Category: MLB

Texas Rangers lineup for July 20, 2026 against the Chicago White Sox: starting pitchers are Jacob deGrom for the Rangers and Erick Fedde for the ChiSox.

Texas begins a seven day homestand today that’s a pretty big deal, facing the first place Chicago White Sox for three games and then the currently second place by a half game, could be first place by the time they arrive to town on Thursday Seattle Mariners for four games. Texas has been underwhelming so far this year, at 24-22, and need to take advantage of the home field and have a strong week if they want to be contenders.

The lineup:

Pederson — DH

Langford — LF

Jung — 3B

Nimmo — RF

Burger — 1B

Duran — SS

Carter — CF

Diaz — C

Lopez — 2B

7:05 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -168 favorites.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The Philadelphia Phillies are -135 favorites against the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers this evening at Citizens Bank Park.

Cy Young candidate Cristopher Sanchez has been untouchable at home this season, and my Dodgers vs. Phillies predictions and MLB picks expect that to remain the case on July 20.

Who will win Dodgers vs Phillies today: Phillies (-135)

Emmet Sheehan struggled over the last month. His soft contact rate sat at 12% while he induced grounders at a 24.5% clip, lowest among all of today’s projected starters.

That’s not what you want against the Philadelphia Phillies. They rank 10th in wOBA, seventh in hard-hit rate, and tied for third in OPS against righties at home. They should give Sheehan real problems.

Cristopher Sanchez owns a 0.86 ERA and 61.9 GB% at home this season. He’s one of the few who can truly limit the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Back Philadelphia to -145.

COVERS INTEL:Sanchez ranks in the 93rd percentile in Pitcher Run Value, a far cry from Sheehan's 29th percentile grade.

Dodgers vs Phillies Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (-115)

The Phillies have a solid matchup against Sheehan, but they own a highly underwhelming .212 average against righties in July and slot 25th in wOBA. I don’t think we see a ceiling game offensively.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers are laboring as a whole offensively. They’re hitting just .223 and sit 26th in wOBA this month.

It’ll be difficult to score more than a run or two on Sanchez, and LA has to contend with a bullpen that owns a 3.09 xFIP over the past 60 days when he exits.

Bet to -130.

Dodgers vs Phillies weather

Temperatures in the low 80s are expected, with winds blowing from the northwest. Boost to bats.

Dodgers vs Phillies odds

• Moneyline: Los Angeles +115 | Philadelphia -135
• Run line: Los Angeles +1.5 (-170) | Philadelphia -1.5 (+145)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-105) | Under 8.5 (-115)

Dodgers vs Phillies trend

Philadelphia has hit the game total Under in 31 of the last 50 games (+12.45 units, 23% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Dodgers vs. Phillies.

How to watch Dodgers vs Phillies and game info

Dodgers vs Phillies 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.

The Orioles will have to try to keep their winning streak going without All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman. The team announced on Monday afternoon that Rutschman has been placed on the injured list due to inflammation in his left wrist. Corresponding moves had catcher Chadwick Tromp’s contract selected from Norfolk, with outfielder Rudy Martin designated for assignment to clear a space on the 40-man roster.

As with Blaze Alexander’s injury when a Royals pitcher hit him and fractured a bone in his hand, this one stinks. Rutschman is one of the team’s best players and being without him for any length of time will be an obstacle that they’re going to have to overcome to continue the improvement in their fortunes that they’ve experienced over the last seven games. Can they manage to do that? We’re going to find out. We may not like finding out.

This is now the third trip to the injured list this season for Rutschman. The previous two involved an ankle injury and a concussion. He hasn’t missed an extended amount of time in either of the previous IL trips, so hopefully that’s how it works out again this time. As of this writing, the team has not provided an update regarding Rutschman’s injury or what kind of timetable might be involved in getting him back into good health.

In the short term, the Orioles are also going without Samuel Basallo, which is why Tromp was selected to replace Rutschman even though the team already had brought Sam Huff into the mix yesterday. Basallo departed Sunday’s game early due to shoulder discomfort. I think we can guess that Basallo isn’t going to be capable of playing at least for today. We’ll see how long they drag out a day-to-day injury without putting him on the IL. Missing Rutschman and Basallo both would be even rougher than just missing Rutschman alone.

You may be an Orioles roster sicko if you remembered that Rudy Martin was on the 40-man roster. The team acquired the 30-year-old Martin from the Royals on Friday for cash considerations. That was marginally interesting, in that Martin has never made it to the majors and had exercised what amounts to a “call me up or trade me” option in his minor league contract before the Royals dealt him to the Orioles. He might be wishing that a different team had acquired him now. We’ll know in a few days if he clears waivers.

The Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies resume their series on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park.

Justin Wrobleski makes the start on Tuesday, one week after he struck out five in two innings in his first All-Star Game, in this same ballpark. Five strikeouts for Wrobleski tied a Dodgers record for an All-Star Game, joining Don Drysdale (1959) and Fernando Valenzuela (1986).

Zack Wheeler had thoracic outlet surgery last September, and his return this season has been nothing short of remarkable. The 36-year-old had a 2.13 ERA and 2.64 xERA in 15 starts this season with a 30.4-percent strikeout rate.

Wrobleski ranks third in the majors at 6.42 innings per start this season, while Wheeler (6.2) ranks eighth.

Tuesday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Phillies
• Ballpark: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia
• Start time: 3:40 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA, TBS
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

It was a Wednesday afternoon at then-named Minute Maid Park.

On July 20, 2011, Jose Altuve made his MLB debut with the Houston Astros. He went 1×5 in a 3-2 victory over the Washington Nationals in 11 innings.

He got his first major league hit with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th inning on a 1-2 pitch from Tyler Clippard in a 2-2 ballgame. He would be stranded.

He would then be double-switched for RP Wilton Lopez in the top of the 10th. Jason Michaels would pinch hit for Lopez in the bottom of the 11th (in Altuve’s spot) and hit the game-winning single to drive in Humberto Quintero. The Astros were 33-65.

What has followed for Jose Altuve is a future Hall of Fame career, 2 World Series Championships, an MVP, 3 batting titles, a Gold Glove, an ALCS MVP, 7 Silver Slugger Awards, and 9 All-Star games.

Here are some of our fondest memories of Jose Altuve over the years, from the staff at Crawfish Boxes and the team at Sportsradio 610 Houston:

Craig Larson Jr. – Crawfish Boxes

On June 8th, 2015, I happened to be in Chicago visiting family on a summer vacation.    On the bucket list with my parents was going to see the White Sox and Astros play.     Unbeknownst to me at the time – that day was Carlos Correa’s call up to the club.   I’d learn later upon lineups being revealed on the stadium scoreboard.   It marked Correa’s debut.   

