LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 6: Yoshinobu Yamamoto #18 of the Los Angeles Dodgers smiles in the dugout in the tenth inning during a game against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on July 6, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Dodgers star right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto made his second straight All-Star team this year, and on Saturday he’ll make his final start before the break, on the mound in the middle game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium.
Yamamoto has allowed nine runs in his last eight starts, and on the season sports a 2.49 ERA and 3.35 xERA.
Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt starts for Arizona on Saturday.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 09: Yuki Matsui #1 of the San Diego Padres pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fifth inning at Petco Park on July 09, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Toronto Blue Jays (44-49) at San Diego Padres (46-47), July 10, 2026, 6:40 p.m. PST
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 7: (L-R) Shohei Ohtani #17, Roki Sasaki #11, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto #18 of the Los Angeles Dodgers sit in the dugout in the ninth inning during a game against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on July 7, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/IOS/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers scratched Shohei Ohtani from his scheduled start on Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks due to irritation in his left knee, an ailment that has plagued him off and on for the last month. Ohtani will still be the designated hitter this weekend, but won’t travel to Philadelphia to take part in All-Star Game festivities.
Ohtani left a game in which he was the designated hitter on June 10 in Pittsburgh, but made his pitching start the next day on June 11. He has a 4.38 ERA in his four starts since, but has lasted at least six innings each time out with a 3.32 xERA, 26.2-percent strikeout rate, and 7.5-percent walk rate. That’s compared to a 0.74 ERA, 2.45 xERA, 28.8-percent strikeout rate and 7.7-percent walk rate in his first 10 starts.
At the plate Ohtani has homered twice this week but so far through seven July games has just six hits in 27 at-bats, hitting .222/.323/.444.
In a press release the Dodgers said Ohtani will undergo “interventions” in his left knee beginning after Sunday’s game. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters Friday at Dodger Stadium Ohtani would get fluid drained from his left knee. Ohtani will also receive a pain-killing injection in his knee, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register and others.
“He’s been managing this quite well, the knee,” Roberts told reporters Friday, as shown on SportsNet LA. “If there’s a chance that we could be proactive and get it drained, and do whatever we need to do to try to manage it, along with the rest for the All-Star break, we were gonna do that.”
Dave Roberts said the treatment Shohei Ohtani will receive won’t impact his pitching plan in the second half. He will get his knee drained on Sunday.
How the Dodgers manage Ohtani’s rest and playing time while he navigates being a full-time two-way player for the first time since 2023 is one of the keys to the season. He hasn’t been the designated hitter in four of his 10 pitching starts, and has also had full days off — no hitting or pitching — in five other games (May 14 vs. Giants, June 4 at Diamondbacks, June 12 at White Sox, June 19 vs. Orioles for the birth of his second child, and July 4 vs. Padres).
Even with the occasional built-in rest, Ohtani has batted 395 times this season and faced 340 batters as a pitcher. He’s been directly involved in 735 total plate appearances this season, 28.7 percent more than the next-most, Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara. Through 94 Dodgers games this season, that’s roughly 7.82 plate appearances per game on average that Ohtani is a part of. For context, last season Ohtani was stretched out to four innings pitching by August 6. Beginning with that game, he faced 125 batters as a pitcher and batted 210 times over the Dodgers’ final 48 games, averaging 6.98 plate appearances per game.
Ohtani has started each of the last five All-Star Games, and was voted this year to start again at designated hitter after earning the most fan votes in the National League. Cardinals catcher and designated hitter Ivan Herrera was named on Friday to replace Ohtani on the NL All-Star roster. Roberts as manager of the National League gets to set the starting lineup, but it’s a no-brainer that Phillies DH Kyle Schwarber, who received the most All-Star votes at the position by players (554 votes for Schwarber, 536 for Ohtani), will likely start at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
Jul 10, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Nelson Velazquez (38) walks off the field during a weather delay in the fourth inning of a game against the Atlanta Braves at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
The St. Louis Cardinals begin the last homestand prior to the All-Star Game break with the Atlanta Braves coming to town. You would think that the stadium would be rocking tonight with the news of JJ Wetherholt and the St. Louis Cardinals coming to an agreement on a long-term extension. The Cardinals will hand the ball to Kyle Leahy while the Braves will put the formidable Chris Sale on the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15pm central time at Busch Stadium and the TV broadcast will be handled by Apple TV.
