoff contenders (one World Series level, one third wildcard in the AL level) made a trade of middle relievers and bench bats today as the Brewers traded right-handed reliever Craig Yoho and switch-hitting outfielder Blake Perkins to the Guardians for right-handed reliever Codi Heuer and catcher Bo Naylor.
First, for the Guardians: Yoho is a 26 year-old reliever with two options remaining. He has a 3.15 ERA and a 3.58 xERA (FIP and xFIP are in the mid 4’s). He has an 8.10/3.60 K/BB% but has given up a 14% home run/fly ball which will have to be corrected for him to become a useful middle reliever. He throws three different fastballs around 20% of the time each (four-seam, cutter, sinker) and a changeup the other 40% of the time. He has thrown a slider in the past (which has great Stuff+ metrics) but has abandoned it this year. He is 6’2 and his extension is in the 93rd percentile so you know Cleveland wanted him. The Brewers and Guardians are both great at pitching development so swapping Heuer and Yoho is an interesting challenge trade. I think Yoho is clearly the more interesting pitcher… which probably shows that Bo Naylor had a little bit of value.
Blake Perkins… he is a 29 year-old who switch-hits but I am not sure why. He cannot hit left-handed at all but has a career 95 wRC+ vs. LHP while hitting from the right side. He’s competent in the corner outfield spots and can play center on a limited basis. He has two options. I suppose if they wanted to give Angel some time to find himself in Columbus, having Perkins up in his spot would be fine… but I can’t pretend I really understand his inclusion here. He certainly cannot be considered the kind of right-handed bat the Guardians need at this deadline.
I always believed Bo Naylor would find himself as a hitter, but he did not reward that faith in Cleveland or Columbus this season. Now, we will truly get a test of Cleveland’s hitting development group because Milwaukee is great at hitter and catcher development. If Bo finds something there… it will clearly be time to fire everyone connected to hitting… probably from Mike Chernoff on down.
Yoho is a mildly interesting piece. I hope we don’t see much of Perkins. What else you got for us, Antonetti?
The Columbus Clippers were victorious over the Toledo Mud Hens Friday night. Yorman Gómez earned his first win of the season, improving to 1-2. Gómez went 5.1 innings of one run ball. He gave up four hits and walked three, striking out four batters in his outing. Tanner Burns threw 1.2 innings of work, only walking two batters and striking out three. Jake Miller struggled in last night’s appearance. Miller came on in the eighth inning and gave up three earned runs on three singles and a walk without recording a single out. Two runs scored before Miller was pulled for Steven Pérez. Pérez got a double play to start his outing, which scored one inherited runner. Pérez retired the side and earned his third hold of the season. Carlos Hernández closed the game with two strikeouts in the ninth.
Toledo got on the board first with a run in the top of the first. The Clippers came back to immediately answer and take the lead, which they held onto for the remainder of the game. In the bottom of the first, Cooper Ingle drew a lead off walk. With two outs, Kahlil Watson hit a home run to center that left the bat at 103.6 mph.
In the bottom of the third, Alfonsin Rosario drew a walk and went from first to third on Cooper Ingle’s single to left field. Daniel Schneemann smacked a ball to right center for a 403 foot, 105.2 mph 3-run home run.
The next scoring opprotunity came in the bottom of the fifth. Daniel Schneemann singled to right to start the inning. A passed ball and a wild pitch allowed Schneemann to advance to third. Ralphy Velazquez his a sac fly to right, scoring Schnee. After the Mud Hens put up three runs in the eighth, Columbus came right back to answer with three runs of their own. Juan Brito singled to lead off. With one out, Kody Huff hit another hard hit home run to left, scoring two. Alfonsin got in on the action, going back-to-back with Huff for Alfonsin’s first AAA home run.
The Akron RubberDucks and Erie SeaWolves had a close match Friday night. Cam Walty took the mound for the Ducks, only going 3.0 innings in his first AA start after being promoted earlier in July. Walty allowed two runs on four hits and one walk and struck out five batters. Jack Jasiak pitched 3.0 innings of his own, all scoreless. Jasiak only allowed two hits and also struckout five batters. Izaak Martinez fell to 1-2 on the season, earning the loss in his two innings of work. He gave up the game winning run in the bottom of the eighth. Martinez struck out four batters of his own, bringing the Akron total to 14 batters struck out by their pitching staff. Braylon Doughty was scheduled to start for Akron last night, but was pushed back due to reported arm fatigue.
