Category: Baseball

The El Paso Chihuahuas and San Antonio Missions were the two minor league affiliates to have a winning week. The two Single-A teams, the Fort Wayne TinCaps and Lake Elsinore Storm, both lost their series this past week.

Lake Elsinore, the first-half winners of their Single-A division, has gone 4-11 since the wholesale promotions that marked the end of the first half. That is the worst record in their league. They will await the new arrivals that come in late July or early August after the draft.

In preparation for those new arrivals, the Padres’ organization has continued to make moves to rearrange the players in the system. Every MLB team is allowed 165 minor league members on their rosters, with the moves made over the past two weeks taking the organization to 153 players.

RHP Kannon Kemp completed his rehab assignment and was assigned to Fort Wayne. Right-handed reliever Johan Moreno, who was promoted before the break, was moved again and will play with El Paso. Reliever Ryan Och, who also excelled after his rehab, was promoted from Fort Wayne to San Antonio. Lefty starter Jamie Hitt was also promoted from Fort Wayne to San Antonio.

Right-hander Eric Yost, who moved to El Paso for a start when Jhony Brito was promoted to the major leagues, was returned to San Antonio.

Pitchers Tristan McKenzie and CJ Widger were released from the organization. McKenzie was signed to a minor league deal as one of the reclamation projects general manager A.J. Preller invested in before the season. He has a high-90’s fastball and was successful as a major league starter previously, but has never regained his command since his injury.

The organization will likely make more moves before and after the draft takes place this weekend. 

Catcher Ethan Salas and LHP Kash Mayfield will represent the Padres as part of the All-Star Futures Game on Sunday, July 12, at 9 a.m. PST, carried on NBC/Peacock.

El Paso Chihuahuas (40-47 record, 4th in Pacific Coast League East)

Going 4-2 in their six-game series, the Chihuahuas remain significantly weaker after losing their best offensive players to the major league team. Outfielder Carlos Rodriguez has stepped up to the plate and now boasts a .306/.373/.396 batting line with 14 doubles, two triples, two homers, and 46 RBI. The 25-year-old now leads in RBI and has 31 strikeouts with 31 walks.

Infielder Pablo Reyes, 32, was released from the organization with Nick Solak, Dylan Grego, Mason McCoy, Marcus Castanon, Luis Rengifo, and Clay Dungan all able to play the same positions.

Both Grego and Rengifo have had good starts since joining El Paso.

RHP Evan Fitterer has joined the small ranks of pitchers who are able to sustain success in the PCL. Over 18 games/12 games started, Fitterer, 26, has a 3.53 ERA in 63.2 innings pitched. He has 44 strikeouts to 37 walks and has allowed only two home runs. He signed with the Padres after electing free agency in the offseason and was originally drafted by the Miami Marlins.

Reliever Andrew Moore, recently promoted to El Paso, has a 1.23 ERA in 7.1 innings since joining the Chihuahuas. Overall, Moore, 26, who was acquired by the Padres in the Connor Joe trade last season, has a 1.71 ERA in 31.2 innings pitched.

San Antonio Missions (37-44 record, 5th, last, in Texas League South)

The Missions had a 4-2 record in their six-game series, benefiting from the newly arrived outfielder Jake Cunningham. The 23-year-old former Baltimore Orioles prospect started the season with Fort Wayne and is hitting better with the Missions than with Fort Wayne. In 11 games, Cunningham is hitting .298/.313/.511 with seven RBI.

Catcher Ethan Salas just returned from a stint on the injured list with a minor oblique strain. He has cooled off significantly since the start of the season but has a team-leading .351 OBP with 26 walks and 37 strikeouts. 

Salas and first baseman Romeo Sanabria are both having good seasons, though neither is leading in home runs or RBI. Outfielder Tirso Ornelas, sent to San Antonio at the start of the season, has 11 homers and 36 RBI in his age-26 season and is no longer on the Padres’ roster.

LHP Jagger Haynes has had some rough outings, which is why he has a 4.10 ERA. But over the past month, Haynes has had a 3.31 ERA and a .177 average against. He leads the team with 76 strikeouts to 37 walks in 65 innings pitched and 14 games started in 16 appearances.

Reliever Francis Peña, 25, has struggled with his command over the first half of the season. He has recently shown improved results with a 3.15 ERA in 34.1 innings pitched, but has 28 walks to 47 strikeouts.

Fort Wayne TinCaps (34-47 record, 4th in Midwest League East)

Despite being the recipients of a large portion of Lake Elsinore’s potent offense at promotion time, the TinCaps lost four-of-six in their series this week and are 5-7 over the past two weeks. 

Outfielder Kasen Wells, 22, leads the team with a .283 average. His game involves running and contact hitting with a .383 OBP, 17 stolen bases, and 38 walks. Outfielder Kavares Tears leads with 12 home runs and 41 RBI but also has the most strikeouts at 78.

Centerfielder Ryan Wideman, who has now played 11 games with Fort Wayne after his promotion, is hitting .277 with five RBI and seven stolen bases in nine attempts. For the season, Wideman has 50 stolen bases but has been caught 15 times.

LHP Kash Mayfield, 21,  had a break over the past two weeks and will have his innings managed over the rest of the year. He currently has a 3.33 ERA in 48.2 innings pitched with 58 strikeouts to 19 walks. RHP Abraham Parra, 20, has 57.1 innings pitched with 59 strikeouts but has walked 38. He has a 5.81 ERA with some uneven command.

RHP Ryan Och, now promoted to San Antonio, has a 1.69 ERA in 16 innings with 25 strikeouts and 11 walks.

Lake Elsinore Storm (43-38 record, 1st in California League South)

The Storm is guaranteed a playoff spot at the end of the season thanks to their first-half dominance. The story has been very different since the promotions of many of their best offensive players. They now have a one-game lead in their division.