UPDATE: Game in a rain delay. Apple TV says that game will restart around 10:45pm central time.
Today's game is now in a delay due to rain in the St. Louis area.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 27, 2026: Victor Bericoto #83 of the San Francisco Giants celebrates with Nate Furman #90 and Grant McCray #58 after hitting a grand slam during the fifth inning of a spring training game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Scottsdale Stadium on February 27, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
This afternoon, the San Francisco Giants announced that they placed Victor Bericoto on the 10-day IL “with an oblique strain” and taking his spot on the roster is 25-year old Grant McCray, in the majors for the first time in 2026.
McCray had surgery back in June to repair his left hamate bone and up to that point he’d been hitting just .237/.360/.370. He made just three starts since being activated, but he’s 4-for-8 with a homer, a double, a strikeout and a walk. He also stole 3 bases and didn’t get caught. McCray’s defense will come in handy. His bat remains the central question.
He’ll be taking Victor Bericoto’s roster spot. An oblique strain is a tough injury for a hitter and it’s a real shame to see such a young player have some quite positive momentum halted by the injury bug. Such is baseball, I suppose. Then again, it’s remarkable to consider how much these two players mirror each other. In 59 plate appearances, the 24-year old Bericoto had 15 strikeouts against just 1 walk but 4 homers and 3 doubles. In McCray’s debut age-23 season, he swatted 5 homers in 130 plate appearances and had 56 strikeouts against just 6 walks. Not exactly the same, but close enough in terms of those three true outcomes. Although, it’s absolutely worth mentioning that Bericoto’s line in a much smaller sample is much, much better than what McCray did in 2024: .293/.305/.552 vs. .202/.238/.379.
Anyway, it will be interesting to see how the outfield defense aligns late in games because McCray is an outstanding defender in center and right and with Jung Hoo Lee and Drew Gilbert on the roster (at least for now), his playing time seems a little fuzzy.
The bigger surprise is the return of Keaton Winn, who comes off the IL after being seemingly lost to the vagaries of Tony Vitello’s managing. But, nope. After hitting the IL on June 8th, he returned and rehabbed on July 3 and made 3 total appearances across the Giants minor leagues (who were playing home games in Northern California). He struck out 3 in three innings while walking 2 and allowing just a hit. He bumps Carson Whisenhunt back to the minors because, as Alex Pavlovic points out, “With the All-Star break, he wasn’t going to be in line to start for at least a week.”
Before Vitello used him three days in a row for reasons only understood by Tony Vitello, Winn had really settled into the season with a 2.40 ERA (3.21 FIP) in 30 IP. Replacing Ryan Walker’s putridness with Keaton Winn’s potential is the only logical move the team could make. Winn is probably a 20 on the 20-80 scale if they scored injury, but if he can rattle off 4-5 great appearances over the next couple of weeks then the Giants might be able to move the 28-year old for some prospects by the August 3rd MLB trade deadline. And at this point, the draft and the trade deadline are what this terrible, no good, very bad season is all about.
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 12: A view of a tarp on the infield during a rain delay before a game between the Washington Nationals and the Seattle Mariners at Nationals Park on June 12, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Yankees are looking to end their first half on a high note this weekend in Washington, DC, when they face the upstart Nationals. Said Nats have been better than expected in their first full year with a new front office and skipper, which hadn’t been changed since their 2019 World Series-winning team fell apart. Ryan Weathers, Cam Schlittler, and Will Warren have a tough lineup facing them this weekend, and Weathers is slated to be the first to get a shot at them tonight. The Nats are sending out lefty Carson Palmquist as an opener with familiar starter Zack Littell likely to follow as the “bulk guy.”
