The New York Mets (38-53) are back home for one final series before the All-Star break as they host the Kansas City Royals (37-54) for three games at Citi Field. The Mets took two out of three from the Royals in Kansas City last year, and took two out of three the last time these two teams squared off at Citi Field back in 2024. All time, the Mets are 14-16 all-time against the Royals, which includes their World Series loss in 2015.

The Mets earned a hard-fought split with the Braves to complete a 3-5 road trip. It was a tale of two halves of a series for the Mets in the Braves, which started with two losses (-3 loss on Friday and 14-3 on Saturday) that were dominated by the Braves and incredibly sloppy affairs by the Mets. New York rebounded for two one-run victories, 10-9 win on Sunday (a game that, quite frankly, felt like a loss after they allowed six runs in the ninth to almost snatch defeat from the jaws of victory) and 7-6 on Monday in extra innings. The latter was the team’s second victory when trailing after eight innings this year, a feat they accomplished exactly zero times in 2025.

The main focus around the club continues to be the trade market and trade value for some of their best assets. With the team clearly being sellers, the team appears open to business. Trade rumors have been swirling, and every player on an expiring contract seems to be available. The team will almost certainly look for someone to take Freddy Peralta, AJ Minter, and Brooks Raley, while guys like Clay Holmes and Bo Bichette could also draw some interest. It’s unfortunate that the only things we have to look forward to at this juncture of the season are trade returns and draft prospects, but the club appears to be treating the deadline as a chance to retool rather than rebuild, with their eyes set on competing once again in 2027. This will be David Stearns’ chance to at least gain some points in the eyes of the fanbase if he can really nail the returns on the trades he orchestrates.

One of the lone bright spots continues to be Juan Soto, whose three-run homer on Monday gave New York a two-run lead in the ninth (a lead Devin Williams would eventually relinquish before the team jumped ahead for good in the tenth). Soto was voted in as a starter for the NL squad in the upcoming All-Star game. Soto leads all NL players in OPS (.984) and wRC+ (168) and is ninth among hitters with a 3.0 fWAR. He is also ninth in home runs with 19, tied with Shohei Ohtani, whom he will be battling with for NL MVP honors later this year. While so much has gone wrong for New York this season, Soto has continued to perform at his usual incredible pace, even with the early-season injury that kept him out of the lineup for a little bit. In even the worst of seasons, it’s always a joy watching Soto play baseball for your team.

This series is shaping up to be a race to the bottom of the standings, as both the Mets and Royals are in the bottom-five of records in the league and could be competing to help their lottery odds this week. The Mets currently find themselves one game better than the Royals heading into play today. The Royals, like the Mets, enter this series on a two-game winning streak after taking the final two games of their series against the Phillies. Prior to that, they dropped four in a row and eight of their previous nine.

The Royals enter play with a 95 wRC+ as a team, which is 21st in baseball, and a .708 OPS, which is 20th. Meanwhile, their 384 runs scored are 20th in MLB (no doubt that both numbers were aided by their 15-1 outburst against the Phillies yesterday). On the pitching side of things, their rotation sports a 4.52 ERA (23rd in MLB) and a 4.33 FIP (20th). Their bullpen is by far their biggest weakness, as their relievers enter play tonight with a 5.21 ERA (29th), and a 5.15 FIP (30th), so if you can keep the game close heading into the late innings, you stand a good chance against them.

Bobby Witt Jr. remains one of the best players in the league despite the team’s struggles. Witt Jr. enters play today slashing .292/.364/.467 with a 128 wRC+ and a 4.7 fWAR in 85 games. He has 12 home runs to date and also has 30 stolen bases already, which is tops in the American League and second only to Nasim Nuñez of the Nationals in all of baseball. On the other end of the spectrum, veteran Salvador Perez is having a miserable year, hitting .209/.249/.347 with a 59 wRC+ and a -1.3 fWAR in 83 games. The nine-time All-Star and lone holdover from the 2015 World Series-winning club has the worst fWAR among all position players in baseball, as his career may finally be reaching its end.

Tuesday, July 7: TBD vs. Seth Lugo, 7:1o PM EDT on SNY

TBD

The Mets have not named a starter for Tuesday’s game. It’s likely Kodai Senga could factor into the game in some capacity, but he pitched on July 3, so he may not be ready to pitch on Tuesday.

