The Atlanta Braves and their red hot offense will be facing another top ten offense in the month of July in the San Diego Padres. Both teams will be bringing in starters who have struggled as of late on the mound.
The Braves have scored the most runs in MLB over the month of July, but Bryce Elder, who is starting tonight, has an ERA of 11.00 in his last four starts. The Padres have been a top ten in runs scored as well, and are in a similar situation with their starter. JP Sears made his season debut four starts ago, against Atlanta, and has a an ERA of 5.03 thus far this season.
This game has the makings of an offensive shootout. Here is to hoping the Braves come out on top.
Follow along in the comments. First pitch is at 7:15 EDT.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 06: Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts #50 at bat during the NLDS game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers on October 6th, 2025 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Dodgers return to a park they last visited during that historic 2025 postseason campaign.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 19: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers walks back to the dugout after striking out during the first inning against the New York Yankees in game one of a double header at Yankee Stadium on July 19, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani is expected to pitch off a mound sometime later this week, but there is no timetable for his return to the rotation.
Ohtani had been scheduled to start against the Phillies in the finale of the three-game series in Philadelphia on Wednesday. But left knee irritation that kept him out of last week’s All-Star Game scrapped those plans.
The four-time MVP last pitched on July 3. He received a lubricant injection in his balky knee, which does not bother him while batting.
Manager Dave Roberts said the injection, bypassing the All-Star game and skipping the scheduled start is not because the issue is worsening. Rather, that it has “not gotten better.”
“All that stuff is trying to give us the best chance to be out of the woods entirely,” Roberts said before Monday’s game against Philadelphia.
Roberts indicated that Ohtani would try to throw off the mound later this week, saying it could happen on Thursday or Friday. The two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers are scheduled to visit the White House on Thursday, an off day. They begin a three-game series at the New York Mets on Friday.
Asked if Ohtani could return to the rotation sometime in the near future, possibly as early as next week, Roberts said, “I don’t know. He’s got to play catch again and then we’ll see.”
Asked if Ohtani could return to the rotation sometime in the near future, possibly as early as next week, Roberts said, “I don’t know. He’s got to play catch again and then we’ll see.”
Jul 19, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Daulton Varsho (5) singles against the Chicago White Sox during the seventh inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
I’m past hoping for wins. I’d just like it to look like the Jays are trying. I understand that you can try and have it not look like you are, but…..please put in an effort today. Maybe more than 5 hits….let’s go for 8 hits with at least one being for extra bases.
And let’s keep it to a one-possession game. Keep it to a field goal. Or a grand slam, if you want to use baseball type terms.
Let’s shoot for three hits with RISP. That doesn’t seem like asking too much. If you get two I’ll give you a passing mark.
Apr 3, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) and New York Mets center fielder Luis Robert Jr. (88) celebrate after the score against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images
Mets lineup
A.J. Ewing – RF Juan Soto – LF Bo Bichette – 3B Francisco Lindor – SS Jorge Polanco – DH Jared Young – 1B Luis Robert – CF Brett Baty – 2B Francisco Alvarez – C
SP: Freddy Peralta – RHP
Brewers lineup
Christian Yelich – DH Jackson Chourio – LF Brice Turang – 2B William Contreras – C Garrett Mitchell – CF Andrew Vaughn – 1B Jake Bauers – RF Cooper Pratt – SS Joey Ortiz – 3B
SP: Jacob Misiorowski – RHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 7:40 PM EDT TV: SNY Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
Jun 2, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Shane Baz (34) pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s go time.
The Orioles and Red Sox square off at Fenway Park tonight for the opener of what’s become a crucially important three-game series. The O’s have won seven games in a row entering the night, while the Red Sox boast a 13-game winning streak. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it’s only the fifth time since 1961 that two teams with 7+ game winning streaks have gone head-to-head. They can’t both keep them going. Something will have to give.
The pessimist in me says there’s no way that the Orioles, despite their recent surge, can take down the scalding hot Red Sox, especially with so many key hitters out of action. Blaze Alexander is on the IL and won’t return for weeks. Samuel Basallo is out of the lineup after leaving Sunday’s game early with a right shoulder injury. And Adley Rutschman is the latest member of the walking wounded, landing on the 10-day injured list earlier today with left wrist inflammation. It’s Rutschman’s third IL stint of the year, which is really putting a damper on his otherwise resurgent season at the plate. For now, the O’s will have to rely on a catching tandem of Sam Huff and newly recalled Chadwick Tromp until Basallo is ready to return. It’s not pretty.