However, we’ll have to wait a bit. The Nationals announced that there is “inclement weather” in the area and that first pitch—which had been scheduled for 6:45pm ET—was delayed. They put the news out there at 6:07pm ET and as of just a few minutes ago, the tarp was still on the field. Bummer.
The start of today’s game has been delayed due to inclement weather. We are monitoring the situation and will provide an update as more information becomes available.
KANSAS CITY, MO - JULY 01: Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls (6) as seen during a MLB game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Kansas City Royals on July 01, 2026, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Jacob Lopez takes the mound today against the White Sox at Rate Field in Chicago. | David Frerker-Imagn Images
The 41-52 Athletics take on the 47-45 Chicago White Sox at Rate Field in Chicago today. The Southsiders are in the midst of the most dramatic turn-around from last season, currently sitting in first place in the American League (AL) Central, while the visiting A’s are mired in a six-game losing streak and open the day in fourth place in the AL West.
Taking the mound this afternoon for the A’s is Jacob Lopez. The 28-year-old lefty is 4-3 in thirteen appearances with a 7.04 ERA. He has had forty-two strikeouts in 53.2 innings this year. He’ll go up against 26-year-old righty Sean Burke for the Pale Hose. Burke is 5-4 with a 3.56 ERA over the course of eighteen appearances this season. The White Sox will be thrilled to see rookie phenom Munetaka Murakami return to their lineup today after more than a month on the Injured List (IL) with a right hamstring strain.
Burke will face off against this lineup for Mark Kotsay’s Athletics:
Lopez will battle this lineup for Will Venable’s White Sox:
KANSAS CITY, MO - JUNE 19: Luinder Avila #58 of the Kansas City Royals looks on during warm ups prior to the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Friday, June 19, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Kyle Rivas/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
I really wish I could find a shirt like the one Luinder Avila is wearing in the photo I’ve attached to this piece in my size. If y’all see anything like that somewhere in a 4XL or 5XL and could let me know, I’d super duper appreciate it.
Oh yeah, we’re here to talk about baseball. The Royals are playing the Orioles in Baltimore tonight. Luinder Avila is going to start for KC. To say that his results have been mixed since he joined the rotation following a variety of pitching injuries would not be an overstatement. He has a 5.04 ERA, thanks in no small part to his wimpy 6.2% K-BB%. He needs to strike more guys out and walk fewer while starting. The curveball that was his bread and butter coming up through the system is now his fourth-most-used pitch out of five. His sinker and slider have been the only pitches he’s been able to throw with much effectiveness, but he still struggles to get them – or any – of his pitches in the strike zone. When a hitter chases a lot, he’s going to be streaky (see: Salvador Perez). When a pitcher struggles to throw strikes, even with stuff as good as Avila’s, he will also be streaky, and that’s what we’re seeing here. He’s going to need to improve if he wants to have a career as long as teammates Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo, and the easiest way for that to happen is probably to move him to the bullpen, where he can simplify things. But the Royals are already relying on Randy Dobnak as a bulk reliever, so he’s stuck in the rotation for now.
The Orioles will use Brandon Young and I’ve got to be honest, I’d never heard of the guy before today. Young and Avila are remarkably similar in many respects, though Young’s stuff isn’t quite as good. Young throws a splitter instead of a changeup, and he’s been slightly better at getting it in the strike zone, so he’s generated a fair bit more chase when he leaves the zone. Young leans a lot heavier on his four-seam fastball than Avila. Despite its lower velocity and spin rate, it gets drastically more movement, which has allowed him to keep hitters from squaring it up as well. Oddly enough, they share an identical xwOBA, so Young has probably been on the luckier side. But he walks significantly fewer batters, so that helps too.
