Category: MLB

Metsinfielder Mark Vientos exited Thursday's game against the Royals after getting hit by a pitch in the hand – later announced as a fracture – resulting in a major league first for A.J. Ewing.

After New York's win, it was announced Vientos suffered a fracture and will land on the IL.

Ewing, who had spent every inning of his young major league career in the outfield, slid to second base as the Mets shuffled things around – Brett Baty moved to third base and Tyrone Taylor entered the game in center – after Vientos left.

Ewing has plenty of experience at second base, having played there regularly in the minors.

He has also been taking ground balls at the position prior to games, including before Thursday's contest.

The Mets have been clear about their intention to regularly play Ewing in center field, where he is a plus defender.

However, with Luis Robert Jr. potentially returning soon from the IL, it's possible Ewing could get some more time at second base in the near future.

Mark Vientos has been removed from the game after being hit in the hand

He initially remained in before being removed for defense pic.twitter.com/Es46Tu69Ex

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 9, 2026

Go Rays!

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Today’s MLB slate is bringing plenty of heat, with no shortage of MLB player props value. A couple of the league’s top sluggers find themselves in spots I absolutely love, including Ketel Marte.

Check out my favorite MLB picks for Thursday, July 9.

Best MLB player props today

Player	Pick	Odds
Kyle Schwarber	Over 2.5 hits + runs + RBI	-122
Bryce Harper	Over 1.5 total bases	-110
Ketel Marte	Over 2.5 hits + runs + RBI	+142

Kyle Schwarber Over 2.5 hits + runs + RBI (-122)

People forget a home run cashes this play, and today Kyle Schwarber’s home run price is sitting at +150. Gross.

The Philadelphia Phillies slugger finds himself with an elite rating on Batters-Box this evening. Across 263 elite ratings over the last three seasons, the big fella has left the yard 27.76% of the time while going over this prop 42.59% of the time.

Schwarber draws Cincinnati Reds right-hander Brady Singer, who owns one of the worst pitcher ratings on the slate. Left-handed hitters have given Singer plenty of trouble, especially recently. Over his last 30 left-handed hitters faced, they are posting a .320 xBA, .680 xSLG, and .344 xwOBA.

On top of that, they are generating a 41.2% hard-hit rate and 17.6% barrel rate.

Over his last 60 plate appearances against right-handed pitching, Schwarber is slashing .320 BA, .560 SLG, .977 OPS, and .240 ISO. Of course, the big fella is also generating a monster 74.5% hard-hit rate during that span.

Yes, he homered last night. Do not be scared. If you don't want to pay the juice, sprinkle the double and home run markets instead.

• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CINR, NBCSP

Bryce Harper Over 1.5 total bases (-110)

We already know Singer has struggled against left-handed bats this season, so let's get into why we are backing both Schwarber and Bryce Harper on back-to-back days.

For starters, the Phillies superstar owns one of the highest matchup ratings on the day over at Batters-Box, where he has 100% arsenal coverage against Singer's pitch mix. Similar to Schwarber, Harper has been absolutely crushing right-handed pitching over his last 60 at-bats, posting a .320 BA, .740 SLG, 1.140 OPS, and .420 ISO.

He is also generating a 61.5% hard-hit rate and 12.8% barrel rate during that span.

I am once again very high on the Phillies today, and hopefully they come through. I would play this prop up to -120.

• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CINR, NBCSP

Ketel Marte Over 2.5 hits + runs + RBI (+142)

This play has me pretty giddy, as I am absolutely loving the value on Ketel Marte’s hits + runs + RBI prop this evening.

The Arizona Diamondbacks star enters today with an elite rating on Batters-Box, and in 59 elite ratings away from home over the last three seasons, he has cleared this prop nearly 50% of the time.

Marte draws San Diego Padres right-hander Griffin Canning, whom he has just 42.2% arsenal coverage against. However, when looking at his expected numbers against some of these pitches, Marte should be just fine.

I am willing to trust the expected stats and believe they point toward positive progression against Canning’s slider and changeup offerings.