Braylon Doughty was pushed back from his scheduled start with Double-A Akron tonight due to some arm fatigue, source said. He's going to get checked out.
Ranked as Guardians' No. 4 prospect/No. 91 overall by MLB Pipeline.
Both Akron runs scored in the top of the fifth. Alex Mooney drew a lead off walk and reach third on Aaron Walton’s double to left. Maick Collado hit a sac fly to score Mooney. Christian Knapczyk doubled to center to score Walton and tie the game.
The Lake County Captains had a rough Friday night. Jackson Humphries fell to 1-5 on the season after giving up six earned runs on four hits and four walks in only 1.1 innings of work. His start set the tone for the rest of the pitching staff with the South Bend Cubs putting up 15 runs on 14 hits and 14 walks but only nine strike outs. Jervis Alfaro allowed three runs on three hits, two of which were home runs, and was unable to record an out. Melkis Hernández was the only Captains pitcher to not allow a run to score. Hernández went 3.0 innings, allowing a hit and four walks, but striking out three batters. Jogly García went 1.2 innings, allowing three runs on three hits and a walk. García struck out three. Michael Kennedy pitched the remaining three innings of the game, allowing three runs on three hits and five walks. Kennedy struck out three batters as well.
The Lake County offense did put up quite a few runs, but fell quite short of the Cubs. In the top of the second, South Bend put up nine runs, but the Caps tried to immediately to pick away at the insurmountable lead. Welbyn Francisca and Cannon Peebles drew back-to-back walks. Garrett Howe hit a double on a liner to right that hit high off the wall, scoring Francisca and putting runners on second and third.
The Caps added on their final runs of the game in the bottom of the seventh. Jeffrey Mercedes singled on a line drive to right field. With one out, Welbyn Francisca, who went 2-for-4 with three runs and a walk on the night, hit a one-out single. Cannon Peebles singled to right, loading the bases and forcing a pitching change. Juan Benjamin reached on a fielding error by the Cubs shortstop, scoring Mercedes and keeping the bases loaded. Garrett Howe added two more RBI to his night with a single to center to score Francisca and Cannon. Kevin Rivas drew a walk to reload the bases. Juan Benjamin score on a sac fly hit by Esteban González for the second out of the inning.
The Howlers were bested by the Woodpeckers last night. Ryan Prager fell to 2-3 on the season after allowing seven runs on three hits and four walks in only two outs. Evan Chrest went 2.1 innings of one run ball, allowing three hits and four walks. Chrest struck out two batters. Aaron Savary threw two innings of work, not giving up a run, but allowing a hit and walk. Savary struck out three batters. Keegan Zinn struck out four batters in his three innings of work. Zinn gave up two runs on two hits and three walks.
The Howlers avoided a shutout in the second inning. Already down by eight runs, Yeiferth Castillo reached on a fielding error to start the second. Jose Pirela grounded into a force out resulting in Castillo being out at second and Pirela reaching first. Jhorvic Abreus and Johan Rodriguez drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. Yerlin Luis drew a walk for Hill City’s only run.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - JULY 31: Nathan Eovaldi #17 of the Texas Rangers pitches during the first inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on July 31, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Astros 11, Rangers 2
Well that was unpleasant. And ugly.
Positives?
Joc Pederson homered and walked twice.
Corey Seager, just activated off the injured list, had a single and a double.
The only reliever used was Luis Curvelo, who probably gets sent down now so Chris Martin can be activated, and Nicky Lopez, who is not a pitcher. That means everyone else in the pen is fully rested for the final two games of the weekend.
That’s about it.
Curvelo threw 54 pitches in all, having to wear it in a seventh inning that saw him retire the first two batters before allowing four runs to score. He was brought up for the purpose of handling some innings to save the rest of the bullpen, and he did that, I guess.
The Rangers are back in second place, a half game back of the Astros, as a result of the loss. The Astros have also clinched the season series, which means Houston has the tiebreaker advantage if the teams end the season with the same record.
And perhaps worst of all, the Rangers lost the Silver Boot.
This is one of those games where I don’t really have much to say. The Rangers got kicked in the teeth, and will now have to bounce back.