Newly promoted infielder Dawson Willis has had a good start with a .295/.343/.541 line with four doubles, a triple, three homers, and 15 RBI in the 16 games he has played. Catcher Alcides Hernandez, given a greater opportunity with the injury to Ty Harvey, has taken advantage, leading the team in average at .333 and an OBP of .429. 

RHP Jesus Castro, 19, now leads the Storm starters with a 3.52 ERA in 53.2 innings and 13 starts. Newly arrived reliever Jeferson Villabona, 25, has thrown 9.1 innings with a 0.96 ERA.

ACL Padres (26-21 record, 3rd in West division)

Outfielder Eddson Martinez, 18, promoted from the DSL, has played in 10 games for the Arizona team and has a .364/.455/.545 batting line so far. Outfielder Jesmaylin Arias leads the team with six home runs, while infielder Santiago Vargas leads with 24 RBI.

Reliever Jose Leclerc joined the ACL team to start his rehab from shoulder surgery. He has appeared in only one inning and will be built up slowly.

RHP Miguel Mendez, out since his June 17 start for the Missions with a shoulder injury, has been assigned to the ACL team to begin his rehab.

DSL Padres

The Brown team continues to struggle and has a 5-20 record that has them last in their division.

The Gold team sits 20-6, first in their division. Multiple hitters on the Gold team are hitting over .300 with infielder Abraham Bastides having a .667 slugging percentage, including three home runs and 14 RBI. He leads with a 1.235 OPS while shortstop Joniel Hernandez leads the team with 27 RBI and has a .986 OPS.

The best pitching is coming from the bullpen for the Gold team. RHP Josias Figuereo is the best starter with a 5.49 ERA, but multiple relievers have provided strong support. Due to the age of these players (17-20 for the most part), their workload is limited for both starters and relievers.

Happy Wednesday everyone,

Playing away from Sutter Health Park did not cure the Athletics’ ails. Yesterday, the team began its six-game Midwest road trip with another loss, falling 6-2 to the Detroit Tigers in the opener of a three-game series. Tonight marks the middle game of this midweek series and then the team will play three games at the surprising Chicago White Sox this weekend.

Next week, most of the Athletics players and coaches will rest and prepare for the second half of the season. However, catcher Shea Langeliers and first baseman Nick Kurtz will travel to Philadelphia as American League All-Star starters. They will be joined by A’s head athletic trainer Jeff Collins, who will serve on the AL’s training staff during the “Midsummer Classic”.

Langeliers already declined his invitation to the Home Run Derby, which takes place Monday night before Tuesday’s All-Star Game. Kurtz, who grew up in Pennsylvania as a devoted Phillies fan, also turned down the event due to the risk of injury and fatigue.

The 2026 MLB Draft will kick off the festivities in Philadelphia on Saturday and Sunday. The Athletics hold the No. 8 overall pick, which they secured in the draft lottery this past offseason. Once again, it appears the “Green and Gold” will not be able to choose from any of the top-of-the-class talents, yet the franchise will likely have a bevy of talented players to choose from.

The past three years, the A’s drafted a college player in the first round. Will that trend continue or will they dip into the well of high-school talent for the first time since taking Tyler Soderstrom and Max Muncy back-to-back in 2020 and 2021?

It will also be worth monitoring how the A’s allocate their bonus pool money. For example, they could select an older college player for an under-slot bonus in one round, then use the resulting savings to entice a highly touted high school prospect selected in the following round to sign rather than honor his college commitment. The A’s should draft an outfielder at some point because Lawrence Butler has significantly regressed in every facet of his game since signing that team-friendly contract extension.

All of that is just around the corner. First, though, the Athletics have five more games to close out the first half. A strong finish could provide valuable momentum heading into the All-Star break and set the tone for what they hope will be a meaningful second half.

What are your predictions for the A’s final five games before the time off?

A’s Coverage:

• A’s fall to Tigers 6-2
• Trade Deadline Outlook: Athletics ($)
• A’s Release Michael Kelly
• Three Things To Watch For The Athletics In July
• Julyeball Scout Report As Hopes, Like The Sun, Sink Slowly In The West
• Thoughts And Well Wishes For A’s Prospect Ryan Lasko
• The Athletics and the Cost of a Bad Extension
• A’s Late Rally Falls Short as Marlins Complete the Sweep
• A’s Take Series Finale, Beat Dodgers 7-1
• A’s roster moves: Massive Shakeup
• A’s To Trade Brett Harris To Red Sox
• A’s Fans Want Tommy White in Sacramento, But Is He Ready?
• Two Pitching Options in Draft for Athletics This Weekend
• It’s Harder To Win When You Don’t Understand Your Own Personnel
• Fun Parallels To 2012 Emerging
• What Kade Morris’ Role Will Look Like for A’s in Future
• Some Easy Fixes Rocket Science Aren’t
• Athletics’ Devin Taylor Emerges As All-Around Talent
• From celebratory pool dip to the A’s, Meneses’ journey back to Majors a memorable one
• Athletics Could Deal Hottest Triple-A Bat This Summer
• Status Report: Uncertainty Persists In 5 Places On The Diamond

MLB News and Interest:

• Handing out 2026 midseason grades for all 30 MLB teams
• 2026 MLB draft: One big question and intel for all 30 teams
• MLB stars share draft-day stories: Kurtz, Misiorowski, more
• Rice joins Home Run Derby field, looking to be Yankees’ first winner since ’17
• Here are the 2026 All-Star Game roster replacements
• 3 homers, 10 RBIs … by the 6th inning!? What a night for O’Hearn
• Brewers To Promote Luis Lara
• Torn finger tendon could sideline Griffin for several weeks (source)
• Dodgers’ Evan Phillips back 13 months after Tommy John surgery
• John Mozeliak Discusses Angels’ Draft, Deadline Plans
• 10 non-All-Stars poised for a big second half
• Max Kepler hits first homer since 80-game suspension ended
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Who is the most realistic pitcher the A’s can target this trade deadline without blowing up their farm system? At this point, it seems like the team should be sellers, but that outlook could change if they stop losing nearly every game.

