Category: Baseball

After the Atlanta Braves ended up winning the impromptu home run derby to start this four-game series against the Washington Nationals, the Braves will now be looking to ensure a split as Bryce Elder will be getting the ball to start Friday night’s contest.

In more ways than one, Elder will be looking to pick up where he left off. In general, he’s been doing fine over his past couple of starts — he went six innings against the Padres and only gave up two runs and then he racked up eight strikeouts against the Orioles back on July 25 with just one earned run allowed and two runs allowed total. That’s a pretty solid start to the second half of the season for Elder, especially considering how badly he was wobbling for his final four starts heading into the break.

He’ll also be looking to continue being successful against the Nationals. Elder last faced the Nats back on May 22 and that’s when he threw another solid six innings with just one run allowed and four strikeouts. Naturally, the one run was conceded was a dinger to lead off the sixth inning where (surprise, surprise) he left a hanger right down the middle for Curtis Mead to send to the moon. With that being said, a lot has changed since then (Mead is now with the Red Sox and the walk-off hero from that night (Chadwick Tromp) is now with the Orioles) so it’s hard to really extrapolate a result tonight from back then. With that being said, Elder can ill-afford to leave any hangers for this homer-happy Nationals lineup to feast upon or else things could get sideways again.

Meanwhile, the Braves are going to try to figure out Foster Griffin and the results have been mixed for the Braves so far this season when it comes to solving this particular problem of a pitcher. Back in April, the Braves managed to score three runs off of Griffin but the Nationals came out swinging against Reynaldo López and the back of the bullpen (which included Ian Hamilton and Joel Payamps back then) so that game was a wash for Atlanta. It got worse for the Braves on May 24, since Griffin completely shut Atlanta down with six strong innings where he only gave up three hits, walked one batter and didn’t give up any runs against the Braves. That was a rare example of the Nationals winning a low-scoring game as the Braves were unable to figure anything out at the plate against Griffin.

The Nationals have a grand total of maybe three pitchers who they can genuinely trust on a regular basis and Griffin is one of them. Four pitchers for Washington have pitched more than 100 innings so far and two of them are actually good (Griffin and Cavalli) and two of them have negative fWAR for the season (Zack Littell and Miles Mikolas) so Atlanta’s actually going to have to be on top of things at the plate if they want to make sure that they’re going to take another win this evening. Washington’s lineup could break out at any moment so it’ll be huge for the Braves to figure out a way to do some damage against Griffin in tonight’s game.

On paper (or at least according to FanGraphs), the Braves are favored to win this with a near 60-percent win probability. It lets you know just how much the simulator believes in Atlanta’s offense potentially putting up some runs on the board against the left-handed Griffin — and maybe Elder can keep Washington quiet again. It’ll be interesting to see what happens but as long as Atlanta continues to fire on all cylinders like they’ve (mostly) done since the All-Star break, I like their chances against any team. Let’s see what happens, folks.

Game Info

Game Time: Friday, July 31st, 7:15 pm EDT

Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA

Watch: BravesVision

Radio/Audio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan

With much of the baseball world focused on Tarik Skubal, another starting pitcher from the Detroit Tigers could be emerging as an appealing trade deadline option.

The Tigers scratched Casey Mize from his scheduled Friday start for non-injury reasons, a move widely viewed as a precautionary step before the MLB trade deadline on Monday, August 3. The former No. 1 overall pick is enjoying arguably the best season of his career, posting a 2.70 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 16 starts. He could be a valuable mid-rotation starter for contenders seeking pitching help.

Mize will be a free agent at the end of the season and, unlike Skubal, would come at a far more reasonable cost, making him a realistic target for a much broader group of contenders.

Here are the five teams that make the most sense if the Tigers decide to move Casey Mize.

The Yankees’ offense better wake up, as they’ve scored just two unearned runs in their last 22 innings. Facing a Cubs team that ranks second in the majors with 5.17 runs scored per game and third with a 111 wRC+, they simply cannot afford to give so many ABs away, New York failing to dent home plate in 28 of their last 32 innings played. Fortunately, they’ll face a pitching staff that is seventh-worst with a 4.68 FIP, though it’s not like the White Sox were much better in that department and were still largely able to silence the Yankees in the final two games of their just-completed series.