Lugo (2026): 96.1 IP, 76 K, 30 BB, 12 HR, 4.20 ERA, 4.15 FIP, 97 ERA-

Lugo is failed to reach the heights of his 2024 campaign, when he finished second in AL Cy Young voting and 15th in AL MVP voting. Despite that, he’s still been a mostly-solid pitcher for the Royals over the past two years. He’s picked up a loss in each of his last two outings, both against the Rays. His last time out, he allowed three earned runs on nine hits over six innings, and before that he allowed seven earned runs on seven hits over five innings. This is the right-hander’s first start against his old club, whom he last played for in 2022.

Wednesday, July 8: Christian Scott vs. Stephen Kolek, 7:10 PM EDT on SNY

Scott (2026): 49.0 IP, 60 K, 25 BB, 7 HR, 3.49 ERA, 4.36 FIP, 85 ERA-

Scott was handed his first loss of the year in his last outing, going four innings and giving up three earned runs on two hits to the Braves. He walked four and surrendered two home runs, two things that have plagued him as of late. Specifically, he’s allowed six home runs in his last three starts after allowing just one in his previous eight outings.

Kolek (2026): 54.0 IP, 34 K, 12 BB, 8 HR, 4.50 ERA, 4.55 FIP, 104 ERA-

Kolek got off to a strong start, earning a win in three of his first four starts, including a complete game shutout in his fourth start of the year. He’s fallen on hard times lately, failing to go beyond the second inning in each of his last two starts. His last time out, he returned from the Family Emergency List to pitch two innings. He allowed three earned runs on four hits in the outing as he picked up the loss to the Rays.

Thursday, July 9: Sean Manaea vs. Michael Wacha, 1:10 PM EDT on SNY

Manaea (2026): 68.0 IP, 68 K, 23 BB, 8 HR, 5.16 ERA, 4.01 FIP, 126 ERA-

Manaea got hit pretty hard in his last start, allowing six earned runs over five innings against the Braves. It was tied for the most earned runs he’s allowed in a game this season, and the most he’s given up since getting bumped up to the rotation. It was a discouraging step back after a pretty strong stretch for the left-hander, but with no better options, Manaea will remain in the rotation as the club searches for better outings from their starting pitchers.

Wacha (2026): 114.2 IP, 91 K, 31 BB, 13 HR, 3.45 ERA, 3.91 FIP, 80 ERA-

Wacha is in his 14th major league season and still performing very admirably. The former Met, who is in his third season in Kansas City, leads the AL in innings pitched and has pitched into the sixth in all but two of his 18 starts this year. In his last start, he went six innings and allowed four earned runs on eight hits in a loss to the Phillies. It was the sixth time he’s allowed four earned runs or more this year, and he allowed a season-high three homers after allowing 10 in his previous 17 outings.

It’s been impossible for the Orioles to sustain genuine momentum this season, and … I’m not sure this series, involving three home games against the Chicago Cubs, is going to be the one that does it.

The Cubs come to Camden Yards in second place in the NL Central, six games back of a red-hot Brewers club, and considering their genuinely bad rotation health luck, to be still in second is pretty gritty of them. At 50-40, Chicago has actually won 7 of its last 10, but that’s despite a starting five that’s been held together with duct tape most of the year. (The Orioles, at 42-49 and buried in fourth in the AL East, 12 games back, don’t have the injury excuse in quite the same way.)

The Cubs bring real thump. As a team they’ve got one of the top two offenses in the game, per Fangraphs, with a .244/.338/.409 slash line with 112 home runs. Pete Crow-Armstrong has been the engine of it, with his .910 OPS with 19 homers and 23 steals, almost an unfair line to be getting from your centerfielder. Dansby Swanson has been so-so for most of the year (.716 OPS) but has caught fire over his last month (.981 OPS). Seiya Suzuki (13 HR, .795 OPS) and Ian Happ (17 HR, .768 OPS) round out a lineup that can change a game with one swing.

On the Baltimore side, the story is uneven as always. Gunnar Henderson has 16 homers but only a .701 OPS. Pete Alonso has quietly been Baltimore’s best hitter (.810 OPS, 19 HR), and Samuel Basallo has shown real thump too, at age 21 (.789 OPS, 14 HR). Coby Mayo, on the other hand, is still searching—a .628 OPS overall, though he’s shown flashes in shorter stretches this year.

Here’s how these two teams match up in each game of the series.