This is worth listening to. Let’s hope that Ryan Lasko continues to recover and gets back to playing baseball sooner rather than later.

Interesting MLB Draft opinion. Who do you think is the team’s best option with the eighth pick in the first round?

This news is a sigh of relief for A’s fans as Ginn has been the team’s best starting pitcher this season.

San Diego Padres fans would be forgiven if they saw the top of the first inning between the Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night and thought, “Here we go again.” Starter German Marquez was in a bases loaded jam after a leadoff double, a fielding error and a walk allowed the first three batters to reach safely. Marquez induced a ground ball to third baseman Manny Machado who threw to Luis Campusano at home plate to get the force out and keep the Diamondbacks off the scoreboard. That success was followed by a one-out walk to Max Kepler which gave Arizona a 1-0 lead over San Diego. Marquez escaped the jam without any additional damage when he got Nolan Arenado to lineout to Sung-Mun Song at second base who raced to the bag to double off the runner for the unassisted double play to end the inning.

Once again, the Padres found themselves trailing before they even sent their first batter to the plate, but unlike the series opener on Monday, the San Diego offense jumped all over Arizona starter Zac Gallen. Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a leadoff double and scored one batter later when Jackson Merrill hit a liner into right field for an RBI-single to tie the game, 1-1. The Padres weren’t done there. Gavin Sheets drew a two-out walk after Merrill stole second base, to put runners at first and second. Jake Cronenworth then hit a 1-2 fastball into the right field bleachers to put San Diego ahead 4-1. If you missed that inning, you basically missed the game because Mason Miller came in for the top of the ninth and locked down the 4-1 win and earned his 23rd save of the season.

Marquez was the story of the night for the Padres outside of the Cronenworth home run. The right-hander, who recently returned from the injured list, completed five innings after a shaky start and allowed one run on three hits with three walks and four strikeouts. The bullpen took down the remaining four innings with Yuki Matsui pitching 0.1 of an inning. Jhony Brito completed 1.2 innings and Bradgley Rodriguez pitched a scoreless eighth before Miller came on for the ninth.

San Diego will try to win their second consecutive game today at 7:10 p.m.

Padres News:

• It been a rough week for the Padres and from ugly losses to injuries, Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball tells you all about it.

• Alek Jacob pitched multiple relief innings on Monday and was sent back down to Triple-A on Tuesday to make room for Jhony Brito on the roster.

Baseball News:

• Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff home run, but the Los Angeles Dodgers lost to the Colorado Rockies.

• Ryan O’Hearn hit three home runs to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a dominant win over the Atlanta Braves.

• Tarik Skubal delivered another solid start to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 6-2 win.

• Zack Wheeler struck out 14 Cincinnati Reds hitters to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a win.

• The Toronto Blue Jays beat the San Francisco Giants, 9-3.

Aneudis Mejia started for Hickory, allowing two runs in two innings, walking one and striking out two. Geury Rodriguez allowed two runs in 2.1 IP, striking out one and walking one.

Marco Argudin was 3 for 3 with two walks. Yolfran Castillo was 1 for 4 with a double, a walk and a stolen base. Marcos Torres had a had a hit, two walks and a stolen base. Daniel Flames had a pair of hits. Dewar Tovar doubled. Angel Arredondo had a hit.

Hickory box score

Hub City starter Enrique Segura allowed one run in five innings, walking one and striking out seven. J’Briell Easley struck out two and walked one in a scoreless inning. Case Matter struck out four in two shutout innings.

Yeison Morrobel homered. Maxton Martin was 2 for 4 with a double. Hector Osorio had a hit.

Hub City box score

Frisco starter Aidan Curry struck out 12 in six innings, walking two and allowing a two run homer. Josh Trentadue struck out six in three scoreless innings.

Rafe Perich’s terrorizing of Texas League pitchers continued, as he went 3 for 4 with a double and a homer. In 31 games since being promoted to Frisco, he’s slashing .316/.420/.624.

Frisco box score

Jordan Montgomery made another rehab start for Round Rock, needing just 40 pitches to throw three shutout innings, allowing five hits and striking out three. Winston Santos made his AAA debut and got hit hard, allowing six runs in three innings, including a pair of homers, while striking out four and walking three. Luis Curvelo allowed three runs in 0.1 IP, walking one. Wilian Bormie struck out one in 1.2 scoreless innings. Emiliano Teodo walked one in a shutout inning, throwing 11 of his 20 pitches for strikes.

Jarred Kelenic was 3 for 4. Aaron Zavala had a hit.

Round Rock box score

ACL Rangers box score

DSL Rangers Red box score

DSL Rangers Blue box score

For as frustrating as the Sox’s season has been, the Mets have been worse. While it’s not exactly stealing our thunder, it’s arguably more impressive (absolute value), given that they have active legitimate superstars, one of whom, Francisco Lindor, is allegedly on the block. And if Sports Illustrated is going to suggest Boston as a destination, who am I to argue? Not that I’m saying it’s a good fit, but with that sweet, sweet SEO already in the ether, it’s time for us to pick up a slipstream.

On the one hand, Lindor’s a 32-year-old shortstop under contract until 2032 at $32 million each year and having the worst season of his professional career by far, batting .210/.297/.355. On that same hand, the Red Sox are cheap and reticent to reach for older players and don’t seem to be in a position to win now or in the short-term future during which Lindor could theoretically turn it around.

On the other hand, Lindor has been good-t0-great every other year of his career and the Sox cannot find a shortstop to save their lives. Franky led MLB with 732 PA’s last year, which is the stability the team has been sorely lacking at the position since… Nomar, maybe? And maybe he’d be relatively cheap, which would invert the Sox’s way of doing things. He also is cool as hell, which is nice.