Will Warren is coming off one of his worst starts of the season — six runs on six hits in three innings against the Phillies. It’s already the fifth start in which he has given up at least five runs, four of those coming since June 20th, Warren posting a 6.57 ERA over his last eight starts after opening the season at 7-1 with a 3.22 ERA across his first 12 starts. To me, the problems appear to be threefold: he can’t get lefties out, he struggles to pitch from the stretch, and he suffers a massive third-time-through penalty. That doesn’t bode well against a Cubs lineup that features five batters from the left side and is second in baseball with a .340 OBP. In 20 starts, Warren is 7-5 with a 4.41 ERA (102 ERA+), 4.16 FIP, and 102 strikeouts in 102 innings.

The Cubs declined their three-year team option on Shota Imanaga over the winter after he struggled in 2025, the two sides eventually reuniting on the qualifying offer for 2026. He has rewarded that renewed faith with a rebound performance, gaining a mph back on his fastball which has seen his chase and strikeout rates tick back up to his stellar rookie campaign marks in 2024. The 32-year-old lefty relies on hitters getting themselves out rather than overwhelming you with stuff, the four-seamer acting as a setup pitch for his splitter and sweeper. The Yankees are getting him at an awful time as Imanaga is coming off consecutive scoreless starts of at least six innings. In 21 starts, Imanaga is 7-8 with a 3.72 ERA (109 ERA+), 4.39 FIP, and 113 strikeouts in 121 innings.

The Yankees opt for their usual lineup against lefties, but with a pair of notable changes. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is not in the lineup after exiting yesterday’s loss in the 11th with cramps, which allows Spencer Jones a rare start against a lefty in right as José Caballero is forced to man second. Amed Rosario, Anthony Volpe, and Ali Sánchez will be tasked with carrying their weight with the supposed platoon advantage against the soft-tossing lefty.

The Cubs stack their lineup with lefties against Warren. Leading off is the MLB position player leader in fWAR (7.1) in Pete Crow-Armstrong, the All-World center fielder leading baseball with 21 Outs Above Average and sixth in wRC+ (152) as he makes a legitimate push to challenge Shohei Ohtani for the NL MVP. Seiya Suzuki, Pedro Ramírez, Michael Busch, Michael Conforto, and Ian Happ have all been better than league average at the plate, while between Happ, Nico Hoerner, Alex Bregman, and Dansby Swanson, the Cubs boast one of the best defensive infields in the game.

Keep in mind that there is some iffy weather in the forecast for the North Side of Chicago, so we’ll have to wait and see if there’s a delay or worse. A doubleheader later in the weekend could be in play.

How to watch

Location: Wrigley Field – Chicago, IL

First pitch: 2:20 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES, Marquee Sports Network

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | 104.3 The Score, WPPN 106.7 / TUDN (CHC)

Streaming: Gotham Sports App, MLB.tv (out-of-market only)

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

According to Will Sammon, both the Milwaukee Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates are among the teams inquiring about the availability of Mets’ reliever Luke Weaver. Weaver, who signed with the Mets last December, is under contract through the end of the 2027 season.

Weaver, who turns 33 next month, has been excellent for the Mets this season, putting up a 1.88 ERA with 44 strikeouts and 11 walks in 43 innings pitched. For 25 consecutive innings earlier this season, Weaver did not allow an earned run over 24 appearances. The right-hander has been used mostly as a setup man for Devin Williams, but it wouldn’t be shocking if a team acquired him to act as their closer. Weaver previously closed for the Yankees in parts of the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

If the Mets are serious about being competitive in 2027, it will likely take a serious return for them to part with Weaver, who is both effective and fairly affordable, being owed $12.5 million next year. However, reliever performance fluctuates so much year to year, and with Weaver on the wrong side of 30, it would make a lot of sense for the Mets to capitalize on his value while it is so high if the offer is good enough.

