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Hunter Greene couldn’t keep the St. Louis Cardinals offense in check on Saturday and the Cincinnati Reds offense was completely befuddled by righty Andre Pallante in the Reds 7-0 loss. That means the Sunday rubber match will determine who gets to claim victory in this particular NL Central series.

The Reds have won each of their series so far on this 9-game, 3-city road trip to begin their season’s second half, and a win today would send them back to Cincinnati with a 6-3 overall run on it. Where that leaves them in terms of positioning remains to be seen with the August 3rd trade deadline looming, but as of right now they sit just 48-55 and 6 full games out of the final NL Wild Card spot.

Andrew Abbott will toe the rubber for the Reds in the Sunday matinee opposite Cardinals starter Kyle Leahy, with first pitch slated for 2:15 PM ET.

Here’s how both clubs will line up to begin things:

Today, Sunday, July 26, 2026, former Atlanta Braves center fielder Andruw Jones will officially be inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame. Jones gained election on his ninth and penultimate year on the ballot by baseball’s writers and will be joined in the 2026 class by fellow center fielder Carlos Beltran and second baseman Jeff Kent.

Jones is arguably the greatest defensive center fielder in baseball history who is, at worse, in the discussion as the best with all-time great Willie Mays and a handful of others such as long-time big leaguer Jim Edmonds. Only Mays and Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente earned more Gold Gloves than Jones as outfielders.

Jones gained election with 78.4-percent of the vote and is the latest – and likely the last – player from the Braves’ legendary run of greatness from 1991 through 2005 to gain enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. That Braves dynasty included 14 division championships, five National League pennants and the 1995 World Series championship.

Jones, who was signed by the Braves as a teenager out of Curaçao, debuted with Atlanta in 1996 at age 19 and made history when be was the youngest player to homer in the World Series that same season. He spent 12 seasons in Atlanta winning ten consecutive Gold Gloves beginning in 1998 and ending in 2007, his final year with the Braves.

Jones was also a five-time All-Star, a Silver Slugger and the TSN Player of the Year in 2005 when he led the National League with a career-best 51 home runs and 128 RBI.

After leaving Atlanta, Jones’ career went into a tailspin, playing for four different organizations in five seasons – the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees. Despite playing in no fewer than 153 games from 1997 through 2007 with the Braves, Jones only eclipsed 100 games played once in his final five campaigns. His MLB career would conclude in 2012, despite only being 35 years old. He played two more seasons in Japan before officially retiring in February 2016 after two unsuccessful attempts to make a MLB comeback.

Those final five season of his career is what likely prevented Jones from gaining election earlier in his eligibility cycle. Despite those struggles, ultimately, the Hall of Fame did call Jones for election.

In 17 big league seasons, Jones played in 2,196 and slugged 434 home runs. He also stole 152 bases, drove in 1,289 runs and scored 1,204 times while collecting 1,933 hits. Fangraphs credits him with 67.0 fWAR, including six seasons of 6.0 fWAR or higher and three seasons exceeding 7.0.

Defensively, Jones was in a class almost to himself. The video embedded above from MLB’s Vault showcases a number of his highlights – so if you weren’t able to watch Jones glide through the outfield, dive in every directions to make catches or climb on or crash into outfield walls, it is worth watching.

With incredible range and an innate ability to play shallow in center field and go back on the ball, rarely did it seem that a fly ball hit between the left fielder and right fielder was not within his catch radius. As a center fielder only, he had 4,457 putouts – with less than 200 of those coming with teams other than the Braves.

Although advanced defensive metric were not available for most of his career – especially during his peak – Baseball Reference does rank him as the 22nd best defensive player of all-time and the top-ranked center fielder.

Two decades after his peak, Jones was a player whose black-and-white stats don’t paint the full picture of who he was defensively. His instincts in the outfield were elite. Based on the pitcher throwing, the catcher set-up per pitch, etc., Jones was often in motion as a pitch was being thrown.

On the field, for more than a decade, Jones was the best in the game defensively with an above average offensive profile that concluded with a career .486 slugging percentage (and a .497 slugging percentage with the Braves). Only once between 1998 and 2006 did he post a wRC+ below 112.

Injuries and off-the-field issues contributed to a decline in performance after his age 29 season. He did rebound slightly as a platoon corner outfielder and designated hitter in the final seasons of his MLB career. He also had success in Japan, hitting 50 home runs across two seasons with Rakuten.

He is a member of the Braves Hall of Fame and his number 25 was retired in 2023.