Over his last 60 at-bats against right-handed pitching, the Arizona slugger owns a .367 OBP, .574 SLG, .941 OPS, and .278 ISO, while generating a 46.9% hard-hit rate and 10.2% barrel rate.

Canning has struggled against left-handed bats this season. Over his last 60 left-handed hitters faced, they are generating a 54% hard-hit rate, 13% barrel rate, and 59% elevation rate. Those lefties also own a .375 xBA, .671 xSLG, and .389 xwOBA, while Canning carries a 5.93 expected ERA against them.

I think the value is simply too good to pass up here. I love this price and would take it down to +130.

• Time: 9:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SDPA, ARID

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With Garrett Crochet still on the 60-day IL and 10-1 Sonny Gray being saved for the Yankees tomorrow, the White Sox have had the benefit of only facing three back-of-the-rotation lefties this series. Unfortunately, they managed just one run in the first two games, but maybe the third can be the proverbial charm.

Today’s Red Sox starter is something of an unknown quantity, because Patrick Sandoval hasn’t pitched in the majors since June 2024. That’s when he departed for Tommy John surgery, which was followed by complications that kept him out of action an unusually long time. The former Angels veteran has had eight minor league rehab starts with meh results, but the longest was 68 pitches, so the Boston pen should be a factor early.

The White Sox counter with a southpaw of their own who hasn’t gone deep into games lately. Anthony Kay’s last start only went four innings, but that wasn’t his fault; Mother Nature interfered after he’d only given up one run. The previous early exit was on him, though. He didn’t make it out of the fourth after allowing seven hits and five runs, three earned, to the lowly Royals.

The Miguel Vargas leading off experiment was apparently a quick one, with Chase Meidroth back at the top of the lineup against a lefty as usual.

The Red Sox have a heavy-righty lineup with only one batter who has ever faced Kay, and that was one plate appearance (it ended in a K, though, so maybe that’s a good sign).

First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. CST, with a temp of 82°, mostly cloudy skies, and wind about 10 mph out to left. Usual broadcast suspects.

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The Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals conclude an elongated series at Busch Stadium on Thursday night. 

After taking the three straight from their divisional rival before Wednesday's setback, the Brewers are a short favorite (-127) for the finale, while the total is set at 8.5.

My Brewers vs. Cardinals predictions and MLB picks for Thursday, July 9 expect runs to be hard to come by in a tight game.

Who will win Brewers vs Cardinals today: Cardinals moneyline (+119)

Logan Henderson returns from the IL, and the market is giving him plenty of respect given his 26.7% K-BB% and 2.42 FIP.

Still, I'm in no hurry to lay juice on a 24-year-old coming back from a back injury. He won't receive a full workload, and the untrustworthy bullpen behind him (4.81 SIERA, 5.01 xFIP in the last 14 days) will get plenty of work.

Over his last eight starts, Andre Pallante has the third-best hard-hit rate (24.3%) of any qualified starter. With him on the bump, I'd play the St. Louis Cardinals to +110.

COVERS INTEL: Andre Pallante's 55.2% groundball rate since May 23 ranks third among qualified starters. His ability to keep the ball out of the air is crucial on a day with hitter-friendly weather (temps in the upper 80s, winds of 5-7 mph blowing out to right). 

Brewers vs Cardinals Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (-107)

Pallante has been fantastic, and combined with a solid bullpen (3.47 FIP in the last 14 days), can limit a strong Milwaukee Brewers lineup.

Henderson's status coming off the IL may provide uncertainty, but his metrics are certainly impressive. He locates (105 Location+) his nasty stuff (107 Stuff+) while finding strikeouts (33.3% K rate), so it's no surprise Milwaukee is 1-4 O/U in his five outings.

We won't see a blow-up spot for either pitcher, even if Henderson isn't at his sharpest. St. Louis has cashed the Under in 12 of its last 14 home games, so I'm riding the trend. 

Brewers vs Cardinals weather

Brewers vs Cardinals odds

• Moneyline: Milwaukee -127 | St. Louis +122
• Run line: Milwaukee -1.5 (+133) | St. Louis +1.5 (-138)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+100) | Under 8.5 (-104)

Brewers vs Cardinals trend

St. Louis has won seven of Andre Pallante's last eight starts. Find more MLB betting trends for Brewers vs. Cardinals.