I don’t think it makes sense for the Sox because of how they operate, but I don’t care about the money, either. I’m team “add good players.” Though if the money issue wipes out next year, that’s one less sub-35-yr-old year you’re getting from him anyway. But enough blabber: What say you?

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The Toronto Blue Jays go for the rubber match on getaway day with their best arm on the mound, as Dylan Cease faces the San Francisco Giants and their ace, Logan Webb.

Cease has been a must-watch for strikeout bettors, and a soft number this afternoon makes him the headliner of my card.

Read on for my Blue Jays vs. Giants predictions and MLB picks for this Wednesday, July 8, matchup.

Blue Jays vs Giants predictions

Blue Jays vs Giants best bet: Dylan Cease Over 6.5 strikeouts (-160)

Talk about easy money. No bet is a true lock, but Wednesday’s line on Dylan Cease’s strikeouts is lower than usual. The Over 6.5 Ks comes with a shorter -160 price, and I still see it as a very solid play.

Cease has been automatic for strikeout Overs, averaging 8.6 strikeouts per game, andthe last time he finished Under 6.5 was all the way back on April 27.

Toronto fans saw the best version of Cease last time out against the Mariners, when he tossed seven shutout innings with nine strikeouts and just one walk. He’s red-hot right now, and I’d play this bet until -170.

COVERS INTEL: Dylan Cease leads the AL with 137 strikeouts, and he’s cashed the Over on 6.5 strikeouts in 11 straight games.

Blue Jays vs Giants same-game parlay (SGP)

I’m building a +300 ticket around Cease and Toronto’s steadiest bats. I’ll start with the Toronto Blue Jays moneyline, trusting Dylan Cease to out-pitch Logan Webb in the rubber match. 

Ernie Clement Over 0.5 hits rides his hot streak after a three-hit night, and stacking Cease Over 6.5 strikeouts doubles down on my best bet. 

I’ll finish with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. over 0.5 hits. Vladdy picked up a hit last night and is 2-for-9 lifetime off Webb with a double.

Blue Jays vs Giants SGP

• Blue Jays moneyline
• Ernie Clement Over 0.5 hits
• Dylan Cease Over 6.5 strikeouts
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Over 0.5 hits

Blue Jays vs Giants home run pick: Ernie Clement (+1350)

This bet is part playing the hot hand, part capitalizing on some misplaced odds. Sure, the San Francisco Giants have ace Logan Webb on the mound, but he isn’t untouchable, especially against Ernie Clement. The Blue Jays infielder is 2-for-4 lifetime off Webb with a three-run homer and four RBI in that tiny sample.

On Tuesday night, Clement racked up three hits, including a double, so he’s swinging it well. The books clearly see him as a long shot to go deep at pitcher-friendly Oracle Park, but I think there’s value. I’d play this at +1000 or longer and keep it to a quarter unit.

Blue Jays vs Giants odds

• Moneyline: Toronto -120 | San Francisco +100
• Run line: Toronto -1.5 (+155) | San Francisco +1.5 (-180)
• Over/Under: Over 7 (+100) | Under 7 (-120)

Blue Jays vs Giants trend

The Blue Jays are 9-5 this season in games Dylan Cease starts as the moneyline favorite, which boosts their chances for the rubber match. Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. Giants.

How to watch Blue Jays vs Giants and game info

Blue Jays vs Giants latest injuries

Blue Jays vs Giants weather

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 Braves are not having a good time, so let’s do a question that’s essentially a link dump. Or, well, a dump of one very specific link. The emphasis is on the word “effectively,” as we know MLB can and has attempted to tamper with the baseball based on its own information.

A couple of days ago, Bradford William Davis over at Eyeblack pulled together some information he was able to collect from league honcho Morgan Sword (great name, maybe not great… actions).

(The article linked above is free and not gated, you just have to enter an email, and there’s no email confirmation to click to gain access.)

Basically, though, the gist of the entirety of the article can be summarized in one partial sentence from Davis:

On October 17, 2019, current executive vice president Morgan Sword, instructed Rawlings executives to build and maintain a baseball capable of supporting what he called a “target leaguewide home run rate” …

There, that’s it. If you remember, 2019 was the year where ball go very far and there were lots of homers, and after that… less so. The ball has also entered kind of a weird pattern — 2022 was higher-drag, 2023 lower-drag, 2024-higher drag, 2025 had higher drag but the ball was bouncier, and 2026 is its own issue where first it looked more like 2024, then more like 2025, and the summer has seen a bunch of reporting about production issues and discolored baseballs that are being removed from consideration before they roll into play, all while drag readings have plummeted.

(There’s a dark story here. It’s really depressing. The Braves arguably changed their offensive approach in 2025 due to higher drag in 2024. This didn’t work, in part because of the increased bounciness of the 2025 ball(s). Then, in 2026, the Braves went back to pre-2025 stuff, until June, which is right when the returns to hitting a vaguely deep fly ball took off again.)

So, anyway, go read the article and opine about MLB’s effectiveness in attempting to shape the game towards some sort of aesthetic end here.

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It was donuts yesterday for the first time in nine articles, but with a handful of fade-able pitchers on the mound, Wednesday's slate is ripe for dingers and MLB player props.

Dansby Swanson has launched seven homers over the last two weeks, and I'm betting on No. 8 today against Dean Kremer. Juan Soto's home run price has also drifted nearly 100 points from yesterday despite drawing an even better matchup against a parade of right-handed pitching.

To round out the card, I'm going with a big price on an under-the-radar clean-up hitter who is a Top-5 bat over the last two weeks. 

These are my favorite home run props for July 8.