In the 4th inning that night, Correa would drive in his first career RBI by beating out an infield grounder.     The sheer excitement that followed several moments later from teammate Jose Altuve was something that’s stayed with me for all of these years.    The hug, smile and jubilation served as a mini prelude of things to come for the Astros.    Jose was prouder of Carlos than if he had accomplished the feat himself.     It reminded me of Jerry Rice’s excitement for John Taylor’s TD to beat the Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII.      That’s what being a leader is all about. 

Sean Pendergast – SportsRadio 610

My favorite Altuve moments probably mirror what many Astros fans would cite — the numerous postseason home runs, particularly the walk off series ended in the 2019 ALCS against the Yankees, every hit count milestone he’s touched, and perhaps the most likable demeanor of an athlete in Houston history. However, I think the thing I’m most impressed by Altuve is his remarkable evolution as a hitter, going from a guy who arrived in MLB immediately winning multiple batting titles to an overall force as someone who could hit for average AND power. When you add in that he packages it all in a 5-foot-6 frame, it makes him one of the most intriguing unicorns in baseball history.

Jimmy Price (Astros Future) – Crawfish Boxes:

I have so many memories of Jose Altuve. Watching him come through the Astros system as an undersized infielder and develop into an MVP was something special.

While this isn’t one specific memory, I just want to highlight everything he has done in the postseason. The Astros have had some really good teams over the years, but they’ve never had a player who consistently delivered on the biggest stage quite like Altuve.

The three-home run game against Boston to open the 2017 playoffs, his massive performance in Game 5 of the World Series in Houston, the walk-off home run in 2019, the list goes on. When the moments were the biggest, the best player stepped up. That was Jose Altuve.

Scott Barzilla – Crawfish Boxes

My memory is the obvious one but it is the most vivid one. When Roberto Osuna gave up the home run in Game Six of the ALCS in 2019 I actually threw my remote at the TV. Altuve obviously saved the day and cemented his place as the best Astro of all-Time. He doesn’t have the numbers of Bagwell or Biggio yet, but he has the postseason chops.

Adam Spolane – Crawfish Boxes

Altuve’s first taste of postseason baseball in 2015 was underwhelming. He was 4 for 22 without an extra base hit in six games against the Yankees and Royals, so he had some pressure to perform when the Astros returned in 2017. The Astros had won 101 games in the regular season and Altuve was the MVP front runner. He had to perform, and boy did he ever.

After Alex Bregman homered to put the Astros up 1-0 in the first inning of game one of the ALDS against the Red Sox, Altuve sent an 0-2 fastball from Chris Sale over the left-center field wall. Two at bats later he sent a first pitch fastball from Sale to the exact location. In his final at bat of the afternoon, Altuve launched a 1-1 breaking ball from Austin Maddox over the Crawford Boxes.

Altuve became the ninth player in Major League Baseball history to homer three times in a single postseason game, and it was the breakthrough performance from one era’s great postseason players. Altuve hit seven home runs during the 2017 postseason, and his 27 career postseason home runs trail only Manny Ramirez. 

Patrick Creighton – Crawfish Boxes/SportsRadio 610

Altuve has had so many moments throughout his career, but the one that stands out to me the most is his 3 HR game vs. the Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of the 2017 ALDS.

Altuve had just put together a monster season, winning his 3rd batting title in 4 years, leading the league in hits for the 4th straight season, and leading the league in WAR. He was going to win MVP over Aaron Judge, who also had a monstrous season leading the league in HR, runs, and walks.

While the postseason doesn’t count to voters, it certainly does in the minds of baseball fans across the nation. Altuve opened the postseason in the most incredible fashion possible.

A 3-HR game, including 2 HRs of Red Sox ace (and future HOFer) Chris Sale (who led the league with 308K), announced to all of MLB who the MVP of the 2017 season was. It was an incredibly powerful moment that gave Astros fans the belief that this was really their year, and their MVP was going to make sure of it.

After so many past playoff failures, especially offensively, Altuve shattered that notion in a single game as he became just the 9th player in MLB history with a 3 HR game in the postseason.

With the trade deadline only a couple weeks away, I wanted to take a look at some teams the Nats could be doing business with. There are four teams that stand out to me right now. Three of them would be if the Nats sell and one would be a team the Nats could buy from. The four teams are the Angels, the Red Sox, the Guardians and the Cubs.

Let’s start things on a happy note and talk about a team we could target if the Nats decide to buy. As every Nats fan knows, this team needs pitching. One place they could look for that is the Angels. Even though the Angels are in the midst of a miserable season, they have plenty of interesting pitchers they could make available.

If the Nats truly wanted to go big game hunting, they could go after Jose Soriano or Reid Detmers. A report came out that the Angels are expected to make both available at this year’s deadline. That is a big change of tune from the past, where they shot down trade interest. Both Soriano and Detmers have two years of control after this, lining up perfectly with CJ Abrams.

Should the Nats decide to keep Abrams long term, they will need to get serious about building a team around him and the rest of this young offensive core. Soriano is a hard throwing righty who has tailed off since a phenomenal start to the season. However, he still has a 3.49 ERA in 111 innings with 115 strikeouts. I also think there is still plenty of untapped potential with the 27 year old.

While Detmers has an ERA of 4.16, his FIP is almost a full run lower than that. The southpaw has swing and miss stuff, and would be highly coveted as well. Either of those guys would cost the Nats at least one of their top 100 prospects plus additional capital.

The starters are not the only intriguing pieces from the Angels though. There are four relievers I could see as fits for the Nats. If Paul Toboni wanted a cheap, short term fix, Kirby Yates could be a good option. The 39 year old has a 3.74 ERA and a 3.24 FIP this season thanks to his elite fastball, splitter combination. He also has plenty of closing experience with over 100 career saves. Yates would be a good option if Toboni just wanted to show the clubhouse he is invested without actually giving up a ton.

Sam Bachman, Chase Silseth and Ryan Zeferjahn are younger, controllable arms who the Nats could also go after. All three have electric stuff, but pretty shaky command. However, they would all be upgrades to the Nats pen and bring much needed swing and miss stuff. You would have to give up some prospect capital for those guys, but it would not need to be any of the Nats top 5-7 prospects.

Now that we have gone over a buying option, I am going to shift my attention to the selling side of things. Over the past few days, a lot of rumors have been swirling around Luis Garcia. One team that has been brought up a lot is Paul Toboni’s old club, the Red Sox. 

Toboni has already made one trade with his old team, the Luis Perales for Jake Bennett swap, which has not aged well so far. Maybe that would scare him off, but I wouldn’t think so. Our guy Paul Cubbage made a mock trade that sent Garcia to the Red Sox and two young arms to the Nats.