The Orioles’ lineup against lefty Payton Tolle in the opener is unconventional, to say the least. With lefty swingers Basallo, Jackson Holliday, and Colton Cowser on the bench, it’s a right-handed heavy lineup that features Tyler O’Neill, Coby Mayo, Jeremiah Jackson, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand. And for the O’s fans who have been complaining about the struggling Gunnar Henderson always batting first or second, don’t worry, he’s been moved down…to third. Not exactly a solution to the problem, there. Pete Alonso will bat second for the first time as an Oriole; his previous 100 starts had all been batting third or cleanup.
Shane Baz will make his first start of the second half for the Orioles. He’s been perfectly fine for the Birds, with a basically league-average 101 ERA+, but I feel like he hasn’t yet delivered an especially memorable, signature outing. Tonight would be the perfect time to do so.
Here goes nothing.
Orioles lineup:
LF Taylor Ward 1B Pete Alonso SS Gunnar Henderson RF Tyler O’Neill DH Coby Mayo CF Leody Taveras 2B Jeremiah Jackson 3B Christian Encarnacion-Strand C Sam Huff
RHP Shane Baz
Red Sox lineup:
2B Anthony Seigler CF Ceddanne Rafaela RF Wilyer Abreu 1B Willson Contreras DH Masataka Yoshida 3B Caleb Durbin LF Jarren Duran C Connor Wong SS Tsung-Che Cheng
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 14: Michael Wacha #52 of the Kansas City Royals is introduced prior to the 96th MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday, July 14, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Well, let’s forget that yesterday ever happened. The Royals now continue their NL West tour of duty. Today, one of the other California teams, the San Francisco Giants, comes to Kansas City for a three-game series. At 42-57, the Giants are not much better than the 40-60 Royals.
The Royals have a slightly better group of position players – the Royals sit at 16th in batter fWAR, while the Giants are at 21st. But as you might expect, the Giants make up that difference (and then some) with their superior pitching. That’s not to say their pitching is *good*, but it’s certainly better than the dead-last-in-fWAR staff of the Royals. The two teams are actually pretty close in starter fWAR; the Royals bullpen is just so atrocious. Again, the Giants bullpen is also bad! The Royals are just in their own league of bad.
Because they are required to have a starting pitcher, the Royals will put Michael Wacha on the mound to pitch. He’s the innings leader for the Royals and sports a 3.77 ERA / 4.00 FIP. You know, Michael Wacha things. Just like…the same stuff he’s been doing for years. I feel like I’ve had Wacha on Mondays quite a bit this season, and there’s not much to say about him. He was an All-Star.
The Giants are countering with Trevor McDonald, a 25-year-old right-hander, who by K%/BB% is very nearly a clone of Wacha. The main difference is that he’s a heavy ground-ball pitcher (56.2%!) – if I set the leaderboard threshold down to 60 innings pitched minimum, McDonald ranks 3rd among all pitchers in ground-ball rate. He has an inflated ERA due to a low strand rate. I’m not sure how real this is, given the sample size, but he seems to fall apart if anyone gets on base. His K%/BB% get significantly worse. He’s just as good as Wacha, if not better, with the bases empty.
The game starts at 6:40pm US Central. You can watch on Royals.TV and listen on 96.5 The Fan/The Royals Radio Network.
Here’s the good news: noted ‘professional hitter’ Gleyber Torres is back. His rehab from his second oblique injury of 2026 has progressed to minor league games, and he recently cracked a home run in his second Single-A game on Saturday. That was enough apparently, but more to the point, the Tigers are running out of time. The veteran second baseman was returned to the active roster today in exchange for part-time catcher Eduardo Valencia. The 26-year-old depth catcher and sometime first baseman filled in admirably while Dillon Dingler was recovering from a hand injury but ultimately doesn’t have the defensive chops to work behind the plate regularly.
Here’s the bad news: the MLB Trade Deadline is on August 3rd, only 14 days away, and the Tigers’ playoff odds are still hovering around 30%. Detroit will only have two weeks with their lineup at full strength before the deadline. We learned in an article a few weeks back that the Tigers are 23-20 with Torres in the lineup (.539 winning percentage) and 23-33 without him (.411). Over the course of a full season, that’s the difference between 87 and 66 wins, but only one or two over a 13 game sprint to the deadline. That doesn’t leave a lot of time for Scott Harris to evaluate how the team works with Torres back in the lineup, nor does it leave the team a lot of time to capitalize on Torres’ return with a prolonged hot streak.