Nathan Eovaldi’s fastball topped out at 95.7 mph, averaging 93.6 mph. Luis Curvelo hit 97.3 mph with his fastball. Nicky Lopez’s fastball hit 83.4 mph, averaging 62.8 mph.
Corey Seager had a 106.9 mph double. Joc Pederson had a 105.3 mph home run Wyatt Langford had a 103.0 mph fly out. Evan Carter had a 101.2 mph single.
Jul 31, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher German Marquez (33) reacts after defeating the San Francisco Giants in the ninth inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Yeah, ummm…, the Giants didn’t win this one.
If you watched the whole game, I’m sorry, but the writing was on the wall pretty much from the National Anthem.
The Padres are the hot team. They’ve got something to play for in terms of the postseason. The Giants are a loosely affiliated gaggle of guys. They have Robbie Ray — for now, at least — and he pitched Thursday, so… someone else had to touch the baseball. The pitching corps drew straws, Carson Whisenhunt got the short one, and after the Giants went down swinging against San Diego’s opener, Bradgley Rodriguez, he threw one pitch to Fernando Tatis and knew how this game was gonna go.
It wasn’t that Tatis punched it over the wall and Whisenhunt and the Giants were immediately down a run (that would come soon enough). Giving up a solo shot there maybe would’ve been better. If you’re a pitcher with some mental fortitude you can wipe the memory of that solo homer pretty quickly: first pitch, bad pitch, got lucky, back in the wind-up, lotta game left. Whisenhunt wasn’t so lucky. Tatis hung over his shoulder, sat in his peripheries, as a constant reminder and stressor that would last the entirety of his outing.
What was so dispiriting about Tatis’s double was how his bat didn’t just make contact with the ball — it swallowed it whole before spitting it into the right-center gap at 108 MPH. The fastball Whisenhunt threw too — it was like he knew it was coming, and the fact that it was off the plate away didn’t seem to concern him either. Whatever it was and wherever it was located, he was going to drive it. The relationship dynamics became abundantly clear: Whisenhunt may hold baseball, but Tatis, and the rest of the Padres hitters, were in control.
Luis Rengifo dug into the box with a similarly aggressive game plan. Look for the fastball early in the count and pounce. Whisenhunt obliged, as if he was taking requests, serving up another first pitch heater that Rengifo had no problem dumping into the outfield for another single.
Two pitches in, and the Padres had claimed the plate as their own. Whisenhunt became understandably anxious around the zone. Like a dog with a shock collar testing the border of their domain, the moment he released the baseball, he winced in pain.
San Diego scored two runs in the 1st — not a soul-crushing deficit, but tonally, the number on the scoreboard loomed large. Whisenhunt felt winged. He needed to adjust. He threw just one four-seam fastball in the 2nd. He started using the sinker and slider more, and working his signature change-up into at-bats quicker. That helped a little, but Padres batters kept turning into runners. Those stressors bent the game to their will. After a pair of singles, they scored their third run on an odd 3-6 double play in the 3rd that ended the inning, but because Rafael Devers fielded the grounder on top of first base, the play at second became a tag play, not a force, leaving the inning’s door open for Jackson Merrill to sneak through right before it closed.
In the 4th, number 9 hitter Jase Bowen delivered the knock-out blow by annihilating a slider for the Padres’ fourth run. Whisenhunt wobbled on the mound for two more batters, but walked them both before Tony Vitello mercifully led him back to the dugout to watch Ty France add two more runs to his pitching line with a two-out single. Whisenhunt allowed 6 earned on 7 hits and 4 walks over 3.1 innings pitched.
By the end of the 4th, a dozen Padres had reached base. As for the Giants? Just one.
Christian Koss rolled a two-out single into left off southpaw Yuki Matsui. That proved to be half of San Francisco’s entire offensive output in the evening. Matsui responded by baffling the never baffled Luis Arraez with an elevated slider to end the 3rd.
After the 4th, the contest, if it could be called one, was essentially laid to rest. Down 6 runs with just a single single to their name, the Giants line-up dutifully laid down in the hole that had been dug. The rest of the game was spent burying them.
Germán Márquez did most of the shoveling. The veteran pitcher previously of Colorado, who has boasted a 6+ ERA in each of his last two seasons, took over for Matsui and pitched five scoreless innings. He allowed just a single and a walk, earning a save in a game that the Padres had won in the 1st inning.