Michael Marino reports that the Mets are interested in Pirates’ prospects Murf Gray and Sammy Stafura. Gray is a Top 100 prospect according to MLB.com and Stafura, a Westchester native, is the Pirates’ ninth best prospect.

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The weekend is here!

Let's kick it off by cashing a few home run plays. While you're at it, be sure to check out today's MLB player props and my favorite home run looks, headlined by James Wood.

Here are my favorite MLB picks for July 31.

MLB home run props for today

Player to hit a HR	Odds
James Wood	+276
Rafael Devers	+388
Randy Arozarena	+344
💲Today's HR parlay	+8128

Home run prediction: James Wood (+276)

One of my favorite hitters to back for a home run tonight is Washington Nationals big fella James Wood. The Nationals slugger enters Friday with an elite rating on Batters-Box, covering 93.8% of Bryce Elder's subpar pitch mix.

Wood has also been seeing the ball extremely well lately, posting a .542 SLG, .942 OPS, 50% hard hit rate, and 15% barrel rate across his last 30 at-bats against right-handed pitching.

The Atlanta Braves starter has struggled against left-handed hitters all season, and those issues have only gotten worse recently.

Over the last 60 lefties he has faced, they own a .431 xBA, .833 xSLG, and .395 xwOBA while generating a 47.5% hard hit rate, 15% barrel rate, and 72.5% elevation rate.

Wood has not left the yard over his last six elite-rated appearances, which feels like long enough for the big fella to snap that streak in a matchup this favorable.

• Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: BravesVision, Nationals.TV

Home run prediction: Rafael Devers (+388)

The number one rated hitter on Batters-Box today is San Francisco Giants slugger Rafael Devers, who is making his 260th elite rated appearance over the last three seasons. Across the previous 259, he has gone yard 22.39% of the time.

This evening, Devers draws a matchup against San Diego Padres right-hander Germán Márquez. He covers just over 50% of Márquez's pitch mix, though that number is held down by Márquez's heavy reliance on the knuckle curve, a pitch he throws nearly 40% of the time.

Devers has seen that offering in just seven at-bats this season, creating a limited sample. Against the rest of Márquez's arsenal, however, the Giants slugger owns outstanding expected numbers.

Márquez has struggled all season against left-handed hitters. Across the last 60 he has faced, they have produced over a 55% hard hit rate, a 12% barrel rate, and a 66.7% elevation rate while posting a .323 xBA, .674 xSLG, and .396 xwOBA.

With the way Devers has been swinging the bat lately, and how much Márquez has struggled against lefties, this feels like an excellent spot for the big fella to leave the yard.

• Time: 9:45 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Apple TV

Home run prediction: Randy Arozarena (+344)

This evening, Seattle Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena finds himself in a feast spot against Minnesota Twins right-hander Zebby Matthews.

The Twins starter has struggled all season, especially on the road, where he owns a 7.58 ERA and 1.47 WHIP while allowing a 43.7% hard hit rate and 15.13% barrel rate.

Right-handed hitters have also given Matthews problems recently. Over the last 60 righties he has faced, they have generated over a 40% hard hit rate and nearly a 13% barrel rate while posting a .347 xBA, .609 xSLG, and .314 ISO.

Arozarena, meanwhile, has been on a tear against right-handed pitching. Across his last 30 plate appearances, he owns a .520 SLG, .920 OPS, and .240 ISO while producing a 61.1% hard hit rate and 16.7% barrel rate.

On top of that, the Mariners slugger earns an elite rating on Batters-Box's current season dataset, where he also covers nearly 100% of Matthews' subpar pitch mix.

The way Arozarena is swinging the bat and how poorly Matthews has been playing feels like an excellent spot to back the Mariners at home tonight.

• Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Mariners.TV, Twins.TV

Best home run combo for July 31

James Wood	Trade Now +8128
Rafael Devers
Randy Arozarena

Want more baseball parlays? Check out our MLB parlay picks page!