Coverage the Hall of Fame induction ceremony can be seen on July 26, 2026 starting at 1:30PM Eastern on MLB Network.

Today marks Brandon Morrow’s 42nd birthday.

The Blue Jays acquired Brandon Morrow in December 2009, just before Christmas, in a trade that sent Brandon League and Johermyn Chavez to Seattle. I wonder how many Brandon-for-Brandon trades have occurred in MLB history.

Hugo wrote about the trade at the time and correctly highlighted the upside. He was pleased that we were trading a reliever for a prospect, even though we didn’t yet know who would accompany League in the deal.

Morrow, the 5th overall draft pick in the 2006 draft, was rushed to the majors, as per Seattle’s organizational philosophy and made the team’s opening day roster in 2007 as a reliever. He has made a few starts since then, but things have kept pushing him back into the bullpen – from the acquisition of Erik Bedard to various arm problems to his own erraticness. His pitching for the past three seasons has been marked by respectable overall numbers other than sky-high walk rates, which have really hurt him. There’s no doubt that there is significant upside in Morrow – the walks are a huge problem, but at 25, there’s still a chance Morrow can put it behind him. Morrow is eligible for arbitration. It’s hard not to like someone with a career 9.3 K/9 at 25, but there’s also a significant history of arm problems. I really hope the Jays make him a starter this season and just leave him there – if the Jays trade League and one of their top prospects for a reliever, I won’t be happy with the deal.

I included that mostly for the word erraticness, but that described Morrow to a T.

Chavez never reached the majors, but League had an up-and-down career post-trade. He notched 37 saves in 2011 and ended his career with three seasons as a Dodger, including an appearance in the NLCS. League had been a favourite of mine, but in general, trading a reliever for a starter is a smart move.

Morrow’s inconsistency did prove to be an issue. In 2010, he made 26 starts, pitched 146.1 innings, and issued 66 walks. However, pitching coach Bruce Walton worked closely with him. An interview with Walton included my favorite insight:

What does Brandon Morrow have to do to be more consistent?

Brandon, it’s my second year with Brandon. His first year we went through some walk issues, base on balls, command issues. We pretty much ironed it out. We got to the point where now we left a lot of balls in the middle of the plate. So we went from one extreme to the other extreme and we gave up a lot of home runs last year. He’s a fly ball pitcher at times, he doesn’t get a whole lot of ground balls, so when the ball sits in the middle of the plate belt high and they get a piece of it, it goes. So now it is just staying down in the zone consistently. I think for Brandon to be consistent, his pitches have to be down consistent. We have to plan the effort level to pitch at consistently. Consistency is what we have to work on in every aspect. Keeping the ball down, keeping our emotions in check. Keeping our work effort at a certain level, consistently. All those will come. This is the year for that to come. There’s steps to becoming a major league starting pitcher. The first step was that we needed to throw strikes. We accomplished that. It took us a year and a half. Our next step is to manage the game a little bit better and manage our emotions a little bit better and manage our season a little bit better and become more consistent. That’s where we are at.

Of course, we all remember his one-hitter in 2010.

And then there were the injuries. Over his five seasons with the Jays, he made 26, 30, 21, 10, and 6 starts, suffering nearly every type of arm injury imaginable for a pitcher.

Overall, as a Blue Jay, Morrow posted a 34-31 record with a 4.40 ERA. He logged 538 innings, struck out 561 batters, walked 212, and earned a 5.4 bWAR.

Morrow later played for the Padres, Dodgers, and Cubs, continuing to battle injuries. Notably, he pitched in all seven games of the 2017 World Series for the Dodgers in their infamous loss to the Astros. He appeared in 35 games for the Cubs in 2018, which marked the end of his MLB career.

He finished his MLB career with a 51-43 record, 40 saves, and a 3.96 ERA across 334 games and 113 starts.

Happy Birthday, Brandon. Wishing you a great day.

It is also Kevin Barker’s 51st birthday.

Barker played 12 games with the Jays in 2006 during a five-season MLB career, appearing in 126 games overall and posting a .249/.328/.354 batting line as a backup catcher.

He’s a baseball talking head now. Early in his career, he seemed always to be yelling, now he only yells most of the time.

And it is Spencer Miles’ 26th birthday.

Miles is having a strong rookie season, currently posting a 3.33 ERA across 38 games and 67.2 innings. Pretty impressive for a guy who’s had just 14.2 minor league innings.

Braydon Fisher also turns 26.

Braydon is in his second season in the MLB with the Blue Jays. His rookie year was very good, with a 2.70 ERA holding batters to a .551 OPS. This year has gone well too, maybe not quite as good, but a 3.83 ERA, holding batters to a .677 OPS

Go Rays!