I could certainly see the Nats targeting former first rounder Kyson Witherspoon. He has not had a great first year in pro ball, but his stuff is loud and he was Toboni’s last first round pick in Boston. Witherspoon has a fastball in the mid to upper 90’s with the ability to throw a lot of different pitches. Rivera is also very intriguing as a relief arm.

A CJ Abrams trade at this deadline would surprise me, but Boston is a team that would make a lot of sense for him as well. The Red Sox have a need in the middle infield, and Abrams would be a good fit for them either at shortstop or at second base. That is something to watch more in the offseason though. The Red Sox farm system is stacked and they have several young major league pitchers they could offer the Nats.

Speaking of pitching, that seems to be what the Cubs will be after this deadline. If the Nats decide to move Foster Griffin, the Cubs would be a great fit. The last time the Nats traded a rental starting pitcher to the Cubs, it worked out pretty well for them.

Of course, the trade I am referring to is the Michael Soroka deal, where the Nats landed Ronny Cruz, who has really made a name for himself this year. Griffin is a much more valuable asset than Soroka, so the asking price will be high. Some prospects I could see the Nats targeting are pitchers Jaxon Wiggins, Kaleb Wing, Brooks Caple and Mason McGuire, as well as catcher Owen Ayers. Some combination of those guys could make for a compelling package.

I could also see the Cubs having some interest in Luis Garcia Jr. to fill the DH spot. Right now they have a rotating cast of characters in that position after Moises Ballesteros did not lock down that position. There is a chance they stick with the likes of veteran Michael Conforto and promising youngster Pedro Ramirez. However, that is a fit that could make some sense.

However, an even better fit for Garcia would be the Cleveland Guardians. The Guardians have gotten next to nothing from the first base and DH spots. Kyle Manzardo and Rhys Hoskins both have negative WAR. Hoskins walks a lot, but is hitting just .177. Meanwhile, Manzardo is hitting just .208 with an OPS below .650.

That is just not going to cut it for a team with playoff ambitions. Enter Luis Garcia Jr., who would solve their first base woes. As always, the Guardians have a stockpile of pitching they could give to the Nats. A starting pitching prospect like Braylon Doughty could make sense as a headliner. The Guardians also have a plethora of interesting young relievers such as Daniel Espino, Franco Aleman and Andrew Walters.

The Guardians are my ideal trade partner for Garcia, given their need and what they have to provide. Overall, this should be an exciting deadline. Keep an eye on those four teams though. I have a feeling the Nats will make a move with at least one of the Guardians, Red Sox, Cubs or Angels.

Jake McCarthy readily admits that he enjoys being part of the Colorado Rockies ‘fun’ offense.

“I just think it looks different every day,” the team’s leadoff hitter said prior to the Rockies’ season finale July 19 against Cincinnati. “I think we’re capable of putting the ball in play and, maybe, in a certain situation doing a job. Also, there are times when you slug a little more and we hit home runs. I just think we’ve done a pretty good job. 

“We could always do a better job of doing what the game kind of asks of us. But it’s just been fun. I feel like, 1-9 in the lineup, you never know who’s going to make an impact.”

McCarthy, acquired by Colorado in a trade with Arizona for pitcher Josh Grosz in January 2026, has certainly made his impact known in his inaugural season with the Rockies.

Through July 18, McCarthy was tied with Esmeryln Valdez of Pittsburgh for the National League league in RBI with 18 for July—a month in which is slashing .321/.400/.842 with three doubles, one triple and four home runs. 

For the season, the left-handed outfielder was batting .303 (fifth in the NL), with 10 home runs, 55 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 21 attempts through action of July 18. 

His .392 average with runners in scoring position tops the National League and is third in the Majors.

Those numbers have helped fuel a Rockies offense which, since June 1, has scored 227 runs—second only to Milwaukee’s 231 tallied in that span.

McCarthy recalls that this year’s Colorado offense is similar to that of the 2024 Diamondbacks squad.

“I think we had a really good offense in Arizona, just a similar concept,” he said. “1-9 having some guys who—if they’re not necessarily crushing home runs but they are seeing a lot of pitches—are maybe working a walk or something to start an inning to give us the lead or chip away and get a starting pitcher out of the game early. Maybe it’s stuff that necessarily does not show up in the box score but it’s important to the team.”

A perfect example of that situation occurred in Colorado’s game July 18 against the Reds.

With two out and a runner on third base in the second inning, McCarthy saw an opportunity to lay a bunt down the third base line that not only drove in the runner from a third but ended up as a base hit.

McCarthy’s teammates followed with four consecutive hits to plate three more runs as Colorado bolted to a 6-0 lead against Reds starting pitcher Rhett Lowder. Two more runs an inning later ended Lowder’s day after just 2.2 innings in an eventual 10-3 Rockies win.

McCarthy’s performance this season has impressed rookie teammate TJ Rumfield.

“I can’t say enough about Jake McCarthy,” said Rumfield, who finished with career highs of four hits and four RBI with a career-long 456-foot, two-run homer in the contest.

“First of all, just a constant professional hitter. He’ll do what it takes. He doesn’t care if it’s a bunt, if it’s moving a guy over, whatever the situation dictates. He’s going to get it done and you believe he’s going to get it done.”

Whether it’s a a key bunt or a big home run—he has two leadoff inside-the-park home runs this season (July 12 at San Francisco, June 20 vs. Pittsburgh) to become the first player with multiple leadoff inside-the-park homers since the New York Giants’ Ed Roush in 1929—McCarthy is enjoying his leadoff role.

“It’s been awesome,” he said. “I feel like every time I come up (to the plate), there’s someone on base, there’s someone in scoring position.

“I just think we’re always applying pressure to the (opposing) pitcher. I think we have done a nice job of taking pressure off each other because it I don’t come through, I trust that Mickey (Moniak) or whoever’s hitting behind me will come through.

“So, again, it’s just been very fun.”

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

The 2026 MLB Draft is in the rearview mirror, and it was a very exciting one for the San Francisco Giants. They had their highest pick since 2018, a pair of top-30 selections, and 21 total draftees in the 20-round spectacle.

Of course, drafting is only half of the battle. Once players are drafted, they also have to be signed, and that’s not always easy. The Giants did very well with that assignment last year, signing everyone except their 20th-round pick, prep shortstop Elijah McNeal. The last time they signed all of their selections was 2023. Pitcher Ryan O’Sullivan, a 10th-round selection in 2008, was the time the Giants were unable to sign a player selected in the first 10 rounds.

It’s even harder to sign everyone now that NIL money impacts things so much. But the Giants are surely optimistic that they can get most of their players inked.

What follows is a tracker of all 21 drafted players, and their signing status. I’ll update it as news comes in. As a reminder, the Giants had a bonus pool of $17,350,600 this year. Teams are allowed to spend up to 5% on top of their bonus, albeit with a 75% tax. Anything beyond 5% means sacrificing future first-round draft picks.