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.

O, Canada. The St. Louis Cardinals have crossed the border in search of some badly-needed momentum and Toronto just might be a great place to find it as the Blue Jays are reeling. But, if you look at both teams on paper, the Cardinals will need to find their A-game to win the series against the Blue Jays.

Here are the scheduled pitching matchups according to MLB.com:

Friday night – Kyle Leahy vs Dylan Cease

Saturday afternoon – Quinn Matthews vs Kevin Gausman

Sunday afternoon – Michael McGreevy vs Max Scherzer

It’s no secret that Dylan Cease is an all-star with a 7-5 win-loss record and a 2.46 ERA. His last 7 games he’s 4-2 and his last outing was a complete game win against Boston on July 25. Kevin Gausman, on the other hand, is struggling. He’s 4-10 overall and 0-6 in his last half dozen starts. His ERA is a hefty 4.51 and his last start was a loss against the Red Sox where he pitched 6 innings and gave up 3 runs. The Max Scherzer of 2026 is not the Max Scherzer of past seasons. Max is 1-4 with a stratospheric 9.49 ERA. He’s 0-2 in his last 3 starts with his last outing being a start where he didn’t make it past the 3rd inning.

For the St. Louis Cardinals, the real excitement this weekend is the MLB debut of Quinn Matthews. His start Saturday afternoon will be must-see TV.

Who are the Toronto Blue Jays players to watch?

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. left Tuesday’s game versus the Washington Nationals with hamstring tightness. Even when in the lineup, he has not been the same player we’ve come to know over the years as he’s batting .265 with just 6 home runs and none in his home ballpark.

Kazuma Okamoto leads the Blue Jays with 24 home runs, 68 RBI’s and an average of .231.

George Springer has 12 home runs with just 34 RBI’s and a slug of .403.

Second baseman Ernie Clement is tops for the Blue Jays in batting average as he’s hitting .294 as of today. He also has 8 home runs and 35 RBI’s.

Centerfielder Daulton Varsho has 7 home runs, 26 RBI’s and a batting average of just .247.

The Toronto Blue Jays are in the cellar of the American League East 14.5 games back of the Tampa Bay Rays and 5.5 games back in the Wild Card with 5 other teams between them and the final WC spot. They’ve lost 6 of their last 10 games and their clubhouse is showing the strain of underperformance. Veteran pitcher Kevin Gausman noted on the Deep Left Field podcast that the team is “not nearly as close-knit” as they were last year. All-Star Ernie Clement pointed out that the team sorely misses the intangible leadership and personality traits of players that left like Bo Bichette and Chris Bassitt.

This weekend’s series against the Blue Jays should be an opportunity for the St. Louis Cardinals to find some positive momentum, but the trade deadline looms. How many on the Cardinals roster will make the trip to New York once the Toronto series is done? We’ll find out soon enough.

With that terrible road trip in the rearview mirror, the Mariners return to Seattle for the longest homestand of the season. At four games under .500, they’re a game away from matching their season’s nadir — they were five games under on April 17. That makes this series against the Twins all the more important. It’s very possible the direction of the ballclub ahead of Monday’s trade deadline will be determined by how the team performs in Friday’s and Saturday’s games. That the Twins are a direct rival in the Wild Card race makes this a critical series if the M’s still want to make any noise in the playoff race this summer.

The Twins are surprisingly in the mix in the AL playoff picture, a year after their dramatic tear down last summer. They’ve been playing so well, they’re expecting to be buyers ahead of the trade deadline on Monday. A dramatic walk-off win on Thursday — Kody Clemens hit a grand slam with two outs and two strikes to win the game — gave Minnesota a series win over the Royals and pushed their record back to .500. The team is now just three games back in the AL Central and a game behind the Guardians for the final spot in the AL Wild Card race. 