Who will win White Sox vs Rays today: Rays moneyline (-161)
The Tampa Bay Rays hand Drew Rasmussen the baseball this afternoon, who is one of their most reliable starters. The right-hander owns a fantastic 1.51 FIP across his last two outings, not allowing a single home run during that span while limiting opponents to a 23.3% hard-hit rate.
On the other side, the Chicago White Sox counter with Jordan Hicks. While he's looked good lately, Hicks is expected to be the opener, which means this will be a bullpen game for Chicago. That's certainly not a bad thing, as they've collected a 3.67 xERA over the last week.
But Tampa is in respectable offensive form, posting a 106 wRC+ over their last 13 games, and Rasmussen's dominance gives them a slight edge. I don't expect this one to be lopsided, but the Rays will do enough at the dish to prevail.
I'll play this pick up to -160 only. The run line is a supporting option.
COVERS INTEL: The Rays are a much better team offensively at home, posting a 112 wRC+ compared to a 97 wRC+ on the road in 2026. That home split gives Rasmussen more support in a matchup where margins may be thin.
White Sox vs Rays Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 runs (-121)
The Under looks like the better angle at 8.5. Tampa Bay has been much quieter offensively over the last week despite its stronger home profile, while the White Sox are sitting right around league average with a 98 wRC+ over their last seven games.
The bullpen setup also supports a lower-scoring game. Chicago’s relief corps has done a better job limiting damage lately and has barely allowed any long-ball damage. Tampa Bay’s bullpen has been even sharper, sporting a 2.08 xERA over its last 24.2 innings of work.
With Rasmussen giving the Rays a stable starting-pitching edge and both bullpens in strong form, I do not expect a ton of runs today at Tropicana Field.
I’ll play this pick up to -130.
Quinn Allen's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 39-52, -18.25 units
Over/Under bets: 50-39, +4.38 units
White Sox vs Rays weather
Outside conditions near Tropicana Field look warm and humid, with scattered shower risk around the game window. But because Tropicana Field is a domed venue, weather should not affect scoring, ball carry, or delay risk.
White Sox vs Rays odds
Moneyline: Chicago +150 | Tampa Bay -156
Run line: Chicago +1.5 (-138) | Tampa Bay -1.5 (+133)
Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+113) | Under 8.5 (-117)
White Sox vs Rays trend
The Under is 6-0 in Rays' last 6 home games. Find more MLB betting trends for White Sox vs. Rays.
How to watch White Sox vs Rays and game info
Location
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL
Date
Saturday, August 1, 2026
First pitch
4:10 p.m. ET
TV
CHSN, Rays.TV
White Sox starting pitcher
Jordan Hicks (1-1, 3.19 ERA)
Rays starting pitcher
Drew Rasmussen (9-5, 3.07 ERA)
White Sox vs Rays latest injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
LAKELAND, FL - FEBRUARY 22: Baltimore Orioles Outfielder Reed Trimble (62) at bat during the Spring Training Game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Detroit Tigers on February 22, 2026 at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium in Tampa, FL. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
This game headed to extra innings tied at three and ended in a 9-6 final. It was a rough night at the office for Tides reliever Cameron Weston, who coughed up six runs in the top of the 10th, which featured five consecutive RBI singles. Norfolk’s starting pitcher, Trey Gibson, gave up two runs in a mediocre 4.2-inning performance. The Tides’ pitching staff was hit particularly hard by Worcester leadoff man Franklin Arias, the #7-ranked prospect in all of baseball per MLB Pipeline. Arias had three hits and drove in four.
It was an outstanding night for Tides outfielder Reed Trimble, who crushed two home runs as part of a 3-for-6, four-RBI game. He also stole a base for good measure. Trimble was playing just his third game with Norfolk since returning from a month-long IL stint with right hamstring discomfort. Enrique Bradfield Jr. went 2-for-6 with a double as the DH, and catcher Creed Willems doubled in five at-bats. Heston Kjerstad, who had been hot lately, took an 0-for-6.
It was Joseph Dzierwa night for Chesapeake, and the Orioles’ outstanding lefty prospect did not disappoint. In five strong innings he didn’t allow an earned run, though he did give up an unearned one on a throwing error by catcher Adam Retzbach. Dzierwa surrendered just two hits and struck out five. Things didn’t go so well for the Baysox once he left, as reliever Gerald Ogando gave up three runs in the seventh to break a 1-1 tie.