There are assigned slot values for the first 10 rounds, and all money spent in those rounds counts against the pool, even if players are signed below their slot value. In rounds 11-20, players can be signed for up to $150,000 without it counting against the pool. Anything beyond $150,000 starts to impact the team’s signing pool.

As always, a thanks to all the great people who cover the Giants on social media for reporting so much of this information. A special shoutout to Twitter user Coast to Coast Baseball, and reporter Jeff Young.

Round 1: RHP Jackson Flora — SIGNED

Slot value: $8,988,400
Signing bonus: $7,997,500 ($990,900 underslot)

CBR-A: LHP Carson Bolemon — Unsigned

Slot value: $3,270,200

Round 2: RHP Kaden Waechter — Unsigned

Slot value: $1,763,000

Round 3: OF Peyton Bonds — SIGNED

Slot value: $887,000
Signing bonus: $887,000

Round 4: RHP Carlos Martinez— SIGNED

Slot value: $658,100
Signing bonus: $600,000 ($58,100 underslot)

Round 5: 2B Luke Nixon— SIGNED

Slot value: $481,800
Signing bonus: Unreported

Round 6: RHP Eric Nachtsheim— SIGNED

Slot value: $370,600
Signing bonus: Unreported

Round 7: LHP Beau Bryans— SIGNED

Slot value: $292,300
Signing bonus: Unreported

Round 8: RHP Cody Brasch— SIGNED

Slot value: $234,700
Signing bonus: Unreported

Round 9: 2B Mike Mancini— SIGNED

Slot value: $208,500
Signing bonus: Unreported

Round 10: RHP Ian Korn— SIGNED

Slot value: $196,000
Signing bonus: Unreported

Round 11: 1B Charlie Bussey III— SIGNED

Signing bonus: Unreported

Round 12: OF Josiah Kemp— SIGNED

Signing bonus: $450,000 ($300,000 out of bonus pool)

Round 13: LHP Colin Fisher— SIGNED

Signing bonus: $300,000 ($150,000 out of bonus pool)

Round 14: RHP Alex Solis— Unsigned

Round 15: 3B Drew Smith— SIGNED

Signing bonus: Unreported

Round 16: 3B Dalton Wentz— Unsigned

Round 17: OF Tanner Mally— SIGNED

Signing bonus: Unreported

Round 18: LHP Ryder Brooks— SIGNED

Signing bonus: Unreported

Round 19: 3B Mikey Bell — Unsigned

Round 20: RHP JP Robertson— Unsigned

List of reported undrafted free agent signings

SS Brody Acres (Walsh University)
C Scott Gell (Stony Brook)
RHP Toran O’Harran (Stanford)

To hear it from some readers, Shea Langeliers is a top catcher in MLB worthy of the All-Star starting gig afforded him by a landslide of fan votes. To hear it from other readers, Langeliers is highly overrated and only reducing his value every month he takes the field and has his shortcomings further exposed.

As usual, the truth is somewhere in between two extremes. We don’t know if the A’s intend for Shea to be their primary catcher through 2028 (when his contract expires), if they will try to deal him this off-season or next, or even as soon as this August 3rd deadline. Internet rumors around Langeliers’ possible available in the next 2 weeks have ramped up but are, at this point, mostly based in opinion and conjecture and not actual inside scoop.

Here is an honest look at the complex statistical landscape that informs Langeliers’ many strengths and many weaknesses both as a hitter and as a defensive catcher — what it all adds up to becomes highly subjective because you will get the good with the bad and you will get the bad with the good, and it’s always anybody’s guess how all these stats will evolve moving forward.

Langeliers’ Batting/Offense: Pros

• No one questions that Langeliers is a legitimate power threat. With 29 HR in 2024 and another 31 in 2025, Shea is at it again with 22 HR in 89 games and a great shot at surpassing 30 again in 2026.

• wRC+, which comes league and park adjusted, shows Langeliers to be a solidly above average hitter, with a 132 wRC+ last season and 124 wRC+ so far this season. That’s good for anyone, and especially impressive for a catcher.

• The past two seasons, Langeliers has brought down his K rate substantially from its previous 34.6%, 29.2%, and 27.2% marks. Not only did they decline each season to a low of 19.7% in 2025, this season’s 22.6% is still very good.

• Despite being a catcher, Langeliers provides the lineup with a fast runner. His sprint speed is in the 81st percentile.

Langeliers’ Batting/Offense: Cons

• A lot of Langeliers’ 2026 stats are buoyed by an incredible April in which he batted .328/.382/.592, 167 wRC+ with 8 HR in 30 games. He cooled off considerably when the calendar turned to May, and has batted only .225 with a .302 OBP since.

• Like so many of the A’s hitters, Langeliers gets a big boost from hitting in West Sacramento (with a Summerlin chaser) half the time. The reality is that on the road, Shea’s numbers begin to look much more pedestrian: .237/.302/.446, 107 wRC+. If that’s closer to “the real Langeliers” it will give other teams pause as to what they should expect if they trade for him.

Langeliers’ Catching: Pros

• Langeliers’ ability to control the running game actually remains strong despite the caught stealing data itself. The A’s pitchers routinely fail to keep runners close, a flaw that was vividly on display Sunday as the Nationals took liberties and swiped 6 bases in which Jonah Heim really had little to no chance each time. Statcast rates Langeliers as being in the 84th percentile for “CS above average” because when given a fair shot Shea comes through often.

• Langeliers has emerged as one of the better catchers with regard to a new key skill: ABS challenges. Shea ranks 5th in MLB with 51 successful challenges behind the dish and he has been successful on 61% of his tries (not elite, but above average).

Langeliers’ Catching: Cons

• While he has improved since his early years, Langeliers is still a liability overall when it comes to blocking errant pitches. He ranks in the 19th percentile in “blocks above average” and his 7 passed balls tie Francisco Alvarez for the most in MLB.

• The need for elite framing has been muted some by ABS but it is still an important skill. For one it can force more ABS challenge decisions from the other team and also at times one team or the other (or both) are out of challenges. Langeliers still languishes in the 7th percentile this season in framing.

• These flaws have helped keep Langeliers’ FRV (fielding run value) numbers negative each and every season of his career, including 2026 where it currently stands at -4.

• A purely subjective concern has been raised on AN and that is pitch calling. How much credit or blame goes to the catcher or to the coaching staff is an open question, as is whether a given catcher’s game calling is excellent, decent, poor, or terrible. There’s no way to measure this, but it has been noted as a source of possible concern. Specifically, Shea seems prone to predictable patterns and to encouraging his pitchers to throw a lot of off speed pitches to open at bats. But this may or may not be a legitimate issue.

What Does It All Add Up To?