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The Chicago White Sox (-107) will look to fend off a sweep as they host the Houston Astros in the final game of their weekend series.

With a favorable pitching matchup, my Astros vs. White Sox predictions back the home side to pull off the win.

Find out more in my MLB picks for July 26.

Who will win Astros vs White Sox today: White Sox (-107)

The Chicago White Sox offense hasn’t clicked in the first two games of the series, but this pitching matchup will help get their bats humming.

Houston Astros' hurler Ronel Blanco is making just his second start of the season, and his first outing saw him give up two homers and issue three walks.

After throwing the slider 32% of the time last season, he essentially abandoned it, opting for a changeup instead.

Chicago’s Munetaka Murakami is hitting .375 with .750 slugging against the change this year, while Miguel Vargas is .333, .576 against it. 

With those bats going, they'll produce enough run support for Erick Fedde.

COVERS INTEL:  The White Sox have a team SLG% of .406, not something Blanco wants to deal with after getting taken yard twice last time out.

Astros vs White Sox Over/Under pick: Over 9.5 (+105)

Despite losing, Houston will do its part to eclipse this total. The Astros have won five straight, with Saturday’s 4-1 win the only game in that streak in which they didn’t score at least five runs. 

Chicago starts Erick Fedde, who is benefiting from starting for a first-place team. His five wins top last season’s total, and his ERA is a full run lower than his FIP (5.15), which is actually higher than last season’s performance. 

Both bullpens have also been taxed in this series, combining for 30 innings in the last three games. 

Astros vs White Sox weather

Astros vs White Sox odds

• Moneyline: Astros -104 | White Sox -107
• Run line: Astros -1.5 (+156) | White Sox +1.5 (-163)
• Over/Under: Over 9.5 (+133) | Under 9.5 (-117)

Astros vs White Sox trend

The Houston Astros have hit the game total Over in seven of their last 10 away games (+4.80 Units / 43% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Astros vs. White Sox.

How to watch Astros vs White Sox and game info

Astros vs White Sox latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Sunday notes…

• WHAT A RELIEF: Cubs bullpen, last three games: 10 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 12 K, 0.91 ERA, 0.500 WHIP.
• WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY? Since June 10, the Cubs are 25-11, the best record in the NL and half a game behind the Red Sox (26-11) for the best record in MLB over that span.
• LOTS AND LOTS OF RUNS: The Cubs’ 11-run outburst Saturday gave them 534 runs for the season, or 5.13 per game. That is a pace for 832 runs, which would be their second-most since 1970 (855 in 2008 is their most in the last 56 years).
• TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: The Cubs smash five home runs (Brian McRae, Sammy Sosa, Tyler Houston, Leo Gomez and Jose Hernandez) and crush the Rockies 17-4 at Coors Field. It happened 30 years ago today, Friday, July 26, 1996. (NOTE: The 17-4 score was identical to the Cubs winning score that I cited in yesterday’s “Today in Cubs history” item, though many years apart.)

Once again, neither team had a lineup available at the time this preview posted. Please check BCB social media for the lineups.

Jameson Taillon, RHP vs. Braxton Crawford, RHP

Jameson Taillon has not had a good year. This, you know.

His last start at PNC Park was kind of the epitome of his year — four runs in five innings, including two home runs, on May 27. (The Cubs won the game anyway, 10-4.)

All we can do is hope for better. He’s been slightly better in day games (six starts, 4.63 ERA, nine HR in 35 innings) than night games (eight starts, 6.08 ERA, 13 HR in 37 innings), for whatever that’s worth. Not that either of those sets of numbers is actually good, though.

Do better, Jamo.

Braxton Ashcraft has started twice against the Cubs this year and done pretty well — 1.59 ERA, 1.147 WHIP, 14 strikeouts in 11.1 innings.

Since June 1, though, he’s had a rough time of it: 6.05 ERA, 1.416 WHIP, nine home runs in 41.2 innings. He got absolutely pounded in his last start, July 20 vs. the Yankees, for eight runs (seven earned) in three innings, including a pair of homers.

Go get him, Cubs hitters.

Here is the weather forecast for the area around PNC Park.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network.

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Pirates site Bucs Dugout. If you do go there to interact with Pirates fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

The first Yankees’ dynasty, which began with the 1923 championship, was helped out quite a bit by the Red Sox and various bad trades they made with the Yankees. Babe Ruth is obviously the most famous of those, but the Yankees picked up several key players from them, including pitchers Waite Hoyt, Herb Pennock, Carl Mays, and Bullet Joe Bush.