How to watch Brewers vs Cardinals and game info

Brewers vs Cardinals latest injuries

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Probable pitchers: LHP Trevor Rogers (6-7, 4.70 ERA, 65 Ks) vs. LHP David Peterson (4-7, 6.75 ERA, 68 Ks)

Where to watch: MASN/MASN+

There have been grey clouds hanging over Baltimore since Fourth of July weekend, and there continues to be a figurative grey cloud hanging over Birdland. After building some hope with two wins in Cincinnati, the O’s are back in the midst of their ninth three-plus-game losing streak of the season—including two close losses to start this series vs. the Cubs. 

The threat of rain has moved Game 3 up from 6:35pm to a 1:35pm, matinee start time. After being let down by the offense in Game 1 and slugged to death in Game 2, Trevor Rogers and the O’s will try and salvage a win in the series finale. Baltimore’s Opening Day starter has been on a heater over the last five weeks, posting a 1.77 ERA across 35.2 IP while limiting opponents to a .188 average. In his most recent outing, he pitched five shutout innings against the Reds, leading the O’s to a 3-0 victory. 

Rogers’ only other career start vs. the Cubs was one of the best (and unluckiest) starts of his Orioles career. The stingy southpaw tossed an eight-inning complete game in Wrigley Field, allowing only four hits and one run while punching out eight. Unfortunately for Rogers and Birdland, he took the L that day as the O’s lost 1-0. 

Opposing him is soft-tossing lefty David Peterson. The longtime former Met is making his third start since joining the Cubs at the end of June and is coming off a really rough start vs. the Cardinals. Peterson only lasted into the 4th inning against the Red Birds, allowing 9 H, 10 ER, 1 HR, 3 BB and 3 Ks. 

The O’s have struggled against even the worst left-handed starting pitchers this season. After a poor performance against Matthew Boyd on Tuesday, Baltimore is down to 24th in OPS against left-handed starters. And in contrast to his recent struggles, Boyd does have a strong recent history against the Orioles. 

In a start last season in Camden Yards, the 30-year-old lefty limited the Orioles to one run and five hits over seven innings. Baltimore won that game thanks to an 8th inning homer from Gunnar Henderson off the Mets bullpen, but will need more offensively today against the Cubs. 

Orioles lineup

1. Adley Rutschman (S) DH
2. Taylor Ward (L) LF
3. Gunnar Henderson (L) SS
4. Pete Alonso (R) 1B
5. Tyler O’Neill (R) RF
6. Coby Mayo (R) 3B
7. Samuel Basallo (L) C
8. Blaze Alexander (R) 2B
9. Leody Taveras (S) CF

Cubs Lineup

1. Pete Crow-Armstrong (L) CF
2. Alex Bregman (R) 3B
3. Seiya Suzuki (R) RF
4. Carson Kelly (R) DH
5. Michael Busch (L) 1B
6. Nico Hoerner (R) 2B
7. Ian Happ (S) LF
8. Dansby Swanson (R) SS
9. Miguel Amaya (R) C

It is in times like this where I have to intentionally remind myself how much I will miss baseball during the lockout.

I swear, if they can’t hit Bailey Ober AGAIN today…

Here’s the Guardians’ lineup:

Here’s the Twins’ lineup:

Let’s go, Guardians!

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A slate full of struggling pitchers take the mound this evening, headlined by Merrill Kelly's recent slump on the bump.

Let's take a look at who joins him in my three favorite MLB strikeout props and starting pitcher picks and MLB picks from Thursday’s slate on July 9.

Player	Pick	Odds
Nathan Eovaldi	Over 7.5 Strikeouts	+125
Merrill Kelly	Under 3.5 Strikeouts	+132
Brady Singer	Over 2.5 Earned Runs	-153

Strikeout prop: Nathan Eovaldi Over 7.5 strikeouts (+125)

With MacKenzie Gore going over for us last night but failing to cash the ladder, the amount of opportunities he had makes me like Nathan Eovaldi to shove this evening.

Does that correlate? Who knows, but the Los Angeles Angels are still one of the highest strikeout teams in baseball.