That said, we know Torres will help. His season stats are a bit imbalanced, but a .280/.395/.395 slashline, 128 wRC+ and average 2B defense add up to 1.0 fWAR in only 43 games. This is a veteran, baton-passing, top of the lineup tablesetter that Detroit has missed for more than half of their season. He’s also clearly the second-best right handed hitter on the roster after Dingler’s breakout, and a competent righty bat would help balance a lineup that hasn’t punished left handed pitching the way they need to. Ideally, Torres coming back sparks a winning streak into the deadline and forces Harris to add some help at the back of the bullpen.
By optioning Valencia, the team keeps both 2B/3B Hao-Yu Lee and OF Ben Malgeri on the active roster. That makes sense as Lee is the ideal platoon candidate for Colt Keith. His wRC+ against lefties is 105, which doesn’t really stand out, but it’s a much more threatening 197 during his second stint in the majors. This is a much more under control version of Lee, and while he won’t run a .476 BABIP against lefties forever, he’s making a lot of good line drive contact across the field. Now that he isn’t forced into fulltime second base duties, AJ Hinch can use Lee in a more aggressive platoon capacity without sacrificing too much defense later in games. I’d expect Lee to basically fulfill Jahmai Jones’ role from 2025 as the Tigers chase every edge they can get.
Malgeri is also fairly important to balancing out this lineup. He’s a more patient hitter than Lee and adds much-needed outfield stability while Matt Vierling and Kerry Carpenter struggle. It’s a walk-and-contact heavy profile with limited power, but when paired with good enough corner defense, it plays well at the bottom of the lineup. He’s fairly platoon-neutral, however, which can make getting him into a game a bit tricky. He’ll never be a bad option, but he won’t be the best one, either. His role should be a bit more limited moving forward as Hinch funnels Lee more platoon at-bats, but there’s still room for him in a reserve capacity or to shield either James Outman or Carpenter from left handed starters and provide a defensive upgrade when the Tigers hold a lead in the late innings.
As noted previously, the roster casualty is Valencia, who hit well, but needs a lot more work as a catcher or a first baseman to hold down a long term roster spot in the majors. He went 1 of 6 cutting down baserunners on stolen base attempts and posted a 0:4 BB/K ratio in his limited MLB stint. His two home runs in only 6 games showed the upside, but for now, he’ll head back to Toledo and try to make himself a more well-rounded asset. Getting more comfortable at first base is going to be mandatory, but the Tigers continue to give the majority of reps to Jace Jung, even thought they won’t use him either, rather than trying to develop Valencia instead.
With Torres back, the lineup lengthens to a solid top 7; Spencer Torkelson and Carpenter haven’t been great so far, but I’d much rather they get at-bats than, say, Zack Short or Gage Workman. If the Tigers are going to earn the right to buy at the deadline, they’ll need this group to take care of business over the next two weeks. Torres churning out long at-bats, walks, and clutch knocks, with Lee turning into a matchup-based threat, is the best chance they have of making a playoff push. There’s no more hitting help coming off the IL soon, so this will have to be enough.
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 05: Ryan Weathers #40 of the New York Yankees pitches during the game between the Minnesota Twins and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, July 5, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Mooney/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Tonight is the hundredth game of the Yankees’ season. Appropriately for a team exiting the All-Star Break, they will continue their homestand by facing their third consecutive National League team. The Dodgers took two of three against the Yankees, as is their habit against, well, most teams, to be frank. Now New York prepares for a three-game set with a team which is no World Series favorite, but is no slouch either: the Pittsburgh Pirates.
These Pirates aren’t the same walkovers of the past few seasons; it appears they’re finally starting to put things together under first-year manager Don Kelly. The Bucs are tied with the Cardinals for third place in the NL Central, sitting four games over .500. I was told the small market teams simply can’t compete, but here’s one of them making noise in the NL playoff hunt. They’ve got a bit of a top-heavy lineup, but it’s packed with a good combo of contact and power; youth and experience.
Ryan Weathers will be the man to face these Allegheny County upstarts, after his scheduled start against the Dodgers was rained out on Saturday. Weathers has navigated his own struggles while also dealing with poor infield defense behind him and routinely bad run support. Both were obstacles he nonetheless navigated well in a 5.1-inning effort against Washington to close out the first half. Additionally, as Jeff Middleton pointed out in our series preview, the Pirates represent a potentially advantageous matchup for him: they’ve struggled to a 71 wRC+ against left-handed pitching away from PNC Park.