Lineups
As you likely saw earlier today, Vinnie Pasquantino has rejoined the Royals less than a month after suffering a hamate bone injury. That usually keeps guys out for longer, but he’s Vinnie, so he’s back. Inexplicably, he’s not in tonight’s starting lineup. Why is he back if he’s not playing? Salvador Perez is starting at first, and he is a downgrade both defensively and offensively. Nick Loftin is DHing and while he’s been hitting better the past few days, he’s not exactly you would usually see a manager feel like he has to get into the lineup. All in all, this makes pretty much no sense to me. Baseball!
Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander, right, congratulates shortstop Kevin McGonigle (7) for scoring a run against Houston Astros during the fourth inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Friday, June 26, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Detroit Tigers (43-50) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (52-42)
Time/Place: 6:40 p.m., Comerica Park SB Nation Site:The Good Phight Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: RHP Jack Flaherty (2-8, 4.60 ERA) vs. RHP Aaron Nola (3-6, 5.87 ERA)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JUNE 27: Brandon Young #63 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches against the Washington Nationals at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 27, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Orioles and Royals are both bad. Remember when they were both good? Those were the days. Well, until the playoffs came anyway. But let’s talk about something else.
Brandon Young is pitching for the Orioles tonight, AKA the Orioles ace. His last start against the Reds wasn’t great, but everyone’s allowed to have a bump in the road. Hopefully, he’s back on track after that.
Luinder Avila is starting for the Royals. He has a 5.05 ERA and a 1.587 WHIP, which makes me oddly nervous. You know what I mean. Avila started the year in the bullpen but has been in the rotation since June 1st. He doesn’t generally go more than five innings. Again, that makes me nervous. It’s hard being an Orioles fan.
Orioles lineup
Gunnar Henderson (L) SS Adley Rutschman (S) C Taylor Ward (R) LF Pete Alonso (R) 1B Samuel Basallo (L) DH Dylan Beavers (L) RF Colton Cowser (L) CF Blaze Alexander (R) 3B Jackson Holliday (L) 2B
Royals lineup
Carter Jensen (L) C Bobby Witt Jr. (R) SS Jac Caglianone (L) RF Lane Thomas (R) CF Michael Massey (L) 2B Salvador Perez (R) 1B Josh Rojas (L) 3B Nick Loftin (R) DH Isaac Collins (S) LF
Jul 9, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets left fielder Juan Soto (22) celebrates his solo home run against the Kansas City Royals with teammates in the dugout during the seventh inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Mets lineup
A.J. Ewing – CF
Juan Soto – LF
Francisco Lindor – SS
Carson Benge – RF
Jorge Polanco – DH
Jared Young – 1B
Francisco Alvarez – C
Brett Baty – 3B
Zack Short – 2B
Nolan McLean – RHP
Red Sox lineup
Anthony Seigler – 2B
Ceddanne Rafaela – CF
Wilyer Abreu – RF
Romy González – 1B
Masataka Yoshida – DH
Caleb Durbin – 3B
Jarren Duran – LF
Connor Wong – C
Tsung-Che Cheng – SS
Sonny Gray – RHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 7:15pm EDT TV: Apple TV Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
DETROIT, MI - JUNE 24: Ryan Weathers #40 of the New York Yankees pitches against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning at Comerica Park on June 24, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
At last we have arrived at the final series of the first half. In the Aaron Boone era we have generally been happy to see the All-Star break coming, and 2026 has been no different. The Yankees managed a split of their recent four-game battle with the Rays, for now their betters in the AL East. But the past month has seen a plethora of injuries, underperformance, and quite a bit of generally dull baseball.