The Baysox outhit the Curve in this game, 9-7, but managed only one run due to a brutal 1-for-10 performance with runners in scoring position. Aron Estrada, Griff O’Ferrall, and Frederick Bencosme had two hits apiece, and both of Estrada’s were doubles. Wehiwa Aloy was 0-for-4 and committed an error in his fourth game at Double-A.
High-A: Wilmington Blue Rocks (Nationals) 4, Frederick Keys 1
Apparently it was a popular night to lose 4-1, as Frederick followed in Chesapeake’s footsteps with an identical final score. Unlike the Baysox, the Keys didn’t even have a bunch of hits to hang their hats on. They managed only two hits all night, and they both happened within the first three batters of the game, an RJ Austin double and Luis Vázquez RBI single. After that, they went 0-for-26. Yikes. They were stymied by 19-year-old Wilmington righty Miguel Sime Jr., the Nationals’ #10 prospect, who struck out 10 in five innings.
Frederick’s starter, Stephen Still, actually topped Sime in the strikeout department, racking up an eye-popping 11 Ks in 5.1 innings. This was the High-A debut for the 24-year-old Still, who was signed out of the independent leagues in May. The southpaw Still started the game with five scoreless innings, but allowed two batters to reach in the sixth, and both scored when reliever Cameron Foster coughed up a grand slam to the Blue Rocks’ Kevin Bazzell.
The Shorebirds would have killed for a garden-variety 4-1 loss. Instead they got bludgeoned by a 14-run, 16-hit Crawdads attack. Three Delmarva pitchers, Dalton Neuschwander, Adrian Heredia, and Jack Crowder, each served up at least three earned runs. A trio of Shorebirds errors allowed three unearned runs to score as well.
In addition to their terrible pitching and defense, the Shorebirds also couldn’t hit when it mattered, going 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and stranding 10 runners on base. Despite eight hits, the only runs they managed came on a Jaiden Lo Re solo homer and a throwing error by Hickory’s catcher.
Jul 20, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; New York Mets pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) prior to the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Meet the Mets
After winning on Thursday night, the Mets fell to the Marlins 5-2 yesterday as the series evened up. The Marlins scored four of their five runs in the fifth inning after both teams were held scoreless for the first four innings, and the only runs the Mets managed came via an A.J. Ewing single and a Francisco Lindor solo homer.
Freddy Peralta was originally scheduled to start last night, but was scratched as the team continues to pursue a trade for him, and Kodai Senga took the mound instead.
A four-run sixth inning—which included a three-run bomb from Michael Harris II—was the difference maker for the Braves, who defeated the Nationals 6-2.
The Phillies were up by two runs in the seventh, but Orion Kerkering proceeded to surrender four runs to the Orioles and doom Philadelphia to a 6-4 defeat for their fourth straight loss.
One day following the famous Wilmer Flores walk-off homer, the Mets won the second game in what would be a crucial three-game sweep of the Nationals on this date in 2015.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 31: Jase Bowen #4 of the San Diego Padres reacts after hitting a solo homerun during the fourth inning of a game against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park on July 31, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As good as the offense was for San Diego, the story of the game was the pitching. The Padres needed just three pitchers to complete the game, and the trio allowed just two hits. Bradgley Rodriguez opened the game and pitched a hitless first inning and recorded two strikeouts. Yuki Matsui followed in the top of the second and the left-hander held San Francisco to one hit over three innings of work. German Marquez was called on for the final five innings of the game, and he too allowed one hit with one walk to secure the win for the Padres.
The “Pitching Chaos” approach can be treacherous at ties if the pitchers who are called on do not perform, but what Rodriguez, Matsui and Marquez did in the second game of the series showed how the approach can be successful. Although Padres pitchers, like Matsui, may be asked to throw more pitches or more innings in an outing, their ability to perform conserves the other bullpen arms, which allows this pitching approach to have a chance to be effective night in and night out.
The San Diego offense got started early against the San Francisco starter Carson Whisenhunt. Fernando Tatis Jr. opened the game with a line drive double and was followed by Luis Rengifo who singled to put runners on the corners. Manny Machado brought home the first run of the game on a sacrifice fly, and the Padres offense was off and running. San Diego scored two runs in the first, one in the third, three in the fourth and scored the final run of the game in the sixth.