Paul Skenes is the obvious star of their pitching staff (the Yankees won’t see him this series), but he’s not devoid of help in the rotation this year. Braxton Ashcraft has been his most capable co-star, pitching to a 3.49 ERA across 19 starts. Ashcraft replaced Skenes in the All-Star Game but also didn’t pitch—this will be his first work since the break. He features high-90s heat and two excellent breaking balls: a curve that batters whiff on 40 percent of the time as well as a slider that averages low-90s velocity and bends away from righties.
By the way, just wanted to show this off. Baseball Savant recently released a new player comparison tool, and I think it’s pretty neat! Here’s a look at one of those comparisons with tonight’s starters. Note Ashcraft’s scary 96th-percentile chase rate; maintaining discipline against this righty will be a daunting task.
I know this is not going to be a popular sentence, but the Yankees’ lineup tonight is probably the best they can muster with their current roster—yes, even with Austin Wells catching. He’s batting eighth ahead of José Caballero, who will serve as sort of a double-leadoff hitter. As an occasional double-leadoff hitter for my rec league softball team, I know how valuable that can be.
Anyway, the actual leadoff hitter is Trent Grisham, who has continued to be this team’s heartbeat at the dish. Ben Rice hits second and gets the DH spot, with Paul Goldschmidt hitting third. Cody Bellinger will hit cleanup, as he looks to finally end a power outage which has lasted over a month. Late-night hero Jazz Chisholm Jr. bats fifth, while Jasson Domínguez bats sixth and plays right field. Ryan McMahon will play third and bat seventh ahead of Wells and Caballero.
How to watch
Location: Yankee Stadium — Bronx, NY
First pitch: 7:05 pm ET
TV broadcast: YES, SportsNet Pittsburgh
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280; Sports Radio 93.7 KDKA The Fan (PIT)
CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 19: Cleveland Guardians center fielder Petey Halpin (0) singles to left during the third inning of the Major League Baseball interleague game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Guardians on July 19, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Luis Robert Jr. didn’t expect to miss much time when he first landed on the IL.
The oft-injured slugger had been progressing well in his recovery, but his neck didn’t respond to treatment how the Mets had hoped, leading to an extended absence.
Robert, sidelined since late-April, landed on the 60-day IL.
“The process, it’s no secret it was a long one,” he said through a translator. “It was difficult and frustrating -- but now I feel good thank God, and I’m just here and ready to go play my game.”
Before being sidelined, Robert stood alone as the Mets’ everyday centerfielder.
Top prospect A.J. Ewing filled in admirably in his absence, though, sliding right in as a regular atop New York’s lineup and in the middle of their defense.
Now with Robert back, it’ll be interesting to see how the playing time shakes out.
Interim manager Andy Green said pregame that the initial plan is for the 28-year-old to play two-out-of-three days for now, and then they’ll reevaluate things in a few weeks.
Robert is expected to spend most of his time in center, pushing Ewing over to a corner spot.
That’s how things shake out Monday, as he slides between Ewing (RF) and Juan Soto (LF) while Carson Benge sits against Brewers ace righty Jacob Misiorowski.
Green will mix-and-match as he sees fit, but this plan could also change in the next two weeks if the Mets are able to find someone willing to take on Robert ahead of the trade deadline.
May 23, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) reacts against the Miami Marlins during the fifth inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
A day after a dramatic walk-off sweep of the Marlins, the Brewers welcome another National League East opponent to Milwaukee today — and they’ll see a familiar face on the mound, as Freddy Peralta returns to the mound at American Family Field for the first time in a different uniform. Peralta isn’t the only story on the mound today, though: Jacob Misiorowski, after an extended break, is back for the Brewers for his first outing in 13 days.
It’s been tough sledding for Peralta since the trade that sent him to the Mets (who, in return, gave the Brewers tomorrow’s starting pitcher, Brandon Sproat, and current Triple-A infielder/outfielder Jett Williams). Coming off a career year in his last season in Milwaukee, Peralta is having what is, by most measures, his worst season since becoming a regular member of Milwaukee’s rotation in 2021; through 20 starts, Peralta is 5-8 with a 4.66 ERA, 4.38 FIP, 1.438 WHIP, a career-low 9.0 K/9, and 3.8 BB/9, his highest mark since he was a reliever in 2019. Given the Mets’ struggles and Peralta’s status as an impending free agent, he is likely to be traded before next month’s trade deadline, and the Brewers are even frequently cited as a possible suitor.