A nagging hip injury has forced Byron Buxton to the IL for the second time this month, and his absence puts a lot of pressure on the rest of the lineup to continue producing without the team’s superstar carrying the load. Ryan Jeffers recently returned from a hamate bone fracture and he’s now the team’s best hitter with a 160 wRC+. Both Trevor Larnach (133 wRC+) and Kody Clemens (116 wRC+) are in the midst of their best seasons at the plate. Former top prospect Royce Lewis has been mostly healthy this year, though he spent a month in Triple-A for a quick reset after getting off to a really rough start to the season; he’s posted a 114 wRC+ since returning from the minors.

Probable Pitchers 

Updated Stuff+ Explainer 

• Stuff+ scores for Mariners starters

Zebby Matthews has had an up-and-down introduction to the big leagues the past two years. During his debut season in 2024, he featured a fantastic strikeout-to-walk ratio but was undone by a ton of home runs allowed. Last year, he got his dinger problem under control, but his ERA shot up to 5.56 anyway, nearly two runs higher than his FIP. This season, his strikeout-to-walk ratio has gone backwards and he’s allowing a bunch of home runs again. That’s not what you want to see. His two breaking balls are still solid pitches, but he’s grooving far too many of his fastballs to really be successful.

From a previous series preview:

Entering the season, Connor Prielipp was the Twins’ top ranked pitching prospect and their third overall prospect. A pair of serious elbow injuries — one in college in 2021 and one in the minors in ‘23 — have curtailed his development somewhat, but his raw stuff has continued to look dominant. His best pitch is a superb slider that features tight, downward movement and higher than average velocity. His fastball is fine — it’s the pitch he can command the best at the moment — and his changeup has flashed some promise, though he has trouble with his feel for that offspeed pitch.

Due to the aforementioned injuries, the Twins have been extremely careful with Prielipp this year. He spent a few weeks on the IL in July and they’ve been giving him extra rest days whenever they can afford it. His breaking balls have looked like excellent weapons in the majors, but his fastball has been knocked around a bit. In the second start of his career back in April, he held the Mariners to two runs in five innings, striking out five.

From a previous series preview:

The Twins acquired Taj Bradley from the Rays last summer in a deal that has turned out to be somewhat of a coup. Back in 2023, Bradley was one of the most highly regarded pitching prospects in baseball, but he struggled to harness his impressive raw stuff across his first three seasons in the big leagues. Tampa Bay cut bait on him, and he continued to struggle in Minnesota after the trade, but he’s managed to put everything together this season. The biggest difference for him has been small adjustments to his cutter and splitter to differentiate those pitches from his fastball. His cutter is breaking glove side a little more and his splitter is diving out of the zone more often. With an extremely high arm slot and an arsenal that heavily relies on vertical movement, those small changes have had a huge impact on his results on the mound.

Bradley has continued his breakout season, posting career-bests in ERA and FIP and he’s already matched his career-high in fWAR. Against the Mariners back in April, he allowed two runs in seven innings while striking out seven.

The Big Picture:

The thing that makes the Mariners’ struggles simultaneously more frustrating and more forgiving is that the Rangers aren’t exactly running away with the division. Texas lost its series to the Rays earlier this week, dropping the team to just a game over .500. Meanwhile, the Astros have won eight of their last nine games and have climbed back to .500, half a game back in the division. The two Texas teams face each other this weekend in Houston.

What’s the definition of “not going well?” How about playing a series against a team that came in on a 12-game losing streak, and getting swept? The series against the Marlins showed that it’s not just one thing plaguing the Phillies at the moment, it’s everything. Each loss came in a different fashion, with the one common thread being poor defense.

Next, the Phillies will travel to Baltimore to take on an Orioles team that theoretically should provide some opportunities for victories. However, considering how poorly the team has played since the All-Star Game, any future opponents could say the same thing.

Opposition research: Jackson Holliday

Jackson Holliday was a can’t miss prospect. The son of a former All-Star and first overall pick of the 2022 draft, Holliday was rated as the top prospect in baseball prior to the 2024 season. When he was called up to the majors in April of that year, it was expected that the middle infielder would become an instant star.