Best MLB home run props today

Player to hit a HR	Odds
Dansby Swanson	+493
Juan Soto	+350
Esmerlyn Valdez	+592
💲Today's HR parlay	+9524

Home run pick: Dansby Swanson (+493)

I'm a little late to the Dansby Swanson power surge, but for a guy with seven home runs over the last two weeks and the fifth-best SLG in baseball during that stretch, today might be the best spot yet to ride the hot bat.

Dean Kremer gets the ball for the Orioles, and that pushes a lot of the Cubs' home run props into +EV territory.

Kremer is making just his second start after a lengthy IL stint and is one of the best home run targets on the board. He has allowed a homer in each of his four starts this season, ranks among the Bottom 30 starters in HR/9 over the last three seasons, and gives up plenty of fly balls.

There is also some dugout history, as three Cubs hitters have already taken him deep, albeit in small samples.

I've been hesitant to play Swanson's home run prop because he still hits in the lower third of the order, but he's getting his four plate appearances and has been hitting the ball harder than 99% of the league of late.

The fair price is closer to +400.

• Time: 6:35 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MASN, Marquee Sports Network

Home run pick: Juan Soto (+350)

How about a square pick at a good price with an elite matchup?

The Royals are using an opener today before turning things over to Triple-A call-up Mitch Spence for the bulk innings. It's already a bullpen missing three arms after yesterday's "baseball game" that produced 28 runs, 32 hits, and three errors.

Juan Soto went deep against right-hander Seth Lugo last night in the fourth inning, yet his home-run price is nearly 100 points longer today in an even better matchup.

Spence has allowed 11 home runs in 59+ innings this season at Triple-A and has struggled to keep the ball in the park. This has the makings of another loose baseball game with plenty of home run upside for the Mets.

Soto ranks among the Top 25 hitters in both slugging and ISO over the last two weeks, and I make this home run prop closer to +270.

• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SNY, Royals.TV

Home run pick: Esmerlyn Valdez (+592)

If you sort the best hitters in baseball by slugging percentage over the last two weeks, Pittsburgh's Esmerlyn Valdez sits third and is one of just three hitters with a SLG of .800 or higher. He has been one of the hottest bats in baseball, ranking near the top in offensive production during this stretch.

The Pirates' cleanup hitter has only launched four homers over those two weeks, but the underlying power numbers suggest more could be on the way. That starts tonight against Grant Holmes, who has shown an increase in home run risk compared to last season.

Valdez has been one of the most dangerous young power bats in baseball of late. Everything from his swing speed to his IdealAtkAng% and BlastContact% shows there is more power coming.

At +592, this is the type of price I'm willing to take a shot on.

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: BravesVision, SNP

Today’s HR parlay

Dansby Swanson	Bet Now +9524
Juan Soto
Esmerlyn Valdez

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.

Buoyed by the success of last year’s MLB Tokyo Series merch collaboration with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, the Dodgers are venturing further into partnerships with cutting-edge artists.

Fans whose eyes are solely focused on the diamond might be unfamiliar with KAWS, aka Brian Donnelly, a Brooklyn-based artist and designer whose signature creation is Companion, an art toy and sculpture that resembles an eerie Mickey Mouse with a skull head and “X” marks for eyes.

How that sensibility meshes with Major League Baseball will be evident when the KAWS x MLB collection is released ahead of the Dodgers visiting the New York Yankees for a three-game series July 17-19. The release was announced by Fanatics and Complex, which will market and distribute the collection.

KAWS’ interpretation of official team gear will reside on Nike-produced jerseys, T-shirts, hoodies and caps. Count on the ubiquitous “XX” that typically stand in for eyeballs on the Companion character and the artist’s other dark cartoonish creations.

The collection also will include baseballs, bats and a limited run of Topps trading cards that promise to feature KAWS’ interpretation of Dodgers and Yankees iconography.

“Timed to one of baseball’s most storied rivalries, the collection brings KAWS’ distinctive visual language to the diamond,” said Aaron Levant, chief executive of Complex. “The result is a crossover moment at the intersection of sport, art, and pop culture, where legacy franchises are reframed through one of the most influential artists of this generation.”

Read more:Dodgers collaborate with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami on merchandise again. Here’s how to get it

KAWS’ body of work spans more than 25 years and includes painting, sculpture and design that straddle fine art and global culture. He is known for larger-than-life sculptures and hard-edge paintings that feature his hybrid cartoon characters.

While studying at New York’s School of Visual Arts, he moonlighted as a graffiti artist, defacing billboards, freight trains and water towers. That changed in 1996 when he was given a skeleton key that opened glass advertising boxes on the sides of phone booths and bus kiosks.

KAWS stopped writing his name on walls and began altering ads. He would steal ad posters, paint over them with rudimentary cartoon skulls with X’ed-out eyes in pastel colors, then carefully replace them.

Now his creations range in value from under $20 to millions. His 2005 remake of the the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album cover using characters from “The Simpsons” sold for $14.8 million at Sotheby’s in 2019. His 9-foot-tall painting of Simpsons characters on a couch sold for $7.4 million. His piece showing a screaming “Kawsbob” (SpongeBob) fetched $6 million.

The MLB collection will debut at Fanatics Fest in New York from July 16 to 19 and in the Yankees team store July 16. The full collection — including the Topps trading cards — will launch globally July 20 on Complex.com, Fanatics.com, MLBShop.com and Nike.com.

Items will be available at select Dodgers team stores July 20 and in the Dodger Stadium team store July 31.

“KAWS is one of the defining artists of our generation, and bringing his artwork together with Major League Baseball and two of the most iconic franchises in sports creates something that speaks to fans far beyond baseball,” Levant said. “This collection is designed to live at the intersection of sport, art, fashion and collecting in a way that only this group of partners could bring together.”

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Cubs have been desperately seeking solid starting pitching and Tuesday night in Baltimore, they got it from Matthew Boyd.

Boyd threw six shutout innings against the Orioles, allowing just three hits and striking out seven, as the Cubs defeated the Orioles 5-2 in the first game of a six-game road trip.