Another name on that list is Sad Sam Jones, whose acquisition ended up being anything but for the Yankees.

Samuel Pond “Sad Sam” Jones
Born: July 26, 1892 (Woodsfield, OH)
Died: July 6, 1966 (Barnesville, OH)
Yankees Tenure: 1922-26

Samuel Jones was born in Ohio in a town near the West Virginia border. In a story that’s so delightfully old-timey, Jones was said to have developed his pitching arm by playing catch with potatoes with his brother on his grandfather’s farm.

Jones had a bit of a stop-start beginning to his baseball career. A 1913 stint with the Zanesville Flood Sufferers — yes, really — ended after he requested his release due to homesickeness. The following year, he joined the Portsmouth (OH) Cobblers, and there he impressed scouts from the then Cleveland Naps. They signed him and by the end of the year he was making a brief cameo in the big leagues.

In 1915, Jones became a regular for Cleveland, appearing in 48 games, including nine starts. However that offseason, he ended up moving in a fairly notable trade. The Red Sox were, to use a more modern term, salary dumping future Hall of Famer Tris Speaker. Jones was included in the deal, but was seen as the secondary piece to infielder Fred Thomas. As it turned out, Jones would be immensely more successful than Thomas.

Jones’ first two seasons in Boston were a little iffy, but he broke out in 1918. Prior to the season, the Red Sox actually forgot to send him a new contract, as they had accidentally placed him on the retired list, thinking he had enlisted in the army. Jones himself had to get in touch with the team, and they quickly got him sorted out, which was good for them. With a 16-5 record, Jones led the league with a .725 winning percentage, while also posting a 2.25 ERA/120 ERA+. He would go on to start Game 5 of the World Series and throw a complete game in a losing effort. The Red Sox did win the series, although it would famously be their last for nearly a century.

Over the next couple seasons, Jones remained an average to very good pitcher for the Red Sox, although the championship team slowly began to be dismantled. A number of the players from Boston ended up getting trade to the Yankees, most notable of all was Ruth. In December 1921, Jones became another name on that list, as he, Bush, and shortstop Everett Scott were traded to Boston for Rip Collins, Roger Peckinpaugh, Bill Piercy, Jack Quinn and $100,000. Peckinpaugh had been a good player for the Yankees, although would be traded to the Washington Senators a month later, and Quinn ended up having a few good years after that, but the traded ended up lopsided towards the Yankees, as all three players would end up being championship contributors.

He also gained his “Sad Sam” nickname while in New York. Jones was dubbed that by reported Bill McGeehan, who thought he always looked downcast on the field. Jones himself just attributed that to wearing his hat lower on his head while pitching as opposed to any actual melancholy.

Jones was a solid contributor to the AL-winning 1922 Yankees. His only appearance of the World Series ended up being two scoreless innings out of the bullpen as the Giants swept the Yankees. The following year, Jones went 21-8, as the Yankees repeated as AL winners. That included a start on September 4th, where he threw a no-hitter against the Athletics, allowing just one walk all game, with only one other runner reaching on an error — though amusingly, he didn’t strike out a single batter (only three no-hitters in MLB history have featured zero K’s, and none since Ken Holtzman in 1973).

It was the second no-no in franchise history, following George Mogridge’s effort in 1917. September 4th would prove to be a special day in Yankees no-hit history, as exactly 70 years after Jones’ gem, Jim Abbott no-hit Cleveland for the 1993 Yankees.

In that year’s World Series, Jones got the start in Game 3, allowing just one run in eight innings. However, the Yankees lost that game as the offense got shutout. Jones came back in Game 6 and came out of the bullpen. Saves didn’t exist then, but in modern definitions, he gets credit for one, as he threw two scoreless innings and was on the mound as the Yankees won the game to clinch their first ever World Series championship.

Following that triumph, Jones remained with the Yankees for three more seasons. He was very good again in 1924, but dipped in 1925-26. He and the Yankees made it back to the Fall Classic in ‘26, but the Yankees fell in seven games, with Jones making just one appearance out of the bullpen.

Jones ended up missing the rest of that Yankees’ dynasty. Ahead of the 1927 season, he was traded to the St. Louis Browns. Jones played nine more big league seasons with St. Louis, the Washington Senators, and the Chicago White Sox. He remained a pretty solid pitcher for a lot of those years. While he definitely never had a Hall of Fame-type peak, Jones put up a very impressive 39.0 fWAR and 42.6 rWAR over his 22 big league seasons. After his playing career, Jones briefly returned as a player-coach for the baseball version of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1940, who were managed by fellow former Yankee Tony Lazzeri.