Offense: With regard to stats bolstered by a sizzling April, that April did happen and can’t be dismissed. Neither can the reality that May-July has been lukewarm. Langeliers’ uninspiring road stats can’t be ignored but also come in the context that generally players hit better at home and worse on the road. And wRC+ is park adjusted so Shea’s excellent overall stats can’t be waved off as purely a SHP-induced phenomenon.

Conclusion: Langeliers is, in fact, an above average hitter but not an elite one. I would describe him as a “legitimate power threat and a dangerous hitter — but not a great hitter overall, just a good one.”

Defense: Even though you often see poor rushed throws and an uninspiring CS percentage, Langeliers brings strength to controlling the running game and is as good as his pitchers allow him to be. However, he has established over several seasons now that he brings more weaknesses than strengths to the party so as to finish each season in negative FRV territory.

Conclusion: What you get with Langeliers is a “bat first” catcher who is below average defensively overall, but at least brings a couple key skills to recommend him.

Is this a fair assessment, or am I being too harsh, too forgiving? Most to the point of the next 2 weeks or perhaps this off-season, how is Langeliers viewed by the industry and what would teams be willing to offer in order to call him theirs. He’s under contract 2 more years after this one, and service time certainly highly informs value. Discuss.

As of right now, both of the teams that the Atlanta Braves will be facing this week are under .500. You’d think that would mean that this could be an opportunity for the Braves to really kick their second-half start into high-gear with two series wins against teams with mediocre records. That definitely could still happen and if the Braves continue to hit like they have during the month of July, it’s certainly possible!

With that being said, this could end up being one of those weeks where things get sideways and that’s because they could be running into one team at exactly the wrong time while it’s seemingly always the wrong time to run into the other club that Atlanta’s facing this week. The Orioles will be hosting the Braves at Camden Yards this weekend and they’re hot at the moment. Starting today, however, the Braves will be facing a Padres team that has just been a nightmare for them to deal with over the past two seasons.

Can the Braves break their hex against San Diego? Will they be able to cool off the O’s? It’s time to take a look at the week ahead.

July 20-23: San Diego Padres

Current Record: 49-50 Projected Record (via FanGraphs): 80-82

The last time the Braves saw the Padres, it went disastrously for Atlanta. Petco Park confirmed itself as the latest house of horror for the Braves as the three-game sweep at the hands of San Diego provided plenty of nightmare fuel for fans across Braves Country. In fact, the Padres may as well be the boogeyman as far as the Braves are concerned since Atlanta has gone 7-19 against San Diego since the start of the 2023 season and including the 2024 NL Wild Card series.

Of course a lot of that is due to Atlanta’s abysmal record at Petco Park but at the same time, the Braves haven’t fared too well against the Padres in Cobb County, either! In fact, the last time these two teams played a four-game series at Truist Park, the Padres ended up taking three-out-of-four. For some reason or another, the Padres have just had Atlanta’s number as of late.

Before the Braves ran into the brick wall that is the Padres, Manny Machado had been having a very underwhelming season at the plate as he had been hitting .179/.259/.366 with a wOBA of .273 and a wRC+ of 73. Then he ran into his good pals from Atlanta and it was as if that walk-off hit he delivered in the series opener reminded him of who he was and how good he can be. Ever since the Braves left town, Machado has hit .258/.383/.530 with a wOBA of .384 and a wRC+ of 147. Considering how well he’s done against the Braves historically and this run that he’s currently on, you can expect him to be a problem yet again.

San Diego will also be starting Michael King on Wednesday and he’s been a problem for the Braves to deal with since donning the brown-and-yellow. Counting the Postseason, two of King’s past three starts against the Braves have seen him go seven scoreless innings. Heading into this start, he’s only given up four runs across 17 innings over his past three starts, so that could be tough sledding for the Braves once again if King continues on his current run of form and his usual sense of comfort when pitching against the Braves.

Guys like Fernando Tatis Jr., Ty France, Sung-Mun Song, Luis Campusano and Miguel Andujar have been swinging the bat well for the Padres lately and you never want to meet Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon in the dark alley that is “trailing the Padres heading into the eighth inning” so there’s still plenty to worry about with this crew. With that being said, they’ve only won one series since sweeping the Braves (a home series against the Blue Jays) and they’ll be coming into Atlanta after having dropped a series against the woeful Royals. With that being said, the Padres did absolutely paddle Kansas City for nineteen runs on their way out so maybe they could be heating up just in time to face a foe that they appear to be really comfortable with as of late.

Monday, July 20, 7:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Tuesday, July 21, 7:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision, Gray TV)
Wednesday, July 22, 7:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Thursday, July 23, 12:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision)

July 24-26: Baltimore Orioles

Current Record: 49-51 Projected Record: 80-82

Everybody knows that the Red Sox are currently on a serious heater, as they’ve won 13-straight games and have vaulted themselves back into the thick of the Postseason conversation. Did you know that coming into this week’s action, the Orioles have won seven straight? Indeed, the Orioles are pretty hot as well and they’re also probably cursing their luck that they started to heat up at exactly the same time as the Red Sox. As a result, the Orioles are still in fourth place and far behind both the Yankees and Rays in the AL East but at the same time, they’re also only two games out of a Wild Card spot. That’s all it takes in this current era of baseball to get into Postseason contention, folks.

Anyways, one of the two streaks will have to end soon as O’s will be facing the Red Sox this week. While the Red Sox have won 13 straight, the O’s have won 10 of their past 13 so it’s not like this’ll just be chalk for the Red Sox since they’re the hotter team. Tyler O’Neill has been swinging a red-hot bat during this stretch (which started on July 1), as he’s mashing at a .316/.381/.947 clip with a .540 wOBA and 258 wRC+ since July 1. Coby Mayo, Blaze Alexander and Taylor Ward have also been tearing it up at the plate during this stretch and then you have players like Jackson Holliday and Dylan Beavers providing plenty of production as well. Our “old friend” Pete Alonso has also been swinging the bat very nicely as of late, so that just adds to the list of concerns heading into this series.

As you can imagine for a team that’s been as hot as Baltimore has been, their pitching has also been excellent in recent times. The O’s will likely be starting Brandon Young, Trevor Rogers and Shane Baz during this series and that’s going to be a challenge since all three of those guys have been doing very well on the mound during this month. The top of Baltimore’s rotation has been keyed in and as I mentioned earlier, the pitching staff has really been locked in to the point where the O’s have had the third-best ERA- (66) and the fifth-best FIP- (89) since the start of July. The O’s could come into this weekend’s series having been humbled by the Red Sox or they could be the new hottest team in baseball — either way, the Braves will have to be on their toes and ready.