Ty France led the Padres offense and finished 2-for-2 with a walk and three RBI. Luis Campusano finished 3-for-4 with and RBI and Rengifo finished 1-for-3 with two walks and three runs scored. Tatis also finished 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored and Jase Bowen added two hits, one of which was his first MLB home run. The only player in the San Diego lineup to not record a hit was Jackson Merrill.
The Padres will try to make it two wins in a row tonight when they host the Giants at 5:40 p.m.
According to reporting from MLB Trade Rumors, executives around MLB say they do not think the Padres will trade closer Mason Miller. Additionally, San Diego appears unlikely to move the left-hander.
Giants GM Buster Posey announced Harrison Bader will not be paid until he is able to contribute to the team after a scooter collision resulted in injury.
The Detroit Tigers opened up their West Coast road trip on Friday night with a 13-1 blowout victory over the Athletics in Sacramento. Max Clark shined in his major league debut and the bullpen successfully shut down the opponents.
On Saturday night, the Motor City Kitties can clinch the weekend series behind left-hander Framber Valdez, who struggled in three of his four games last month. Over the course of July, the 32-year-old posted a brutal 7.13 ERA but a much more respectable 4.74 FIP, serving up 21 hits (two home runs) and seven walks while striking out 15 and hitting four batters over a 17 2/3-inning stretch.
For the Athletics, right-hander Jack Perkins will take the mound to make his ninth start in 27 total appearances this summer. Since becoming a starter (with one relief appearance against the Tigers mixed in), the 26-year-old has put up a 7.14 ERA and a 5.63 FIP spanning over 40 1/3 innings of work, allowing 39 hits (10 home runs) and 20 walks while striking out 47 and hitting a pair of batters.
Here is a quick look at how the two match up on paper.
Detroit Tigers (52-58) vs. Athletics (45-65)
Time (ET): 9:40 p.m. Place: Sutter Health Park, Sacramento, California SB Nation Site:Athletics Nation Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 111: LHP Framber Valdez (5-7, 4.53 ERA) vs. RHP Jack Perkins (2-6, 6.45 ERA)
Newton, MA - February 3: Boston Celtics President Brad Stevens watches his son Brady Stevens play for Newton North. (Photo by Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
Next in the series of roundtables is a question about what’s coming next. Specifically I asked them to predict the next major roster move between now and the trade deadline (something beyond 2-ways or camp invites). Here’s what we came up with.
Ian Inangelo
Between now and the trade deadline I think the next major roster move will be the addition of another guard coming off the bench. I don’t see a major move like trading for a Trey Murphy in the cards as of now but if there’s a scoring guard on the market that can provide bench scoring I feel that is the route the Celtics should go.
Trevor Hass
I’ll predict that the Celtics will trade Sam Hauser, Luka Garza and a pick for Cameron Johnson. Johnson would fit in well from a stylistic standpoint and is one of the more underrated players in the league.
Jake Issenberg
I’m sorry to disappoint with this one. Unless Steph Curry becomes available I don’t see the Celtics doing anything of note until next offseason. They should remain under the luxury tax for one more season to allow them to achieve maximum optionality going into next offseason. Though, I would ecstatic if Payton Pritchard signs the three year $67 million contract extension he will be eligible for in October. (edited)
Nate Moskowitz
To avoid the boring answer of nothing, I will offer that a Sam Hauser trade could be on the table. My rationale is that they might just need the minutes to give Hugo, Walsh, Scheierman, Harper Jr. sufficient playing time. They’re investing in each of those guys, and Hauser’s 25MPG is a reasonable place to pull from.
Grant Burfeind
My real answer would be nothing, but where’s the fun in that? Instead, I’ll throw out Sam Hauser to OKC for Cason Wallace, plus one or two of those draft picks Sam Presti keeps collecting like Pokémon cards.
Wallace feels like such a Celtics player. Imagine rolling out Derrick White and Cason Wallace against guards like Brunson, Mitchell and Cade every night. Good luck. Wallace is already one of the better young perimeter defenders in the league, and his shot has come a long way. During the Thunder’s playoff run last year, Wallace made 2.0 threes per game at a 48.4% clip. The thought of rolling out a lineup with White, Wallace, Paul George, Tatum and Mitchell Robinson brings a smile to my face.