In stark contrast, Misiorowski gets to start the stretch run of his Cy Young campaign. At this point, the only thing that could limit his case is innings pitched — after skipping his last start and moving this one back to the second series, Miz is at 111 innings pitched through 18 starts, tied for 23rd in the league. That’s plenty to make him eligible for the Cy Young, but we’ll see how the Brewers manage his workload between now and the end of the season — if Pat Murphy’s comments today are any indication, they’ll be cautious.
With Jacob Misiorowski pitching tonight for the first time in 13 days after an All-Star break reset, here’s how Pat Murphy described a possible workload: “I think we have to build him back up and make sure we do it in a mindful way.”
Milwaukee’s lineup today doesn’t feature any major surprises, unless you count Andrew Vaughn getting the start against a right-handed pitcher (which shouldn’t be a surprise with Jake Bauers in the outfield more often with Sal Frelick on the injured list). Bauers is joined in the outfield by Jackson Chourio and Garrett Mitchell, while Joey Ortiz, Cooper Pratt, and Brice Turang are alongside Vaughn in the infield. William Contreras, coming off of his walk-off blast, is behind the plate, while Christian Yelich continues to DH and lead off.
Notably, back in the lineup for the Mets tonight is Luis Robert Jr. Robert is more of a big name than anything at this point, and he struggled early in the season before hitting the IL in late April. This will be his first game back.
First pitch tonight is at 6:40 p.m. on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network. Should be a fun one!
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JULY 19: Jase Bowen #4 of the San Diego Padres hits an RBI double against the Kansas City Royals in the third inning at Kauffman Stadium on July 19, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) | Getty Images
San Diego Padres (49-50) at Atlanta Braves (57-41), July 20, 2026, 4:15 p.m. PST
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Jul 19, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman (34) in the dug out during the second inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Another Monday, another new series starts. Four games against the Rays.
The pitching matchups:
Monday: Nick Martinez (8-2, 2.65) vs. Dylan Cease (6-4, 2.56)
Tuesday: Drew Rasmussen (7-5, 3.26) vs. Kevin Gausman (4-8, 4.33)
Wednesday: Griffin Jax (5-7, 4.08) vs. well, Spencer Myles either as starter or bulk guy.
Thurday: Ian Seymour (6-2, 4.79) vs. Shane Bieber (1-1, 5.70)
Max Scherzer starts for the Bisons Wednesday, they are saying he’ll have another rehab start after that. If he could have a great start for the Jays after that and get traded off the next day, that would be the best of all worlds, I think.
Yimi Garcia will start a rehab assignment this week. Likely 2-3 appearances before they decide if they can call him up (barring another setback). Jesus Sanchez ran the bases today and likely will again tomorrow, and then a rehab assignment. If they can get him up to the majors, maybe he can build a little trade value.
John says “We gotta start winning.” No Farrelling kidding. But, even if the bats could magically start working, I don’t think there is enough starting pitching to get us the long win streak we need:
"We gotta start winning. That's just the bottom line."
John Schneider on the Blue Jays' sense of urgency with the season getting shorter. pic.twitter.com/YT4gzlgho5
Right now I’m more interested in Kevin Gausman having a good start or two to build a little bit of trade value, he looks to be the guy with the most obvious trade value. In spite of what I said above, Scherzer will not have any trade value. Bieber, if he can have a couple of good starts in a row, might have some value.
After that, bullpen arms? Tyler Rogers would be a guy I’d be asking about if I ran a playoff team, but he has 2 (or 3) years left on his contract, so you’d have to offer a lot.
Maybe Springer?
Unless the Jays sweep the Rays, I’m thinking we’ll find out who has trade value at the deadline (you may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you will join us).
Tonight’s lineups. Straw in against a right-hander.
Jul 7, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle (70) pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
Peyton Tolle takes the mound tonight against the Orioles in a matchup of teams that have won a combined 20 games in a row. That’s pretty nuts! I will not be saying the Red Sox’s actual number of consecutive victories as a hedge against jinxing it. I truly do have that power. They say it’s impossible but I’m here to tell you it ain’t. But I’m not going to exercise it, so we have a chance.
Shane Baz is on the mound for the O’s, if that does anything for ya:
The less said here the better. We know what’s at stake. Let’s get this bread. Again.