Friday, July 24 at 7:05 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Saturday, July 25 at 7:05 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Sunday, July 26 at 1:35 p.m. ET (BravesVision)

Immediately after the Cubs dedicated their newest addition to Gallagher Way, the Champions Gate that commemorates the franchises three World Series wins in 1907, 1908 and 2016, Anthony Rizzo described the special character of the 2016 team, how hard it is to win in baseball, and honestly, what seemed like a bit of luck in how everything came together for that World Series Champion team. Those comments were echoed by his teammates throughout the day, as pitchers reflected on how rare it is for five guys to make 29+ starts a piece, as players reflected on how Joe Maddon really was the perfect manager for this particular crew, you got a sense that yes the 2016 team was the best in baseball that season, and honestly, they also just had a bit of magic around everything they did.

Late Friday afternoon the smoky haze that had been blanketing the area around Wrigley Field cleared out through Saturday evening. It seemed like even the smoke from the Canadian wildfires wasn’t going to interrupt the long-planned celebration of the 2016 team at the corner of Clark and Addison. But maybe that shouldn’t surprise us. This is the team who had a perfectly timed 17-minute rain delay give them a chance to regroup and summon the vibes that carried them all season during one of the greatest Game 7 victories in baseball history.

Prior to Saturday’s game, the area around Gallagher Way was packed with fans. It was standing room only around a VIP area set up. There was a blue carpet where each member of the 2016 team entered to applause from fans. Marquee Sports Network’s Cole Wright served as the master of ceremonies, passing the mic to team owner Tom Ricketts, then Joe Maddon and finally Rizzo, speaking for the players:

The whole team ultimately dedicated the gate, which also honored the 1907 and 1908 teams, who were represented by the descendants of Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown. The gate has plenty of room for more plaques should the Cubs decide to win another championship (or five, as Rizzo himself requested).

But the remarks really kept returning to the unique moment of 2016, how hard it is to repeat as World Series Champions (including a great quip from David Ross about how what was really missing in 2017 was him), which Rizzo flawlessly segued to a note about how every team is different and winning is really hard.

Some of that magic is still clearly following this blessed team around. Given the elite vibes is it really all that surprising that for the second time in as many seasons Anthony Rizzo sat in the bleachers only to have a Cubs home run ball find him?

It was just that type of day at one of baseball’s greatest cathedrals. A ballpark that has seen so many historic moments. This is the ballpark where Babe Ruth called his shot. It’s the only remaining active MLB park where Jackie Robinson played a game. But one thing it had not seen, until 2017, was a victorious Cubs champion team returning with the Commissioner’s Trophy:

During the top of the fifth inning on Marquee Sports Network, one of the Cubs with multiple rings tried to put it into words. Jon Lester invoked winning “as a belief…obviously…“ However, in listening to him discuss that with Ryan Dempster it became clear, not all teams treat a championship as their destiny. Dempster, specifically described how revealing it was to him to have them just expect to win and how powerful that was in manifesting some good luck and good outcomes.

That luck was on display all afternoon at Wrigley Field, whether it was Michael Busch’s home run finding Rizzo, or the cheer that erupted all around the upper concourse as Dexter Fowler, Jason Heyward and Rizzo made their way around the concourse tossing fans baseballs and taking photos with them. And maybe, just maybe, a little bit of that expectation of winning and things going right rubbed off on the 2026 Cubs a decade later. It’s the best explanation I have for the penultimate play of the game being one of the wildest double plays you’ll ever see. You can see all of the highlights, including an 8-4-2-5-3 double play, below:

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

You can't cash home run tickets all week if you don't start on Monday! 

These are my top looks to leave the yard, including a double-dose of Kyle Schwarber moonshots to go along with Ben Rice and Colt Keith in these MLB player props. 

Here are my favorite MLB picks & home run predictions for Monday, July 20.

Best MLB home run props today

Player to hit a HR	Odds
Ben Rice	+281
Colt Keith	+415
Kyle Schwarber 2+ HR	+1400
💲Today's HR parlay	+29332

Home run pick: Ben Rice (+281)

New York Yankees slugger Ben Rice draws Braxton Ashcraft this evening, a matchup where he covers over 91% of his arsenal according to Batters-Box.

Ashcraft has allowed left-handed hitters to do just about whatever they want as of late. Over his last 60 batters faced, lefties have generated a 74.3% elevation rate, 57.1% hard-hit rate, and 14.3% barrel rate. During that stretch, they own a .407 xBA, .825 xSLG, .350 xwOBA, and .319 ISO.

Rice has been crushing right-handed pitching recently as well. Over his last 30 at-bats against righties, he owns a .308 BA, .692 SLG, 1.092 OPS, and .384 ISO. During that span, he has produced a 66.7% hard-hit rate and 22.2% barrel rate.

This is an excellent spot for the All-Star to leave the yard.

• Time: 7:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: YES, SNP

Home run pick: Colt Keith (+415)

Wind blowing out and Jameson Taillon on the mound? Yeah, we need to back a Tiger to go Ya-Ya, and Colt Keith is our guy.

The Detroit Tigers third baseman carries an elite rating on Batters-Box’s current season dataset while covering over 61% of Taillon’s pitch mix. The expected data suggests that arsenal coverage should actually be higher, which is why I am leaning heavily into Keith this evening.

Plus, he has been one of the hottest hitters in the Tigers lineup. Over his last 30 at-bats against right-handed pitching, Keith owns a .654 SLG, 1.021 OPS, .428 wOBA, and .346 ISO, while producing a 47.4% hard hit rate and 15.8% barrel rate.

Taillon has struggled against left-handed bats this season, allowing a 75% elevation rate and 15% barrel rate. Lefties have posted a .553 xSLG, .407 xwOBA, and .315 ISO against him.

At that price, it is hard to pass up on a hitter who is absolutely crushing the baseball.

• Time: 8:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MARQ, DSN

Home run pick: Kyle Schwarber 2+ Home Runs (+1400)

Kyle Schwarber finds himself in a mouthwatering spot tonight, and the books appear to be overcompensating for the matchup. His home run prop is currently well under 2-to-1 and will likely continue to drop as we get closer to first pitch.

However, Schwarber carries an elite rating on Batters-Box while holding an 82.5% arsenal coverage matchup against Dodgers right-hander Emmet Sheehan. Across 107 elite ratings over the last three years, Schwarber has homered nearly 35% of the time.

The Phillies slugger has also been generating nearly 60% hard contact over his last 60 at-bats against right-handed pitching, and I think he is an ideal option for not just one, but two nukes this evening.

Sheehan has struggled against left-handed hitters this season, allowing a 47.4% hard-hit rate and a 73.7% elevation rate to his last 30 faced. Those hitters have produced a .546 xSLG during that stretch.

If you want to play it safe, take the one, but there is far more value in chasing two.

• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: ESPN

Today’s HR parlay

Ben Rice	Bet Now +29332
Colt Keith
Kyle Schwarber

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.