The game went scoreless into the top of the third. With two out in that inning, Miguel Amaya drew a walk and went to second on a single by Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Alex Bregman’s single scored Amaya to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead [VIDEO].

The game remained 1-0 Cubs until the top of the fifth. Dansby Swanson led off with a single. Amaya, having himself a nice game, doubled to center. PCA then singled, scoring Swanson [VIDEO].

Amaya took third on the play, and then scored on this fielder’s choice by Bregman[VIDEO].

As you can see, Bregman was called out at first on the field, but it was quiekly overturned by the replay review crew. The Cubs had a chance for more in the inning when Michael Busch walked, but Seiya Suzuki then hit into an inning-ending double play.

Boyd was outstanding in his six innings of work. He threw 93 pitches (64 strikes). Here are his seven K’s [VIDEO].

Here’s more on Boyd’s outing [VIDEO].

That’s definitely Boyd’s best outing of the year, and now he’s thrown 15.2 innings since his return from the weird knee injury, allowed three runs in that span (1.72 ERA) and struck out 13. If he can keep this up, that is a huge boost to the rotation. More on Boyd from BCB’s JohnW53:

Matthew Boyd is the fourth different Cub this season to pitch at least six shutout innings.

Shota Imanaga had starts of 7.0 and 6.0; Javier Asasad, of 6.1 and 6.0; and Edward Cabrerea, 6.0. Cabrera’s and both of Imanaga’s came in the Cubs’ first 33 games, through May 2.

The next, Assad’s first, came in their 66th game, on June 7. His second came five days later, in their 70th, so this was the Cubs’ first in 21 games.

The Cubs extended the lead to 4-0 in the top of the seventh. Amaya led off with a single and one out later, advanced to third on a double by Bregman, who had himself a nice game.

Michael Busch’s sacrifice fly scored Amaya [VIDEO].

Ryan Rolison relieved Boyd and got himself in trouble with a pair of singles, followed by two strikeouts and a walk, loading the bases. It might have been worse if Amaya hadn’t correctly challenged a possible ball four call [VIDEO].

Rolison, who threw 27 pitches, was relieved by Jacob Webb. Webb got Adley Rutschman to hit a ground ball, but it went just out of Nico Hoerner’s reach into right field for a two-run single to cut the lead in half. Webb then struck out Gunnar Henderson to end the inning.

The Cubs got one of those runs back in the eighth. With one out, Nico singled and stole second. A ground out advanced Nico to third, where he scored on this single by Swanson [VIDEO].

Tyler Ferguson, who’s rapidly getting into Craig Counsell’s Circle of Trust, threw a 1-2-3 eighth on only eight pitches.

Trent Thornton was given the save opportunity. He retired the Orioles 1-2-3 on two ground outs and a strikeout to post his second save. Here’s the final out [VIDEO].

Here are Craig Counsell’s postgame comments [VIDEO].

Overall the Cubs went 3-for-8 with RISP, cashed in on several situations and in general, got good relief pitching (save the two-run single given up by Webb), a really nice way to start the road trip.

The Cubs will go for two in a row over the Orioles Wednesday evening in Baltimore. Colin Rea will start for the Cubs and Dean Kremer goes for the O’s. Game time is 5:35 p.m. CT (that is, if they don’t have another “rain delay” without rain) and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.

One way or another, the Orioles are going to decide whether they are buyers or sellers by the end of this month. Perhaps they will come to the conclusion that many of you have already reached, or maybe Mike Elias will double down on this team’s diminishing playoff odds. Either way, the decision will not happen overnight.

The organization should be constantly taking stock of the team and each position group. The front office knows that the bullpen needs help. It’s aware that the rotation is trending upward and that the infield misses Jordan Westburg. But what about the outfield? I’d love to ask Mike Elias to evaluate the group’s performance this season and his expectations moving forward.

The unit can be broken up into players born in the 20th and 21st century. Taylor Ward has been an everyday player this year after coming over from the Angels. The 32-year-old has experienced a power outage but is less than 10 walks away from his career high. Ward has emerged as a decent table setter, and the free-agent-to-be has contributed more in Baltimore than Grayson Rodriguez has provided in LA.

The Orioles signed Leody Taveras to a one-year, $2-million deal early in the offseason. Despite his major league deal, it was never a guarantee that Taveras would break camp with the team. The 27-year-old made the team as a backup outfielder but proceeded to slash .288/.397/.455 over the first month of the season. Taveras temporarily became an everyday player when Colton Cowser got off to a hot start, and he remains a serviceable fourth or fifth outfielder.

The same cannot be said for Tyler O’Neill. O’Neill has managed to stay relatively healthy this season while reaching a new level of disappointment. The man signed to hit lefties holds a .184 batting average and a .141 average against southpaws.

O’Neill has become a symbol of Elias’s recent failures. The Orioles waited and waited to sign a player to a multi-year deal before settling on this guy. At the end of the day, O’Neill only has his contract and some general stubbornness from the general manager to thank for his spot on this team.

Cowser slashed .186/.269/.220 over his first 26 games while struggling to make contact with offspeed pitches. The Milk Man eventually snapped out of his funk with four homers in May and four more in June. The former first round pick has yet to reach the offensive potential that he displayed during his rookie season, but his quality outfield defense has marked one of the only bright spots on that side of the ball.

Cowser clearly has the chops to play center field. He may never hit for a high average, but his .317 on-base percentage is only four points below the number he posted in 2024. The former Player’s Choice for the AL’s Most Outstanding Rookie has played his way back into an everyday role and could be poised for a strong second half.

The Orioles waited to promote Dylan Beavers last season because they believed he had at least a slim chance to compete for a rookie award this season. Beavers fell out of the running early when he suffered a strained oblique back in mid May. Now healthy, Beavers is looking to build on his reputation of getting on base.