Over their last 30 plate appearances against right-handed pitching, six Angels hitters own at least a 23.3% strikeout rate, with four of those hitters sitting at 33.3% or higher.

Eovaldi has posted a 29.51% strikeout rate over his last five starts. Across his last 90 batters faced, he owns a 33.1% called strikes plus whiffs rate and a 17.2% swinging strike rate.

This is a great spot for another strikeout pitcher to go over his prop against one of the most swing-happy teams in baseball.

• Time: 8:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: RSN, ABTV

Strikeout prop: Merrill Kelly Under 3.5 strikeouts 

Coming into today, Arizona Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly owns one of the worst pitcher ratings on Batters-Box, including the lowest matchup strikeout rate. His trends in poorly rated spots are also very appealing.

Across 17 poorly rated games, Kelly has stayed under 4 strikeouts 47% of the time. In six games this season with a poorly rated matchup strikeout rate, he has stayed under this prop 66.67% of the time.

Over his last 5 starts, Kelly's strikeout rate has remained below 13%, and on the road this season, that number drops to 10.34%.

• Time: 9:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SDPA, ARID

Earned Runs prop: Brady Singer Over 2.5 Earned Runs (-153)

After the Cincinnati Reds put up nearly two touchdowns last night, I fully expect the Phillies to come back with a chip on their shoulder and return the favor.

Brady Singer draws a fully elite rated Phillies lineup over on Batters-Box, that features three elite rated hitters and two more with strong ratings. The wildest part about those three elite bats? They all own at least 57.6% arsenal coverage against Singer’s pitch mix.

On top of that, the Philadelphia Phillies have been swinging a hot bat as a team, posting a 111 wRC+, .332 wOBA, and .167 ISO over their last 12 games. With me already expecting Philadelphia’s star hitters to bounce back this evening, I think this is a strong spot to fade Singer.

• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CINR, NBCSP

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 Red Sox push for their sixth consecutive win in a season-best hot stretch. Boston eyes a sweep against the surprising American League Central-contending Chicago White Sox. Patrick Sandoval, who signed with Boston before the 2025 season, finally makes his team debut after an extensive rehab process. 

Here’s who the Red Sox will send to the plate behind him Thursday afternoon at Rate Field. 

The White Sox counter with Anthony Kay, who sports a 4.29 ERA and a 6-3 record in 84 innings this year. 

Team News

Torey Lovullo ejected in Diamondbacks loss to Padres

https://arizonasports.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/torey-lovullo-ejected-in-diamondbacks-loss-to-padres

Classic dominance helped propel E-Rod to 1st career All-Star selection
https://www.mlb.com/dbacks/news/eduardo-rodriguez-s-strong-first-half-leads-to-first-all-star-selection

Torey Lovullo Ejected from Diamondbacks and Padres Gamehttps://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/torey-lovullo-ejected-diamondbacks-padres-game

Measuring the Negative Impact of D-backs’ Struggling Veteranshttps://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/measuring-negative-impact-diamondbacks-struggling-veterans

Anything Goes

This day in history:

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/july-9

This day in baseball:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/July_9

Bees have 5 eyes.

The 3 small eyes on a bee’s head detect light and help them escape from predators approaching from above. The 2 visible front eyes help them with navigation and recognizing shapes.

The human tongue heals the fastest compared to all body parts.

This is due to the rich supply of blood that circulates the tongue. It may also be because the mouth is constantly replenishing your taste buds. 

4 out of 5 children recognize the Mcdonald’s logo at 3 years old.

These kids can recognize the golden arches before they even know their own names.

Greetings folks, and a happy Thursday to you.

The Mariners lost a snoozer to the Marlins yesterday, falling 2-0 with another hapless performance from the offense.

A question for you to ponder on this fine morning in advance of the series finale: who is the most Mariner-like Marlin, and who is the most Marlin-like Mariner?

In Mariners news…

• Ryan Divish at The Seattle Times wonders if the Mariners should have more than one All-Star this year.
• Emma Cortes Ellendt at Forbes went behind-the-scenes to learn more about the Mariners’ new influencer strategy.