With a 50-50 record through 100 games, the Mariners have become the embodiment of that famous Tommy Lasorda quote. They’ve got 62 games left to prove how good or bad they really are. There were glimpses of that competent roster last weekend; Cole Young blasted two huge home runs, Julio Rodriguez collected a walk-off hit in his first game off the IL, and the pitching was mostly solid. Now the trick is to string a few series wins together to build some momentum as the season barrels towards the trade deadline.

It took a historic collapse from the Mets, but the Reds made a surprise playoff appearance last year. It didn’t last long — they were trounced in the Wild Card round by the Dodgers — but it seemed like something promising to build on. Cincinnati got off to a really strong start to this year, but the team has crashed after the first month of the season. Since May 1, the Reds’ 24-42 record is the worst in baseball. There are a few bright spots around the roster; Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart are a solid pair to build a lineup around and Hunter Greene and Chase Burns are a flamethrowing duo to lead the starting rotation. The rest of the roster is rather lackluster, and the wave of young talent that had been working its way through their farm system a few years ago hasn’t panned out at all.

Elly De La Cruz is one of the most dynamic, young players in baseball. He possesses an exciting combination of speed and power, and he’s managed to take a pretty big step forward at the plate this year. After an excellent debut last September, Sal Stewart has continued to pound big league pitching in his first full season. His contact quality isn’t great as it was last year, but he’s still been able to crush 20 home runs during his rookie campaign. The lineup goes downhill from there. JJ Bleday is in the middle of a nice bounce ball season and Spencer Steer has turned into a solid utility guy, but Eugeno Suárez is really showing his age now and TJ Friedl and Ke’Bryan Hays simply can’t hit enough to make up for their solid defense. 

A fun note: the two position player prospects sent to Cincinnati in the Luis Castillo deal are finally on the major league roster together. Noelvi Marte has had a rough, up-and-down start to his career that included a PED suspension last year. Edwin Arroyo was just recently made his major league debut last month, though he looks pretty overmatched by big league pitching. 

Probable Pitchers 

Updated Stuff+ Explainer 

• Stuff+ scores for Mariners starters

It seemed like Andrew Abbott had taken a big step forward last year; his strikeout-to-walk ratio improved to 3.47 and his ERA sat below three, even if his FIP was a little higher at 3.66. He hasn’t been able to replicate that success this season. His strikeout-to-walk ratio has fallen to 1.75 thanks to a huge jump in walk rate. He’s still putting his fastball in the zone a ton, but he’s trying to get batters to chase his secondary offerings outside the zone and it just isn’t working. He’s also suffered from a pretty significant increase in hard contact allowed — contact management was a big reason why he was so successful last year. None of the steps backwards are that big on their own, but taken all together and it’s a recipe for a pretty uneven season.

Chase Burns is one of the most exciting young pitchers in baseball, and he just earned a huge pay day. Last week, the Reds signed him to a seven-year extension to keep him in Cincinnati until 2034. It’s easy to see why they like him so much. He easily reaches triple-digits with his fastball and possesses one of the nastiest sliders in baseball. The depth of his repertoire is pretty limited — right now, he’s working with the Spencer Strider two-pitch special — but he’s dabbled with a changeup and a curveball, though neither of those pitches is ready for primetime. It doesn’t really matter right now because his slider is so unhittable, and his fastball so difficult to square up, that he’s thriving without the need for a third or fourth pitch.

Brady Singer is in the midst of the worst season of his career. Yes, his ERA isn’t as high as it was in 2023 when it was over five, but his peripherals have all taken a dive this season and his FIP has shot up to a career-high as a result. He’s lost a full tick off his fastball velocity, further degrading an already mediocre pitch. His two breaking balls are decent enough, especially against right-handed batters, but neither is very effective against opposite-handed opponents. He could really use a changeup to keep lefties at bay; instead, he’s tried to add a cutter to his pitch mix but that pitch has been crushed.

The Big Picture:

The Mariners gained a game on the Rangers after they dropped their weekend series against the Braves. Texas hosts the White Sox this week before a huge showdown against the M’s this weekend. The Astros were swept by the Orioles this past weekend, dropping to four games back in the division. Meanwhile, Baltimore has won seven straight and played their way onto the fringe of the Wild Card race. The O’s aren’t even the hottest team in baseball — that’s the Red Sox who have now won 13 in a row and are now in possession of the final Wild Card spot, a game ahead of the Mariners.

Fresh off their first road series win since early June, the New York Mets (42-58) travel to American Family Field for a three-game rendezvous with the Milwaukee Brewers (62-37). The Mets were swept in Milwaukee last August but won two of three against the Brewers at Citi Field. The last time New York won a game in this ballpark, it was Game 160 of the 2024 season, and the victory positioned them to clinch a postseason berth on the final day of the regular season.

The Mets entered the second half as losers of three straight following a sweep at the hands of the Red Sox, but they rebounded to take two of three from the Phillies in Citizens Bank Park. It was their first road series win since taking two out of three from the Padres back on June 5-7. In their 4-1 victory on Thursday, they got most of their offense via the home run ball, as Francisco Alvarez contributed his second two-homer game of the year and Brett Baty added a solo shot of his own, which was more than enough for Christian Scott, who was terrific yet again. The win came despite the downright dangerous conditions, including the poor air quality resulting from the Canadian wild fires. They were listless in their 6-1 loss on Saturday, as the Mets mustered just three hits, made three errors, and got ineffective pitching from both Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga in defeat.

They returned the favor with a 6-1 win in the rubber game, as the Mets jumped ahead on a Francisco Lindor two-run home run, got three more runs in the second, and never looked back, while Nolan McLean shoved with ten strikeouts in six shutout frames. The Mets picked up 14 hits and walked seven times, with every member of the starting lineup picking up at least one hit except for Marcus Semien. On the downside, New York left 15 on base and ended up going 3-for-23 with Runners in Scoring Position in the series, with all three hits coming on Sunday.

The team’s solid weekend did nothing to quell the trade chatter, and in fact the organization openly announced to the world before Thursday’s game that they were open to business. This is nothing new but did serve as active confirmation of their plans heading into the deadline, especially the fact that all players minus the youngsters and Juan Soto are being made available for the right deal. This led to a lot of chatter about Lindor, who has struggled this year after enduring an injury-plagued campaign. Worse than the offense, he’s made a number of mental mistakes and made errors in three straight games before putting up a clean defensive performance on Sunday.

He actually put forth one of his best performances of the year in the finale, hitting a homer, contributing three hits, and reaching base five times. Despite that, many fans and many in the media have taken it upon themselves to ask if he should be traded, with many even saying his best days are behind him. It’s led to a lot of takes, and a lot of discourse, but Lindor, for his part, has made it known he’s not happy with his play and is actively going out there trying to figure things out. For the right trade, anyone should be movable, but the Mets would probably have to be blown away to even consider it, as Lindor still remains an integral part of this team, especially if they want to succeed next season.