Game 1, Tuesday: 6:35pm Eastern

RHP Shane Baz (4-8, 4.19 ERA, 87 K) v. LHP Matthew Boyd (3-1, 5.08 ERA, 37 K)

Baz has settled in as a legitimate mid-rotation piece since coming over from Tampa, and his recent form has been solid—a sub-.700 OPS against over his last 28 days of work. The one soft spot is the platoon split: he’s been much tougher on right-handed hitters (.667 OPS against) than lefties (.802), and the Cubs lineup has real left-handed power in Busch, Suzuki, and Happ.

Boyd is the wild card of the series. He was an All-Star a year ago, but a biceps strain and then knee surgery have limited him to just five starts in 2026. So far, the numbers (6.00 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) reflect a pitcher still finding his rhythm. If the old Boyd shows up, this is a real problem for Baltimore. If not, the Orioles’ lineup should have chances.

Game 2, Wednesday: 6:35pm Eastern

RHP DeanKremer (1-1, 3.18 ERA, 20 K) v. RHP Colin Rea (6-5, 4.74 ERA, 68 K)

Kremer’s return has been one of the few unambiguous bright spots for Baltimore lately. In three starts since returning from a quad strain, he’s flashing a strikeout rate well above his career norm (10.6 K/9), and the results to match. Whether that holds up over a longer look remains the question, but for now he’s given the rotation exactly the lift it needed.

Rea has been a steadying presence for a Cubs staff that’s had arm after arm hit the injured list (Cabrera, Brown, Taillon, Boyd have all missed time this year) and he’s pitched well in his last three starts specifically, with just three earned runs in 15.1 IP. With one of the worst fastballs in the game by expected run average, he’s not going to overpower anyone, but he’ll compete, and given how thin Chicago’s depth has been, that’s valuable.

Game 3, Thursday: 6:35pm Eastern

LHP Trevor Rogers (6-7, 4.70 ERA, 65 K) v. LHP David Peterson (4-7, 4.28 ERA, 68 K)

Rogers has been the definition of matchup-dependent this year: brutal against right-handers (.779 OPS against) but nearly unhittable against lefties (.526 OPS against). The Cubs lineup skews right-handed outside of Busch, Conforto, and Crow-Armstrong, which doesn’t play to Rogers’s strength the way a lefty-heavy lineup would.

David Peterson has one good thing going for this season: he’s a lefty. Traded from the Mets, the team that drafted him in the first round in 2017, at the end of June, Peterson was struggling in Citi Field and continues to struggle at Wrigley, allowing 12 runs in 9.1 innings so far. Maybe the O’s lately-producing righties—Rutschman, Alonso, Mayo and O’Neill recently—can give the struggling lefty more problems.

The Cubs have a strong lineup, but an injury-riddled rotation. These are winnable games, on paper, for a team that badly needs some. Will the Orioles find enough offense to make it count? What do you think, Birdland?

Game Recaps

Max Kepler goes yard as Diamondbacks pour it on in win over Padres by Tyler Drake [Arizona Sports]

Outfielder Max Kepler hit his first home run in a Diamondbacks uniform and racked up four RBIs in Arizona’s 8-0 win over the San Diego Padres on Monday night.

After bringing in Geraldo Perdomo on an RBI single in the first inning, Kepler took Padres starter Walker Buehler deep with a three-run homer in the third.

Pfaadt, homers lead D-backs to shutout over Padres by Steve Gilbert [Dbacks.com]

The Diamondbacks optioned Pfaadt to Triple-A Reno to both get his pitch count built back up as a starter, but also to try and locate the form that just a year ago had the organization looking at him as a foundational piece.

Pfaadt dominated the Padres’ lineup, tossing five scoreless innings while allowing just four hits and did not walk a batter. He struck out six as the Diamondbacks rolled to an 8-0 win at Petco Park.

In two starts since returning from Reno, Pfaadt has allowed one earned run over 10 1/3 innings pitched.

Diamondbacks News

Diamondbacks catcher James McCann comes off the injured list by Kevin Zimmerman [Arizona Sports]

McCann played in three rehab games with Triple-A Reno in advance of his reinstatement.

Del Castillo, who has played in 120 games for Arizona over the past three seasons, is going through his worst MLB stretch.

The 26-year-old was batting .185 with 48 strikeouts, 12 walks and just nine extra-base hits in 51 games this year.