For every Phillies fan who complains that the team is too slow to promote their young players, just remember that not every prospect, no matter how touted they are, is going to be succeed immediately upon reaching the majors. Holliday struggled so much that the team quickly demoted him. (For the fans who want to trade every prospect, this is some ammunition for your case.)

He returned to the majors at the end of July that year, and while he wasn’t awful, he certainly didn’t look anything like the star that was promised. 2025 was slightly better as he hit 17 home runs, but his defense was subpar and his OPS was only .690.

His 2026 season got off to a poor start when he suffered a fractured hamate bone in February that required surgery and delayed the start of his season to mid-May. He started slowly after returning and was batting .200 at the end of June. However, he’s had an excellent month of July so far.

At age 22, it’s far too early to write off Holliday’s chances of living up to the hype. He’s so talented that it seems like it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a consistently good player.

There have also been rumors that he’s on the trade block, but I don’t understand how that makes sense. The Orioles shouldn’t be buyers, and giving up on a top prospect at age 22 feels insane.

Hating on the Orioles

I attended one of the Orioles games in Philadelphia last year, and I taunted one of my friends who is an Orioles fan that their team was getting wrecked by Taijuan Walker and Max Kepler. (For some odd reason, Kepler did very well whenever I was in attendance. Obviously, I didn’t attend nearly enough games last year.) He said that was pretty much par for the course.

The Orioles hoped that after a playoff appearance in 2024, last year’s down season was just a temporary setback. But it seems like 2025 is far more representative of the state of the franchise since they are currently mired in fourth place and don’t appear to be headed back to the postseason.

The Orioles’ roster isn’t all that impressive with both the pitching staff and offense being mediocre at best. Two years ago, Gunnar Henderson looked like a real contender for the unofficial title of “best shortstop in baseball” but he’s got a sub-.300 on-base percentage this season. Adley Rutschman hasn’t built upon his promising first two seasons. Taylor Ward walks a lot, but he won’t come close to approaching the 36 home runs he hit last year. Their best hitter has been free agent import Pete Alonso, but he’s signed for four more years, and there’s little chance that contract doesn’t feel like an albatross by the end.

The Orioles as a franchise are a lot like the Cincinnati Reds in that they were a powerhouse in the 70’s and early 80’s and haven’t really done much of note since then. The closest thing they’ve had to relevance since then is when a young fan deflected a ball into the stands for a home run.

After sweeping the Tigers in the 2014 NLDS, they’ve lost ten straight playoff games. You’d think they could luck their way into at least one playoff win in 12 years, but apparently not.

Trivia

Last week’s answer: Granny Hamner batted .429 in the 1950 World Series. dirkniblick was correct.

This week’s question: In the 1983 World Series between the Phillies and Orioles, who was the only Phillie to hit more than one home run?

Additional thought about the series

I’ve been out of the country for a few days, and for whatever reason, the Phillies play awful baseball whenever I leave the United States. (I watched game six of the 2022 World Series in Cancun.) I return on Saturday night, so if you’re the type who likes to bet on the Phillies to win, Sunday might be your play.

As for the other games, considering the funk the Phillies are mired in, it’s tough to have much confidence. This core has gone through similar stretches in recent seasons, and eventually come out of it, so I don’t think this is a permanently broken team or anything. But until they do emerge, maybe everyone should do themselves a favor and take a vacation of their own.

A domino has seemingly begun to fall in the Tarik Skubal trade saga.

MLB teams have wondered this season whether the Tigers, who are 51-58 and 4 1/2 games back of the last AL Wild-Card spot, would be open to dealing their ace.

That may be the case after all, as his teammate and fellow pitcher Casey Mize was scratched ahead of his scheduled start Friday against the A’s.

Mize is now listed as Tuesday’s starter — after the trade deadline — but Detroit’s latest move has signaled that he may not be there that long.

Detroit will now be using a bullpen game Friday, according to Tigers reporter Evan Woodbery.

While a move for two-time Cy Young winner Skubal would of course be separate, The Post’s Jon Heyman believes the Mize trade is “the clearest sign yet” that Skubal will likely be moved in a potential fire sale.