The Brewers kicked off the second half with a three-game sweep of the Marlins at home, which was a nice rebound performance after getting swept by the Pirates to end the first half. The Brewers, who were once chasing the Cubs in the NL Central, are currently six games clear of their division foe, and own the second-best record in baseball behind the Dodgers. On top of their major league success, the Brewers have the top ranked farm system in Major League Baseball, which is an embarrassment of riches for an organization that has made the postseason in seven of the past eight seasons and is well on their way to making it this year after reaching the NLCS in 2025.

Unsurprisingly, Milwaukee is right near the top of the pack in the NL in offense, ranking fifth in wRC+ (104), fifth in runs scored (502), fourth in OBP (.337), and fourth in stolen bases (98). However, one thing they won’t do is outslug you, as they have hit the fewest home runs (91) among NL squads. Their pitching is where they really shine, however. Their rotation has a 3.38 ERA, which is second-best in the NL behind the Dodgers, while sporting a league-best 3.48 FIP. Their starters also sport the best K% (27.9%), the third-best BB% (7.4%), and the fourth-best HR/9 (1.08). It is worth noting that a lot of it is skewed thanks to Jacob Misiorowski’s Cy Young-worthy campaign. Their bullpen is equally lethal, sporting the second-best ERA (3.54) and FIP (3.68) in the league. So while Milwaukee will not bludgeon you on offense, they are very stingy when it comes to giving up runs.

Aside from Misiorowski, William Contreras was the only other All-Star for Milwaukee. The catcher enters play hitting .280/.346/.405 with 10 homers, a 107 wRC+, and 1.8 fWAR in 92 games. However, their best offensive player is Brice Turang, who is hitting .261/.358/.456 while leading the club in runs scored (67), runs batted in (60), stolen bases (15), and fWAR (3.5). Their biggest power threat is Jake Bauers, who is tops on the team in home runs (18), wRC+ (135), and OPS (.858).

Monday, July 20: Freddy Peralta vs. Brandon Sproat, 7:40 PM EDT on SNY

Peralta (2026): 104.1 IP, 104 K, 44 BB, 15 HR, 4.66 ERA, 4.39 FIP, 114 ERA-

Peralta will make his long-awaited return to Milwaukee when he faces off with his old club in the series opener. In eight years with the Brewers, he posted a 3.59 ERA and a 3.66 FIP while amassing 1,237 strikeouts in 931 innings. He was a two-time All-Star and finished in the top-5 in NL Cy Young voting with the club in his final season. He’s had considerably less success with the Mets, and is quickly approaching the end of his brief tenure in Queens, as he will almost certainly be moved before the August 3 deadline. Interestingly, with the Brandon Woodruff injury, Milwaukee has emerged as a possible landing spot for the right-hander. His last time out, he suffered his eighth loss of 2026 as he allowed two earned runs on three hits while striking out six and wlaking five over 4 1/3 innings.

Sproat (2026): 82.0 IP, 87 K, 39 BB, 15 HR, 5.16 ERA, 5.11 FIP, 123 ERA-

Similar to Peralta, Sproat will make his first start against the club that traded him to the Brewers (in exchange for Peralta). The young right-hander was the centerpiece of the deal and has been a steady member of the team’s rotation after making four starts with the Mets and posting a 4.79 ERA and a 2.80 FIP in 20 2/3 innings last year. His numbers are a bit misleading, as he had a really rough start to his tenure in the Brewers before leveling off a bit. After posting a 6.24 ERA and a 5.59 FIP through May 31, he has posted a 3.55 ERA and a 4.40 FIP in seven starts since June 1. He also enjoyed the best start of his career in this stretch, when he hurled six innings of one-hit ball and punched out a career-best ten against the Reds on June 23.

Tuesday, July 21: Zac Thornton vs. Jacob Misiorowski, 7:40 PM EDT on SNY

Thornton (2026): 17.1 IP, 15 K, 5 BB, 1 HR, 2.60 ERA, 2.99 FIP, 64 ERA-

The artist formerly known as “Zach Thornton” and currently known as “Zac Thornton” is coming off the best start of his young career, and one that should have earned him his first career victory. The young left-hander dominated the Red Sox in the team’s final game before the All-Star break, llimiting Boston to two hits and two walks over seven scoreless frames. He struck out five and needed just 82 pitches to get through his outing. If it wasn’t for a blown save in the ninth, he would have had his victory, but he will certainly get plenty of chances down the stretch to earn that first win. Given the team’s pitching outlook, the upcoming deadline, and his last two starts, Thornton looks to have established himself as a rotation mainstay for the foreseeable future.

Misiorowski (2026): 111.0 IP, 167 K, 27 BB, 9 HR, 1.62 ERA, 2.09 FIP, 39 ERA-

Misiorowski made waves after debuting last year and was the center of controversy after being named an NL All-Star after just five career starts and 25 2/3 career innings. There was no controversy this year with his selection, as Misiorowski leads the NL in ERA (1.62), ERA- (39), strikeouts (167), FIP (2.09), WHIP (0.76), and H/9 (4.6). He has established himself as the clear frontrunner for the NL Cy Young award in his second major league season. The 24-year-old flamethrower earned a win in his last start before the break, holding the Cardinals to three runs on three hits with 11 strikeouts over two innings. His best and most eye-opening start came on June 12, when he hurled a complete game one-hit shutout with 15 strikeouts against the Phillies.

Sunday, July 19: Christian Scott vs. Logan Henderson, 2:10 PM EDT on SNY

Scott (2026): 59.2 IP, 72 K, 26 BB, 7 HR, 2.87 ERA, 3.77 FIP, 70 ERA-

Dealing with a tough lineup in Philadelphia and the elements (intense heat and bad air quality), Scott was in command in picking up his third career victory. The 27-year-old right-hander held a potent Phillies’ lineup to three hits and did not walk a batter while striking out seven over 5 2/3 innings. Over his last two starts, he ha snow pitched 10 2/3 innings of shutout baseball, scattering six hits and walking one while striking out 12 hitters. Along with Nolan McLean, Scott as emerged as the future of this team’s rotation in 2027 and beyond.

Henderson (2026): 33.1 IP, 38 K, 7 BB, 3 HR, 2.97 ERA, 2.71 FIP, 71 ERA-

Henderson posted a 1.78 ERA in 25 1/3 innings for Milwaukee last season in his first go-around in the majors, but elbow inflammation cut his solid season short. He started this year in Triple-A but has made a couple of trips up to the majors while also battling a low back strain. Since returning, he’s made two starts, allowing three earned runs on three hits over 5 1/3 innings in a win against the Cardinals, and holding the Marlins to one earned run on three hits over five innings against the Marlins in a no decision. The Brewers have won each of his last five starts dating back to his pre-IL stint.