Could Willson Contreras solve the first baseman problem for the Diamondbacks? by Wendy Lopez [Burn City Sports]

Contreras, meanwhile, has been one of Boston’s most productive hitters, batting .284 with 20 home runs, 59 RBIs and a .920 OPS. His combination of power, patience and postseason experience would strengthen Arizona’s lineup.

Adding Contreras would give Arizona another middle-of-the-order power bat to complement the contact and speed throughout the rest of the lineup.

What D-backs’ Brutal Series Loss Told Us – And What It Didn’t by Alex D’Agostino [SI]

The Brewers are not an easy team to beat, and the Diamondbacks certainly held their own, but they weren’t able to execute quite enough to make it happen. And the road is not getting much easier. 

The Diamondbacks will have to head out on the road, without an off day Monday, to face the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers in six straight divisional matchups. 

Though the Padres have not been hitting well, they have a strong bullpen (despite some recent injury news), and games between Arizona and San Diego tend to be hard-fought games, regardless of either team’s record.

Around the League

The 2026 Draft starts Saturday! Here’s what you need to know [MLB]

2026 MLB DRAFT PRESENTED BY NIPPON EXPRESS
Day 1: Saturday, July 11 (Rounds 1-4)
• 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET – Picks 1-10 (NBC/Peacock)
• 2:30-4:30 p.m. ET – Picks 11-40 (MLB Network, MLB.com, MLB TV, MLB+)
• 4:30-7:45 p.m. ET – Picks 41-135 (MLB.com, MLB TV, MLB+)

Day 2: Sunday, July 12 (Rounds 5-20)
• 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. ET (MLB.com, MLB TV, MLB+)

2026 MLB Draft: One big question and intel for all 30 teams by Kiley McDaniel [ESPN]

The Snakes have leaned hard into lefty-hitting high school position players in the past with Kayson Cunningham (last year’s first-rounder), Slade Caldwell (2024 first-rounder), J.D. Dix (switch-hitter; 2024 compensation-rounder), Ivan Luciano (2024 second-rounder), along with other historic picks such as Corbin Carroll and Alek Thomas. If he gets to No. 15, I could see Arizona being a floor for Jared Grindlinger, but the other potential fits for the Diamondbacks either don’t appear to be a target of theirs or will go about 10 picks later. LSU outfielder Derek Curiel fits here, but he might not make it to this pick; the board is making it easier to take a pitcher here, even if that isn’t normally what Arizona tends to do with high picks.

Dodgers Announce Four Roster Moves by Anthony Franco [MLB Trade Rumors]

The Dodgers announced a few roster moves before tonight’s series opener against the Rockies. As skipper Dave Roberts said last night, Evan Phillips is officially back from last year’s Tommy John surgery. Los Angeles also added reliever Carlos Durán to their 40-man roster, though he’ll remain at Triple-A Oklahoma City on an optional assignment.

L.A. optioned righty Paul Gervase to OKC to open a spot in the bullpen for Phillips. They needed to clear a pair of 40-man roster spots, so they released lefty Jake Eder and designated catcher Chuckie Robinson for assignment.

For just the second time in the last week and a half, Yankees fans got to wake up in the morning knowing that their team hadn’t embarrassed them in some grotesque manner the night before. Cam Schlittler was an ace! Ben Rice was an All-Star as well! And of course there was a surprise contributor as well too, with José Caballero delivering a pair of homers despite entering play in an 8-for-50 (.160) slump. They still need to do a little bit more—the three dingers between Caballero and Rice represented their only hits—but every return to form has to start somewhere.

Here’s what else was going on in some of the notable American League action yesterday. Note that since all these teams are classified in “Other Games” for us while the Rays get the most detailed treatment, it’ll be a tidier Rivalry Roundup over the next four days. That’s especially true for this one since the Guardians and Mariners (and White Sox and Rangers) were all off.

Toronto Blue Jays (42-49) 1, San Francisco Giants (38-52) 10: I’ve been pretty persistent about keeping the Jays involved in the Rivalry Roundup all year long since they do remain the defending American League champions and could still well make it to October in an awful AL field. Even now, they’re just 3.5 back in the Wild Card; Texas, Houston, and Minnesota are all ahead of them for the last spot, but would it shock anyone to see those teams falter and bring the Jays back into this? Not really.