Beavers, the 33rd-overall pick in the 2022 draft, entered last night’s game slashing .222/.313/.342. He posted a 119 OPS+ over 35 games last fall, but his numbers are only good for an 86 OPS+ so far this year. Baseball development is non-linear, and Beavers is still settling back in after rejoining the Orioles at the end of June.

The Orioles could deal Ward if they decide to sell. There’s a chance the team holds on to the future free agent and extends him a qualifying offer at the end of the year, but his Baltimore tenure could end early if a team is willing to part with some value.

The same cannot be said for O’Neill. The former Cardinal still has a year remaining on his albatros of a contract, and it’s unlikely that any team would be willing to take on that deal. Even if Baltimore expressed a willingness to eat the money, O’Neill’s presence would represent a regression for almost every roster in the league.

The Orioles will have a hole to address in the outfield this offseason, but how they feel about the position group could hinge on Cowser and Beavers taking a step in the right direction.

Beavers can play center field in a pinch, but he’s a far cry from Cowser in the outfield. His value will likely depend on his ability to get on base while continuing to add some power.

The Orioles could eventually make room for a pair of outfielders currently at Triple-A. The hype has simmered for Heston Kjerstad and Enrique Bradfield Jr., but both players are healthy and suiting up for the Tides. Kjerstad entered last night’s game slashing .288/.316/.442 over 41 games at Norfolk, and Bradfield Jr. is slashing .258/.323/.342 with 15 stolen bases in 34 appearances.

Either player developing into a quality major leaguer would represent a massive win at this stage. Both players are flawed but possess valuable skills that can translate at the next level.

Ward—and even Taveras under the right circumstance—could call another city home by the end of the month. Even if the team refuses to sell, the Orioles will still look to Cowser and Beavers for production in the second half. A few young outfielders taking another step in the right direction could represent a high point of an otherwise disappointing season.

Rangers 8, Angels 3

• The Rangers are back above .500.
• Holla.
• This was an instance where it wasn’t feeling real “winny” for much of the game, and seemed to be heading towards another home defeat to a bad team.
• Until it didn’t.
• Jacob deGrom wasn’t all that deGrommy on Tuesday, getting “just” 13 swings and misses and getting lifted after five innings and 80 pitches.
• It turns out he had a hip issue that was bothering him, which prompted the early removal, and likely contributed to his not quite having his A game. He is saying he expects to make his next start on Sunday — the final game before the All Star Game — and hopefully that’s the case.
• The Rangers as a whole are dealing with Dane Dunning Syndrome this year, but deGrom is being hit especially hard. He allowed two runs in his start, both of which came in the first inning.
• Almost half the runs deGrom has allowed this season — 19 of 39 — have come in the first inning. Half of the extra base hits he’s given up — 14 of 28 — have been in the first inning. Opponents are hitting .308/.365/.692 against deGrom in the first inning.
• I can’t tell you what opponents are hitting off of deGrom from the second inning on because that would require way more math than I feel like doing this morning.
• After the first, deGrom was quite alright, only allowing one Angel as far as second base, in the second, when a leadoff Zach Neto walk and an infield single by Denzer Guzman on a ball Ezequiel Duran, playing third, should have had an out on, but looked to second prior to throwing (late) to first, putting two on with one out, though deGrom had no issues retiring the next two batters.
• deGrom had 7 strikeouts in the game, moving him past Kenny Rogers, Bob Welch and Aaron Nola for 101st on the all time strikeout list, with 1973, though Nola, who has 1970 Ks currently, will likely pass deGrom when Nola makes his next start later this week.
• deGrom should, hopefully, move up to 97th place in his next start, which would involve him passing Nola (if Nola gets ahead of him), Al Leiter (1974), Livan Hernandez (1976), and John Clarkson and Ervin Santana (1978).
• Cole Winn, Chris Martin, Peyton Gray and Tyler Alexander each pitched an inning to finish things out. Alexander was able to pitch the ninth due to an offensive eruption in the eighth, which turned a tie game into a blowout.
• I saw some criticism of Skip Schumaker using Martin in a tie game in the seventh, but you know, its really just a byproduct of the current state of the bullpen. Assuming Peyton Gray and Jacob Latz were going to pitch the eighth and ninth, your options were asking Winn (who lowered his ERA on the year to 6.39 with a scoreless inning) to pitch a second inning, or else turn to Gavin Collyer, Robby Ahlstrom, Ben Peoples, Alexander, or Martin.
• There’s not a really great option in that situation. And that’s not even getting into the fact that the Rangers’ current eighth inning guy is Peyton Gray.
• Martin allowed an Oswald Peraza single to start the seventh, with Peraza then stealing second base and scoring on Wade Meckler’s single, which appeared to set the stage for Martin to don the goat horns, even after a Logan O’Hoppe GIDP and a Zach Neto pop out ended the inning with no more runs scoring.
• Jose Soriano, who started the year by allowing one run, total, in his first six starts and then crashed back down to earth, having a 5.34 in his 12 starts prior to Tuesday, had one bad inning, issuing a pair of walks to Evan Carter and Alejandro Osuna before giving up a two run single to offensive catalyst Nicky Lopez. Soriano allowed just two baserunners otherwise, and it was with much relief that we saw a reliever come into the game for the Angels to start the seventh.
• Justin Foscue, pinch hitting for Evan Carter against Tayler Saucedo to lead off the inning, worked the count full, and on the eighth pitch of the at bat sent a missile into the left field seats to tie the game.
• Things were broken wide open in the eighth. Josh Smith and Jake Burger started the inning off with singles, and advanced on a Brandon Nimmo groundout. Ezequiel Duran gave the Rangers the lead with a single, putting runners on the corners, with Justin Foscue following up with a run scoring single. Alejandro Osuna then ruined Jacob Latz’s opportunity to add on to his save total by yanking a ball down the line in right field and into the seats for a three run homer.
• There was just one out, not two, but I’ll take it.
• With the Mariners losing, the Rangers are now a half-game back in the American League West. They hold the WC3 spot, a game and a half up on the Astros and Twins and 3.5 games up on the Jays. They are also just a half game back of the Guardians for WC2, for what it is worth.
• Jacob deGrom hit 99.3 mph with his fastball, averaging 97.7 mph. Cole Winn hit 95.9 mph with his fastball. Chris Martin touched 95.0 mph with his fastball. Peyton Gray’s fastball maxed out at 94.2 mph. Tyler Alexander touched 92.3 mph with his fastball.
• Justin Foscue had a 111.0 mph home run. Elias Diaz had a 108.0 mph single and a 106.3 mph single. Ezequiel Duran had a 104.6 mph single and a 103.4 mph groundout. Alejandro Osuna had a 102.0 mph home run. Joc Pederson had a 100.5 mph fly out.
• Five games to go before the All Star Break.