Following his time in baseball, Jones returned to his native Woodsfield, Ohio. He remained in the area until he passed away in 1966, a few weeks short of his 74th birthday.

The Yankees can thank the Red Sox for gifting them a decent chunk of the core of their first championship team, and Jones was an important member of that core.

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers will be sidelined for an extended period of time with a knee injury that will likely require surgery.

Langeliers is planning to undergo surgery, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The person requested anonymity since the decision has not yet been finalized. ESPN first reported the injury is a torn meniscus.

However, it's possible the 2026 All-Star could return in September if the recovery process goes well, the person said.

The A's put Langeliers on the IL, retroactive to Saturday, July 25.

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No Sunday scaries for us this afternoon, as we find a way to keep the weekend vibes rolling by backing a few guys to hit some nukes!

These are my top looks to leave the yard, featuring Yordan Alvarez and Pete Crow-Armstrong in today's MLB player props. 

Here are my favorite MLB picks and home run predictions for Sunday, July 26.

Best MLB home run props today

Player to hit a HR	Odds
Muneataka Murakami	+244
Yordan Alvarez	+205
Pete Crow-Armstrong	+379
💲Today's HR parlay	+4241

Home run pick: Munetaka Murakami (+244)

Boots will be grounded for Munetaka Murakami bobblehead day, as the entire city will be flocking to the South Side to get their hands on the newest slugger's bobblehead.

Murakami enters Sunday with not only the top rating on Batters-Box, but also nearly 92% arsenal coverage against Houston Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco. Today marks his 40th elite rating of the season.

Through his previous 39 elite-rated games, the Chicago White Sox slugger has left the yard 30.77% of the time. He has yet to homer since returning from his injury before the All-Star break, but today feels like the day.

Blanco is coming off a rough first start of the season and currently owns a 7.71 ERA. Looking at the last three seasons, Batters-Box gives him the third-worst pitcher rating, while also grading him poorly in both ground ball rate and matchup ISO.

Murakami has been seeing the ball well, already racking up multiple doubles since returning. The nuke feels overdue.

• Time: 2:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CHSN, SCHN

Home run pick: Yordan Alvarez (+205)

Yup, I found two guys I like to leave the yard in today's Astros/White Sox matchup. Yordan Alvarez has not cooled off all season, and now he gets Eric Fedde, a pitcher he has 100% arsenal coverage against.

Through 31 elite-rated games this season, the Astros slugger has homered over 35% of the time. Looking at the last three seasons, he has also gone deep in 26.26% of his 99 elite-rated road games.

Over his last 30 plate appearances against right-handed pitching, Alvarez owns a .520 batting average, 1.040 SLG, 1.640 OPS, and .520 ISO. During that stretch, he has generated nearly a 60% hard hit rate and a 22.7% barrel rate.

On the other side, Fedde has allowed over a 51% hard hit rate across his last three starts. The last 30 left-handed hitters he has faced own a .613 xSLG, .352 xwOBA, and a 55.3% hard hit rate against him.

I'm very confident at least one of these two sluggers leaves the yard this afternoon on the South Side.

• Time: 2:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CHSN, SCHN

Home run pick: Pete Crow-Armstrong (+379)

Chicago heavy, unintentionally, I promise, but Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong finds himself in a mouthwatering matchup against Pittsburgh Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft.

Similar to Yordan Alvarez, Crow-Armstrong owns an elite rating on Batters-Box's current season dataset while covering 100% of Ashcraft's pitch mix. However, in the default ratings that span the last three seasons, he earns a strong rating.

Through 45 strongly rated games, he has left the yard 33.33% of the time. This season, despite posting an elite rating, that number sits at just 20%.

Across his last 60 at-bats against right-handed pitching, Crow-Armstrong owns a .660 SLG, 1.127 OPS, .341 ISO, and a 10.3% barrel rate. As for Ashcraft, the last 60 left-handed hitters he has faced have generated a 58% hard hit rate, 18.4% barrel rate, and just a 31.6% ground ball rate. Those lefties also own a .996 xSLG, .425 xwOBA, and .364 ISO against him.

Crow-Armstrong might have my favorite home run matchup on the entire slate.

• Time:1:35 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MARQ, SNP

Today’s HR parlay

Munetaka Murakami	Bet Now +strong4241/strong
Yordan Alvarez
Pete Crow-Armstrong

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