But everyone has a breaking point, and I’m almost there with Toronto, at least in terms of expectations. If this continues, it will likely be their last week for the time being. Nothing says “sobering” like getting your teeth kicked in by the disastrous 2026 Giants. Kevin Gausman was OK until faltering badly in the sixth, and the Jays mustered just three hits in eight innings against Landen Roupp. Heliot Ramos went oppo taco into the high right-field seats at Oracle Park and followed it in the eighth with a majestic 434-foot tater.

Houston Astros (45-48) 11, Washington Nationals (47-45) 12: The Astros haven’t been featured in the Rivalry Roundup since early in the season, but we can give them a cameo this morning since they’re in the Wild Card mix and not far off the underwhelming M’s in the AL West. And the Yankees are playing the Nationals after this Rays series, too, so why not?

This 2019 World Series rematch turned into a fun one at Nats Park, perfectly fitting two clubs that have struggled on the mound in 2026. Homers by Jose Altuve and Yainer Diaz off Miles Mikolas helped give Houston an early 6-1 lead, but the Nats came storming back because Houston starter Mike Burrows wasn’t any good either. NL All-Star starting shortstop CJ Abrams proved his bona fides with a three-run missile to right in the third, capping a five-run frame that suddenly tied the game. Curtis Mead delivered his third run-scoring hit of the day on a go-ahead solo shot in the fifth, an inning that would not end for the Astros until James Wood delivered a towering, 445-foot grand slam against AJ Blubaugh.

The Nats’ lousy bullpen made this one close again, Houston creeping back into it on the strength of a three-run jack from Brice Matthews in the eighth. It was a one-run game, so rookie skipper Blake Butera called on Clayton Beeter for the four-out save. The erstwhile Yankees prospect obliged, retiring the next four batters in order impressively including the ever-scorching Yordan Alvarez on a strikeout as the potential tying run. The Astros are now three games behind the Mariners in the AL West, in third place with the Rangers a game and a half up in second (Texas also presently holds the last Wild Card(.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Padres fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Michael King has had a perplexing start to the season for the San Diego Padres. The right-hander had a 3.55 ERA heading into a contest against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium last Friday. That number is not concerning, but the record of 5-7 and the up-and-down nature of his starts has the Friar Faithful wringing their hands.

In his last seven games prior to the start against the Dodgers, King had pitched to a 1-5 record with 5.45 ERA. He pitched 38 innings over the seven starts, allowing 37 hits with 15 walks. King lasted just 3.2 innings and allowed four runs on five hits against the Athletics on May 24 and followed that with a six-inning performance against the Washington Nationals on May 30 where he allowed five runs on five hits. Fans would be excused if they were hoping June would bring about some different results for King, but it was more of the same. He made five starts in June and went 1-3 with a no decision. In all but one of those starts, King allowed three runs or more and he also threw arguably his best game of the season against the Atlanta Braves on June 22 when he did not allow a run on six hits with no walks and five strikeouts.

That last line of the above paragraph holds the key to solving the consistency problems for King. He did not allow a walk against the Braves. It should be noted King did not allow a walk to the New York Mets on June 5, but he did allow four runs on six hits, two of which were home runs, and the Padres offense was held without a run. In five of the last seven games, King has allowed at least one walk and that came in the game against the Nationals. He allowed four walks to the Athletics, three to the Cincinnati Reds, three to the St. Louis Cardinals and four to the Dodgers. King also hit three batters in those seven games, so it seems apparent that he has to limit if not eliminate the free passes if he is going to have success.

Whether or not King can re-establish his command and limit the walks and hit batters is something only time can tell. He can say he is working on it, but he has to execute in games. San Diego pitching coach Ruben Niebla can help him work on his control and limiting the walks and hit batters, but again, it will be up to King to execute when he is on the mound and looking to give his team a chance to win a game. King does have a track record of success, which is why Padres fans were happy he re-signed with the team in the offseason, but the confidence in the right-hander seems to be waning and the Friar Faithful are concerned about the rest of the season as we approach the All-Star break.

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Good morning! The Mariners are back in action tonight against the Miami Marlins at 3:40 PM as they embark on another lengthy road trip.

In Mariners news…

• ICYMI: The Mariners have promoted both top prospects Lazaro Montes and Michael Arroyo to Triple-A Tacoma.
• President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto offered some insight into the team’s mindset entering the trade deadline.
• Catch the latest episode of the Meet at the Mitt podcast here!