Any list of MLB All-Star snubs has to include right-hander Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Just ask him.

The veteran, who came back from thoracic outlet surgery this past offseason to be one of the game's best pitchers, took his frustrations out on the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night − then had enough left in the tank to slam MLB's selection process afterwards.

Wheeler tied his career high with 14 strikeouts in a 4-1 Phillies win, and then made his case for being part of the NL All-Star team.

However, MLB rules prevent any pitcher who starts on the Sunday before the All-Star Game from being named to the team.

"I think it's kind of a B.S. rule that just because I pitch on a certain day, I get punished for it," Wheeler told reporters.

The best stats are the stats that work for hitters and pitchers. They are mirror images of each other. On Monday, we looked at offensive efficiency to see how the Astros offense was holding up. The numbers obviously cut in a number of directions, but the main components are to see how many base runners the Astros get in comparison with the other AL teams and what percentage of those runners score. We can and should do the same thing with the pitching staff.

We do this for two main reasons. The first is that simply watching the Astros does not give us a clear picture of where they stand with the rest of the league. We could say that the Astros pitching staff has been awful at times this season, but that only makes sense as a comparison with everyone else. So, we look at total base runners and hits in general. Secondly, the efficiency rating tells us if the Astros have been particularly unlucky or if they are where they are supposed to be.

Why is this important? Simply put, as we approach the deadline it becomes dreadfully important to identify the real holes on the team. If the Astros are unlucky then a positive regression could solve a number of problems. If they aren’t unlucky then we know there is a significant hole that needs to be filled. A simple accounting would show that the Astros were 13th out of 15 teams in runs allowed through the weekend. Obviously, the opener of the Washington series makes that look worse. However, is positive regression likely? Let’s take a look at the numbers across the board through the weekend’s games.

Statistics is a fascinating field all by itself. Means and medians can tell us a lot, but there is a whole lot here going on that averages can’t tell us. Six teams have allowed fewer than 1000 base runners. Six teams have allowed more than 1100 base runners. So, the league average tells us something, but the data is a pretty stratified. In others words, teams in the AL tend to be either really good or really bad on the mound.

The other thing we notice is that the efficiency ratings for the offense and pitching staff do not match up. This is because there is a significant amount of interleague play here and the National League is clearly better than the American League this season. The Blue Jays are officially the median in efficiency which sits at .372. That is significantly lower than the league average, so the high scores are skewing the results considerably. That makes the Astros look considerably worse than simply comparing them to the numerical mean.

Voros McCracken is one of the pioneers in evaluating pitching numbers and he developed something he called defensive independent pitching statistics (DIPS). His working theory was that pitchers could not control balls in play. They could control strikeouts, walks, hit by pitches, and home runs allowed. Since then, we have learned that pitchers can influence contact to a greater degree than he surmised. However, looking at this so-called DIPS tells us a lot about the Astros pitching staff.

The current Astros staff is 14th in home runs allowed, 14th in walks allowed, and 15th in hit batters. That ain’t a pretty sight. They are 11th in hits allowed which is slightly better. In other words, their fortunes will improve considerably if they just throw more strikes. However, if we are to believe that regression to the mean is a general rule then the Astros pitching staff is due for some positive regression.

However, it is important that we are precise here. If the Astros had a league median efficiency rating then they would surrender only 437 runs. That’s a difference of 20 runs from where they are now. In the stats world, 20 runs would be equivalent to two wins. Obviously, two wins and two fewer losses in the standings would put the Astros within a game of first place in the AL West. It’s not nothing.

Still, the fact is that the Astros are 14th in base runners allowed. Considering that Sacramento is a ban box, you could credibly claim that the Astros have had the worst pitching staff in the American League up to this point. Even with positive regression, you are probably only lapping the Athletics, Twins, Royals, and Orioles. That’s still not a good pitching staff.

This is where the question gets harder. It seems rather obvious that the Astros could most use another pitcher or two. However, the biggest culprits on the staff are Mike Burrows, Tatsuya Imai, Bryan Abreu, and Cristian Javier. You already have two better relief pitchers languishing in Sugar Land because you feel compelled to keep around two of those guys. You have the likes of Hayden Wesneski and Ronel Blanco due to come back in August. Even if they are merely below average, that would be a vast improvement over what Imai and Burrows have given you so far.

Roster decisions are never easy. We haven’t even brought up Lance McCullers Jr. who would fit comfortably in that quartet of pitchers currently sitting like an anvil on the pitching staff. Calling up an Alimber Santa or Miguel Ullola would mean cutting ties with someone. It would mean that two pitchers would need to be DFAed. I get the reluctance to do that with guys that have been productive in the past. However, you are not going to make it to the postseason and beyond with THIS pitching staff. You might with one better starter and one or two better relievers. Some of those guys are in house. At a certain point, you might need to cut a guy or two you like in favor of people that will actually perform.