Jeff Clark
Yeah, you guys are all being boring. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the Celtics are poised and ready to use Paul George’s contract and a handful of picks to go get the next star that hits the market. Either because he’s upset with his current situation or (more likely) because the team finds itself in the same 2nd Apron purgatory that started the Celtics “optionality” moves a year ago. Which player will that be? I’m not holding my breath for Jokic or Curry, but I’d keep an eye on the Cavs, Magic, Rockets, and even the T-Wolves. And yeah, keep the Pelicans on speed dial, just in case.
“Not good enough” you say? I can see the comments already: “You call people boring then you don’t give us a name?” Ok fine. I predict things go sideways in Cleveland and we add Evan Mobley for George and 2 first rounders and a pick swap.
Robby Fletcher
I think Boston’s done with major moves in the near-future, at least until next offseason, but I am expecting one championship piece to be on the move in Sam Hauser.
This felt like something that’d get done this offseason, but this general post-LeBron calm feels like a good indication that the Celtics like their current personnel and intend for Hauser to be a Celtic on opening night. That’s far from a bad thing. He’ll more than likely return to the bench and provide his usual sharpshooting influence off-ball. However, his departure makes sense financially and in a team-sense, paving the way for more opportunities for Hugo Gonzalez, Jordan Walsh and Baylor Scheierman. At the deadline, Hauser’s shooting could convince a playoff hopeful to give up valuable, cost-effective draft capital to help the team’s long-term outlook.
Bill Sy
I’m thinking something like Sam Hauser and Mike Conley Jr. for Ty Jerome and D’Angelo Russell. Grizzlies needs some shooting, Celtics get a better option off the dribble, and Conley retires where it all started for him in Memphis.
Mike Dynon
Nothing expected before the trade deadline (sorry!), unless Brad Stevens decides more help is needed at point guard. Mike Conley should be a perfect fit as a backup, but how much does he have left for his 20th season? He appeared in just 54 games last year, averaging only 18 minutes per game. (Really hope Conley stays, however. The way he plays the game is classic Celtics, and he’ll be the veteran leader in the locker room.)
Ryan Paice
Sorry guys, I gotta be boring here: we ain’t doin’ anything before the trade deadline. The C’s are under the luxury tax and will want to stay that way throughout the 2026-27 season in order to reset the repeater tax moving forward. And, if we do make a move, I’m afraid it’ll only disappoint Boston fans since it’ll probably mean shipping out Hauser for negative value in order to clear up space for the young wings while staying under the luxury tax. I’d love to get a Cason Wallace or Cameron Johnson or Ty Jerome for Hauser, but I have a hard time seeing that realistically happening.
Rich Jensen
I am convinced of only one thing: That anything I predict will be wrong.
The Gores and the Murakamis, just met but old pals now. | Leonard Gore/South Side Sox
Someone call Homer or Christopher Nolan, because I have been on one hell of an Odyssey!
OK, with that bit of topical humor out of the way, allow me to re-re-reintroduce myself. My name is Leonard Gore, Lenny to my friends and colleagues here at South Side Sox, and @Leonard42 on the Bird App (oh! Also @leonardg42.bsky.social on Bluesky!)
I’ve been a White Sox fan for as long as I could remember, and that’s a verifiable fact because when my parents took me to Old Comiskey back when I was a wee little baby, they lost me for a good long while as they passed me down the aisle for ladies to ooh and ahh at my objectively adorable cheeks, and I ended up two sections over. I like to tell folks I knew even back then that the place was my true home, and not the fact that I could have been kidnapped and raised by a nice family in Bridgeport that had to find an elaborate reason why their baby boy was a darker shade than the rest of his siblings!
But to bring this back on track, why am I coming back on board now? Right as this White Sox team is two-thirds of the way to a playoff spot? As Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas, Colson Montgomery, Davis Martin, Sean Burke, Grant Taylor and former Savannah Banana Tristan Peters all take off and play the best baseball of their lives? As Will Venable manages as if this team hasn’t lost 300+ games over the last three seasons and has this team believing they can beat anybody in a mediocre American League?
Well, to be honest … this team may have brought me out of the darkest time for me as a Sox fan in my entire life.