Around the league…

• MLB has reduced Washington Nationals RHP Cade Cavalli’s suspension from seven games to five after his involvement in a benches-clearing brawl against the Boston Red Sox.
• The Tampa Bay Rays are targeting catching help ahead of this year’s trade deadline.
• A two-homer night from San Francisco Giants left fielder Heliot Ramos capped off the team’s 10-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
• New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton has not returned to running since his recent injury setback, and his return to play timeline remains up in the air.
• The Detroit Tigers have traded RHP Woo-Suk Go to the Minnesota Twins and RHP Matt Seelinger to the New York Mets in exchange for cash considerations.

Congratulations to Sebastian Walcott, who has been named the #1 prospect in the 2026 LSB Midseason Community Prospect Rankings, receiving almost 90% of the vote.

Moving on…

Because there has been a history of vote-spamming shenanigans in the rankings, I used Google Forms for the last several of community rankings, and it worked out well, so we will use it again. You will need to include your LSB user name when you vote. If you don’t have an LSB user name, you need to use some sort of identifier. While this won’t eliminate the possibility of vote spamming, it will make it harder.

So who is the #2 prospect in the Rangers system right now?

Cast your vote below…

This social media post made last week caught my eye, and probably yours too:

Of those 13 pitchers, at least three (Cade Horton, Shelby Miller and Porter Hodge) aren’t expected to pitch at all the rest of this season. The status of Hunter Harvey, Riley Martin and Justin Steele to throw any pitches for the 2026 Cubs is still uncertain. We also don’t know when Ben Brown will be back — and if he is this year, he could be limited to relief work.

About the six others:

• Jameson Taillon made a rehab start Sunday and might start this weekend in Cincinnati
• Edward Cabrera will need a rehab assignment, so he’s likely not back until August
• Daniel Palencia could be back by the end of July
• Phil Maton, same, perhaps back by the end of this month
• Ethan Roberts’ timeline for return is unclear, though he officially began a rehab assignment on Friday
• Hoby Milner should return from having his appendix removed sometime in August

(All the info above is from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter.)

So there are pitching reinforcements returning from injury. And the Cubs still could make a deal for a starter, a reliever, or both.

What I wanted to talk about here are the guys replacing all the pitchers listed above.

Jed Hoyer traded for David Peterson, who had his moments in New York but apparently wore out his welcome. He’s had one good start and one bad one for the Cubs so the proverbial verdict is still out on him. Some of the other pitchers who have put up innings for the Cubs this year, woof. Bryse Wilson? Jordan Wicks? Corbin Martin? I mean, yes, each of those guys had at least one good game for the Cubs but my question here is: Why don’t the Cubs have the parade of 98 mile per hour guys that seem to be coming out of every other team’s system? There don’t seem to be relievers like that in the Cubs organization.

Except… there were some guys like that, pitchers the Cubs let go for nothing. I’m thinking specifically of Trevor Megill and Jeremiah Estrada, pitchers who can throw 98+ consistently and have had success elsewhere. Megill has been the Brewers closer (mostly, though was briefly demoted this year) for most of the last three seasons and has posted a 2.93 ERA and 1.110 WHIP in 165 games in Milwaukee, with 206 strikeouts in 163 innings. Estrada has made 160 appearances for the Padres over the last three years with a 3.26 ERA and 1.119 WHIP, and 225 strikeouts in 154.2 innings.

Both those pitchers were let go for nothing. So was Jason Adam, who was non-tendered after 2021 because he was reportedly going to get $900,000 in arbitration. Then the Cubs signed Daniel Norris for more than that, and Norris was released after posting a 6.90 ERA in 27 games. Meanwhile, Adam has posted a 2.12 ERA and 0.965 WHIP in 298 games for the Rays and Padres since then, with 317 strikeouts in 289 innings.

Caleb Kilian is another example. The Cubs tried him as a starter and he failed at that. During Spring Training 2025 he was throwing 98 miles per hour and likely would have made the Opening Day bullpen last year if he hadn’t been injured. He pitched in a handful of games at Iowa after returning from the injury and the results weren’t good and he was let go after the season. Now he’s a useful reliever for the Giants, with a four-seamer averaging 97.

I could probably come up with some more examples of this sort of thing, but you get the idea. The Cubs either don’t evaluate pitchers properly, or a perceived money issue gets in the way of keeping a useful pitcher like Adam.