It’s hard to believe this weekend series with the Washington Nationals will be dull. The young Nats, led by 34-year-old manager Blake Butera, ooze pure entertainment value. Their games are what a hockey fan might call ‘high-event’: they score a ton of runs while allowing just as many to come home. Their record entering this series is 48-46—a massive step forward from the Dave Martinez lame-duck period. Speaking candidly as a guy who was born in DC, readers, it warms my heart to see good vibes around that team again. Now let’s dive into this pitching matchup.
I saw a melodramatic post on Twitter—well, I wasn’t on Twitter, it was shown to me against my will—showing similarities in the recent performances of both the Yankees and Mets. That post labeled Ryan Weathers as a “failed pitching acquisition,” which caused me to roll my eyes and move on with my day. It is true that Weathers has been inconsistent in his first 17 starts, but his noisy ERA belies the fact that he has had plenty of dominant starts when he’s dialed in.
Now, when Weathers gets hit, he gets hit hard. xwOBAcon (expected weighted on-base average on contact) is a helpful little stat which shows just how hard pitchers get hit when hitters connect: his .425 xwOBAcon is a bottom-five-percent mark in MLB. At the same time, he has received little run support from his offense. The Yankees haven’t scored more than five runs in a game Weathers started since May 18th.
What makes the first point more worrisome: the Nationals have a 116 team wRC+ against lefty pitching, which ranks second-best in baseball behind the Cubs (117). Weathers will really have to thread a needle in DC tonight.
Carson Palmquist is a former Rockies draftee in 2022 who joined Washington after Colorado designated him for assignment in late May. Palmquist has appeared in four games, twice as the nominal starter, but has only thrown 6.1 innings in those combined appearances, allowing five runs on eight hits. In the last game he started, he served as an opener for Zack Littell, allowing four early runs in an eventual loss to the Pirates. That seems likely to be the Nats’ strategy again tonight.
Littell has had a rough year in Washington so far, pitching to an ERA just north of 5 this season. Struggles in April and June have overshadowed what was by all accounts a solid month of May in which he went 5-0 with a 2.35 ERA. His mop-up duty for Palmquist was quite strong though—he pitched six quality innings against Pittsburgh in that aforementioned loss.
With the southpaw Palmquist starting, Aaron Boone has opted to place Amed Rosario in the leadoff spot ahead of Ben Rice, shifting Trent Grisham to the three-hole. Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger will follow, with Jasson Domínguez getting bumped down to sixth. Jazz Chisholm, José Caballero, and Austin Wells make up the bottom of the order. Rice will DH; Goldschmidt plays first. Everyone else is playing where you’d expect.
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 05: Sonny Gray #54 of the Boston Red Sox pitches during the game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Friday, June 5, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Urakami/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Did the Red Sox actually make it to Queens?! That was an ordeal a la Doug Mirabello over here!
Can Sonny Gray make another statement before the All Star break or will Nolan McLean send a hoard of Grimaces Boston’s way?
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 06: The Washington Nationals celebrate with after a 12-11 victory against the Houston Astros at Nationals Park on July 06, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Nats have had a very successful first half. They have a chance to close it out in style against the New York Yankees. The Yankees have not been playing their best baseball lately, but did manage to split a series against the Rays. However, they still have a powerful lineup that will be tough to contain.
Blake Butera put together an interesting lineup against a left handed starter. Luis Garcia Jr. is in there, but he is hitting 8th. Dylan Crews is all the way up in the 3 spot and Jacob Young is hitting 5th. Andres Chaparro will serve as the DH and Daylen Lile will get the day off. Carson Palmquist will open for Zack Littell.
With the lefty opener, old friend Amed Rosario will be in the leadoff spot. Aaron Judge is hurt, which makes Ben Rice the main man for the Yanks. Rice is coming off a homer-filled series against the Rays. The Yankees have a lefty heavy lineup despite Palmquist opening. Southpaw Ryan Weathers will get the start in this one.
This is a high profile series for the Nats who head into the All-Star break with their best record in years. A series win against the Bronx Bombers would be a great way to cap off a stellar half of baseball. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