It started with Pedro Grifol staring into the camera and saying with a straight face that the White Sox were here to “kick your ass” only to find out that the rest of the league was the boot and the Sox were bent over, bottom getting redder and redder leading to 121 losses and the well deserved title of Worst Team of All Time. I found myself becoming what I never thought I would be: apathetic.
Josh Naylor hits a game-tying grand slam in the ninth inning followed by a three-run homer in extras? Welp, that is to be expected. Oh well.
The team loses its 21st game in a row, tying a major league record leading to the 1,000-Yard Stare from a shellshocked Vargas in a sewage-filled Oakland dugout? Sure it stinks in here, but I can’t tell if its the raw sewage or the Chicago White Sox.
You, dear reader, were there too. I don’t need to re-litigate the darkest three-year period in franchise history. The point is, it weighed on me. It weighed down on my soul to a point where I was actively despising this team and the ownership.
Oh, and don’t even get me started on how Jerry Reinsdorf decided that his handpicked successor to Hawk Harrelson, the great Jason Benetti, was an ingrate for being too popular and taking Sundays off to do national baseball and NFL games and let him walk to Detroit (DETROIT!), replacing him with the abomination that is John “South Side STAAAAAND UP!” Schriffen. That’s a whole another 10,000-word post.
But even with the 19-game improvement to onlylose 102 games in 2025, I didn’t see much daylight in the upcoming 2026 season. And given the fact the team began 2026 with a Chase Meidroth homer off of Cy Misiorowski and Munetaka’s first major league homer, only to sandwich 14 Brewers runs on Opening Day, the 7-14 record to begin the season felt like this was the start of another slow march to a loss total that had three digits again.
But then, an amazing thing happened.
The White Sox … just kept … winning. No crazy-long, 12-game winning streaks … but three five-game win streaks in the first half? Not bad. Not bad at all!
Edgar Quero, in the midst of a slump that would eventually send him down to Charlotte, comes up with a walk-off homer to overcome a blown lead in the ninth to beat the Cubs? Well, would you look at that! This team may have something cooking!
Braden Montgomery gets called up and in his major league debut hits a walk-off home run off of Atlanta’s elite closer, called by Bob Costas, in front of an incognito MLB draft prospect Daniel Cholowsky? THIS TEAM DOES NOT QUIT! POST THE PARADE ROUTE ONLINE!
Amazingly, this is only three-highlights from a season’s worth of them that probably eclipses the total highlights from 2023-2025 combined. I could have gone with more, but Brett is already looking over my shoulder politely asking me to land this plane.
Just a couple of days ago, the White Sox just had their second consecutive extra-inning walk off win over the Yankees, splitting a series where the team absolutely could have lost all four games and sent this fan base into its first existential crisis of the season, casting doubt on whether this hot start was revealing itself to be the mirage we all had buried deep in the back of our minds. But they split the series (much thanks on Wednesday to the Yankees catcher airmailing an ill-advised pickoff attempt to end the game at third base) and somehow, amazingly, have yet to have a losing streak longer than three games this season.
So are the Sox a lock for the playoffs? For as mid as the AL has been all season, this team is still young and prone to periods of silent bats. The Guardians, despite a recent slump, still have José Ramírez and the nasty ability to somehow win games with a roster full of MLB The Show NPCs. The Twins, through some legitimate voodoo, have an offense as potent as even the vaunted Sox squad and are an uncomfortable three games back, right there with Cleveland. Tarik Skubal, thankfully, got his farewell start in Detroit and will hopefully not be a problem for the White Sox until they face whichever NL team pays thru the nose to rent him for the playoffs. And the Royals … well they just gave up a walk-off grand slam to the Twins while strike from victory. (At least they have Bobby Witt Jr.?)
But your White Sox are in first place on August 1. They are entering a nine-game stretch vs the AL-best Rays, the suddenly hot-as-hell Red Sox, and the against the third-placesecond-place middling Guardians. Given the Sox track record, they’ll go 4-5 but somehow sweep Cleveland and finally start to pull away towards the most improbable Sox division title since 2008.
And with that, I leave you with this. There is a non-zero chance the 2027 season will be locked out and games will be lost. Hell, there may be ZERO baseball next year. So ENJOY THIS RIDE, Sox fans. Expect success. Fill up the Rate and cheer like crazy for your South Side 9. Crazier things have happened.
COVERS INTEL: The Rays are a much better team offensively at home, 