Instead, the Cubs sign retread after retread, trying to get pitchers to re-capture something they had three or five years in the past.

Next up on that list will be Liam Hendriks and Aaron Bummer, both now toiling for Triple-A Iowa. Hendriks, who is 37, was last effective in the big leagues in 2022. Then he missed most of 2023 and all of 2024 with Tommy John surgery, then hip issues shortened his year with the Red Sox last year. He has made three appearances in the Cubs system, one in the Arizona Complex League and two for Triple-A Iowa, all scoreless. Could he be effective? Maybe, but it would have been smarter to keep Hendriks in December 2013, when the Cubs claimed him on waivers from the Twins. Ten days later the Cubs tried to sneak him through waivers and he got claimed by the Orioles, and then, of course, had multiple successful seasons elsewhere.

As for Bummer, he had two pretty good years for the Braves in 2024 and 2025, but a lower K rate, a higher walk rate and a 7.63 ERA in 19 games this year got him released by Atlanta in May. The Cubs signed him and he’s made four appearances in the system, two scoreless ones in the complex league, two others at Iowa with a 4.50 ERA. I suppose we’ll see him in the Cubs bullpen at some point this year.

And at some point, I hope Cubs pitching development will focus more on drafting and developing guys who can throw the 98+ fastballs that are becoming de rigeur in baseball today. Otherwise this beleaguered pitching staff will keep falling behind.

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The Boston Red Sox have won three consecutive games and are -125 favorites to extend that streak to four tonight.

My Red Sox vs. White Sox predictions and MLB picks expect Boston's in-form offense and starting pitching advantage to lead to another victory in Chicago. 

Who will win Red Sox vs White Sox today: Red Sox moneyline (-125)

Noah Schultz is having a rough go. He's allowed at least three runs in five consecutive starts, only completing five innings once.

He allowed a homer in four of those games and issued 3+ walks three times. He's giving up power, and he's giving up a ton of unnecessary baserunners.

The Boston Red Sox are sixth in wOBA and fourth in ISO vs. lefties since June 1. They’re in a great spot to score in bulk and make life easier on Payton Tolle, who hasn’t been as sharp lately.

Back Boston to -135.

COVERS INTEL: Payton Tolle is enjoying a strong rookie campaign, ranking in the 81st percentile in xERA.

Red Sox vs White Sox Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (-105)

The Red Sox have a great power profile against left-handed pitching, ranking eighth in OPS, fourth in ISO, and first in fly ball rate over the last five weeks.

Schultz sits in the 10th percentile in xERA, and the White Sox have several lefty relievers in their bullpen, making it a real possibility that six or seven innings are pitched by lefties.

The Chicago White Sox have excelled against lefties all season, leading the majors in ISO. Tolle has posted an xERA of 4.0 or higher in four of his last five and will be tested.

Bet this to -115.

Red Sox vs White Sox weather

Temperatures in the mid-70s are expected with slight winds blowing inwards. Small boost to the offenses.

Red Sox vs White Sox odds

• Moneyline: Red Sox -125 | White Sox +105
• Run line: Red Sox -1.5 (+135) | White Sox +1.5 (-155)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-105) | Under 8.5 (-115)

Red Sox vs White Sox trend

The White Sox have cashed the Over in 30 of the last 50 games for +10.30 units and a 19% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Red Sox vs. White Sox.

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Morning A’s fans!

The club is hitting the road for the final two series of the first half, starting with a trip to Detroit to take on the Tigers then heading back west to Chicago for three against the White Sox. At the begining of the year if you had told someone that Chicago would be in first place in the AL Central while the Tigers are preparing to sell, you’d have had a hard time getting anyone to take you seriously. But here we are, with the White Sox’s 47-42 record giving them a one-game lead in the division while Tigers, at 40-50 and seven back in the Central, look likely to begin taking offers for their best players, with one pitcher in particular set to force a bidding war.

The A’s will have the honor of facing that very pitcher tonight in their first game outside of California in almost a full month. It’s Tarik Skubal going for the Tigers tonight, set for his 12th start of the year. It’s incredible that the 29-year-0ld is even pitching right now considering he just only underwent elbow surgery on May 6th. He hasn’t been quite his usual dominant form, as his 3.15 ERA is a far cry from the sheer dominance the two-time Cy Young winner displayed over the previous two seasons. He’s still having an overall fantastic year and with his track record he’s going to be the hottest commodity on the trade market over the coming weeks.