Around the league…

• Veteran right-hander Justin Verlander announced that he will retire at the end of the season. Verlander was also just selected to the All-Star team as a “legend pick.”
• Bradford Doolittle eulogized the amazing and unique career Verlander has enjoyed.
• We have some new Home Run Derby participants, with the Royals’ Jac Caglianone and the Red Sox’s Willson Contreras each announcing they will compete.
• Former Mariners righty Gregory Santos has elected free agency. Santos has had a rough season between the majors and Triple-A in the Giants organization.
• The Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL) unveiled the names and logos of its four teams in advance of its inaugural season, set to begin on August 1.
• Carlos Collazo at Baseball America provided his penultimate mock draft with less than a week to go until the first round begins. ($)

Anders’ pick…

• This is gonna hit so hard in December.

As has been the case more often than not of late, it was not the Yankees’ day on Wednesday. In an important divisional match with the first place Rays, the Bombers were shut out, and will be forced to try for a split in the series’ fourth game on Thursday. Now five games out of the top spot in the East, New York has plenty of work ahead them as we march closer to the All-Star break.

Regardless, there was plenty of other important baseball going on around the Junior Circuit on Wednesday. Amid some blowouts, gems on the mound, and the narrowing of standings, let’s take a look at what went down.

Boston Red Sox (42-48) 5, Chicago White Sox (47-44) 0

In a battle of the Sox, those of the Red variety had control over Wednesday’s game for much of its duration. After a pair of scoreless innings on both sides to begin the game, Boston jumped out to a five-run lead in a hurry. In the third, RBI knocks from Tsung-Che Cheng and Ceddanne Rafaela helped to plate three, while the same from Carlos Narváez and Cheng scored two more in the following inning.

The outburst in the middle innings was actually the extent of the scoring on either side, as the Red Sox cruised to victory in Chicago. The story of their day, however, was the pitching. Starter Jake Bennet had his best stuff working on Wednesday, as he tossed seven scoreless innings, while striking out four and walking just one. It was his fourth consecutive start of six or more innings, as the lefty continues to pitch well for the Sox.

Boston’s win gets them to within a few games of the final wild card spot, while Chicago’s loss only tightens the situation in a rather close American League Central. With three different teams within two games of first place, the division could once again remain close for much of the season.

Other Games

Toronto Blue Jays (44-49) 10, San Francisco Giants (38-54) 0:

On the topic of top-notch pitching, Dylan Cease was about as good as it gets in San Francisco on Wednesday. The highly talented righty took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Giants, and although he lost the no-no to the first hitter of that frame, Cease finished with a pristine line of eight scoreless innings with eleven strikeouts racked up. All the while, the Toronto bats backed up their starter with double-digit runs, fueled by Kazuma Okamoto’s grand slam, and homers from Vlad Guerrero Jr. and George Springer. The Jays creep back to within 2.5 games of a wild card berth with their dominant win by the Bay.

Miami Marlins (51-42) 2, Seattle Mariners (47-46) 0:

Remaining on the theme of shutouts, the Mariners dropped a tough one on the road against the Marlins. Early runs for Miami, thanks to extra-base hits from Kyle Stowers and Xavier Edwards gave them the lead, while another excellent effort on the mound allowed them to keep it. Miami’s Tyler Phillips along with three relievers kept Seattle out of the run column wire-to-wire, as the Fish continue to impress, holding onto the last wild card spot in the NL. With the disappointing loss, the Mariners shrink their lead in the West to just a half-game, as their situation becomes a bit troubling as we head toward the second half.

Minnesota Twins (46-47) 6, Cleveland Guardians (47-46) 5:

In the closest game on our docket for the day, the Twins walked it off in the ninth to close the gap between them and the Guardians. It was a close battle throughout on Wednesday, as both clubs matched each other with three runs in the fourth inning, and two in the seventh to knot things up at five. The big hit came from Alan Roden in the bottom of the ninth, with his walk-off “single” that hit about half-way up the big wall in right-center sending the Twins and their fans home happy. The dramatic wins gets the surprising Twins a bit closer to the action in the Central, as they now sit just two games out of first place.