Before he departs Detroit however the A’s have to take him down. The right-hander has generally dominated the A’s in his career, like so many other teams. In 10 career starts against the Green & Gold Skubal owns a pristine 2.81 ERA, though that’s still only gotten him four wins compared to three losses. He’ll be running into the A’s at the right time though as the squad is really struggling to remain competitive and stay afloat in the AL playoff race.

The club comes into today on a three-game losing streak after getting swept by the Miami Marlins at home. They’re just 3-11 over their past 14 games, which has dropped them to 41-49 and now 5 1/2 back of the division lead and four back of the final wild card spot with five teams to leap over. The team has generally floated around the .500 mark this year but this is the current low point for the squad and things will need to turn around fast if the A’s want to get back into the playoff hunt. Getting a few wins before the All Star Break would go a long way towards that goal.

Taking on Skubal tonight is the emerging J.T. Ginn. He’s actually having a better statistical season than his opponennt tonight as the first-year full-time starter has a 3.04 ERA in his 19 games this year. And taking out the three relief appearances he made in April that number drops lower to 2.87 in 16 starts. It wasn’t exactly unsurprising that Ginn didn’t earn an All-Star nod but still disappointing for A’s fans who have seen an emerging ace blossom before our very eyes. He’s coming off a strong performance last time out (6 IP, 1 ER) and the A’s could certainly use more of that tonight to help snap this losing streak.

After tonight’s contest the middle game tomorrow will be a matchup between lefty Jeffrey Springs and right-hander Troy Melton. Melton has been borderline unhittable in his seven starts for Detroit as he’ll bring a 2.07 ERA into tomorrow’s game. He’s only ever faced the A’s once in his short career, firing three shutout innings in relief last season so tonight will be his first start against the Green & Gold. Springs meanwhile has gotten hit hard in recent outings, allowing six runs last time out against the Los Angeles Dodgers. His 5.79 ERA is hard to stomach and at this point in the season it’s starting to get frustrating to see manager Mark Kotsay continue to ride him. There are younger options that might actually be around for the next A’s playoff team and it’s time to start getting them some experience, even if that means sending Springs into relief.

Then we wrap up the series on Thursday in the finale, where it’ll be a battle between young righty Jack Perkins facing veteran Framber Valdez. The longtime Astro lefty isn’t having the dominant year the Tigers were expecting when they shelled out that huge contract for him this offseason but he’s managed to be serviceable all the same. Perkins meanwhile continues to struggle in his extended look in the starting rotation. Overall he’s sporting a 8.10 ERA in six starts, including arguably his worst appearance ever last time on the mound when he allowed seven earned runs to the Marlins. Perkins is one of those young arms A’s fans want out there getting his feet wet but even that’s tough to swallow. Hopefully Kotsay knows what he’s doing and isn’t destroying the 26-year-old’s confidence.

First pitch is at 3:40. Have a great one guys.

A’s Coverage:

• Trade Deadline Outlook: Athletics ($)
• A’s Release Michael Kelly
• Three Things To Watch For The Athletics In July
• Julyeball Scout Report As Hopes, Like The Sun, Sink Slowly In The West
• Thoughts And Well Wishes For A’s Prospect Ryan Lasko
• A’s Take Series Finale, Beat Dodgers 7-1
• Dodgers Overwhelm A’s Once Again
• A’s roster moves: Massive Shakeup
• A’s To Trade Brett Harris To Red Sox
• It’s Harder To Win When You Don’t Understand Your Own Personnel
• Fun Parallels To 2012 Emerging
• What Kade Morris’ Role Will Look Like for A’s in Future
• Some Easy Fixes Rocket Science Aren’t
• Athletics’ Devin Taylor Emerges As All-Around Talent
• From celebratory pool dip to the A’s, Meneses’ journey back to Majors a memorable one
• Athletics Could Deal Hottest Triple-A Bat This Summer
• Status Report: Uncertainty Persists In 5 Places On The Diamond

MLB News and Interest:

• Shohei looking like Shohei again after 3-hit night, HR No. 299
• Brewers To Promote Luis Lara
• Dodgers’ Evan Phillips back 13 months after Tommy John surgery
• John Mozeliak Discusses Angels’ Draft, Deadline Plans
• 10 non-All-Stars poised for a big second half
• Max Kepler hits first homer since 80-game suspension ended
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

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