Heyman also mentioned Gleyber Torres and Kyle Finnegan as possible trade candidates for Detroit.

While Skubal is certainly the Tigers’ best trade chip, Mize will also be seen as an attractive option for a team looking for pitching help at a lower cost.

The 29-year-old is having a career year, with a 2.70 ERA and 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

The Yankees have been linked to Skubal, while there have also been suggestions that NL contenders like the Brewers, Braves or Phillies could make a move for him.

In fact, the two-time defending champion Dodgers — who already have the best record in baseball — could be motivated to trade for him just to keep him from a rival, Heyman reported.

It now seems a matter of when, rather than if, Skubal will be traded.

And Mize could soon be joining him.

While Astros GM Dana Brown has publicly maintained that acquiring an outfield bat is his top priority, the buzz in inner circles for the last few weeks has been that the Astros are very focused on adding a starting pitcher.

While the price for a starter will undoubtedly be very high in a clear seller’s market, could the Astros swing big for a starter?

It appears they are at least trying.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Astros are among several teams that have called on San Francisco Giants SP Logan Webb:

 The Houston Astros and other teams keep asking about San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb.

And they keep being told he’s not going anywhere.

Nightengale further went on to report on the Giants’ plans at the deadline and who they plan to keep and trade:

The Giants plan to keep outfielder Jung Hoo Lee and trade Heliot Ramos. They also are telling teams they are willing to eat part of starter Robbie Ray’s $25 million contract in a trade.

Ramos is a right-handed left fielder batting .267 with 9 HR and 34 RBI. He has a .306 OBP and .739 OPS. He will be entering his first year of arbitration at age 27.

Ray, a former Cy Young winner in 2021, is now 34. He is a free agent at the end of the season. He is 10-6 this season with a 3.08 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. He has 107 K in 122.2 IP. He also leads the NL with 57 walks.

While Webb isn’t currently available, it does lend credence to the Astros looking to make a big move for a pitcher.

There’s a chance of rain in Chicago this afternoon, so here’s the local radar for you to keep handy.

Today’s roster move: Here

Friday notes…

• HEADING FOR THE TOP: A win today will put the Cubs 16 games above .500 for the first time this year. They finished last season 22 above, at 92-70, with a high of 24, last at 88-64. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• BACK-TO-BACK: This is the first time of the season that the Cubs will play back-to-back day games on Thursday and Friday. They will do it only once more, Aug. 13-14, at Washington, then at home vs. the Cardinals. They have played a day game on Thursday, then a night game on Friday four times. They won both games of the first three pairs, then lost both of the last, July 9-10, at Baltimore, then at Cincinnati. That is the last time the Cubs dropped back-to-back games. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• MISCELLANEOUS TEAM MARKS: The Cubs are 10-2-1 in their last 13 series, but 3-2-1 at home while winning seven straight on the road. They are 27-22 in games against opponents that had a winning record going into the game. They are 13-7 at home. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: Jon Lester’s walkoff bunt capped a Cubs comeback from a 6-0 deficit as they defeated the Mariners 7-6 in 12 innings at Wrigley Field. It happened 10 years ago today, Sunday, July 31, 2016.

Cubs lineup:

Yankees lineup:

Shōta Imanaga, LHP vs. Will Warren, RHP

I’m just going to keep posting these Shōta Imanaga numbers because they continue to amaze me.

First nine starts: 2.32 ERA, 0.902 WHIP, only 5 HR in 54.1 innings
Next four starts: 10.80 ERA, 1.523 WHIP, 12 (!) HR in 21.2 innings
Next eight starts: 2.00 ERA, 1.133 WHIP, only 5 HR in 45 innings

So that’s two stretches of ace-like performance and a four-start run that screams “DFA candidate.”

I can’t explain that and neither can you.

Last year against the Yankees, July 13 at Yankee Stadium, Imanaga threw seven innings and allowed two hits and one run, striking out six. Imanaga is currently on a 13-inning scoreless streak. Let’s hope that continues.

Will Warren has been a consistent, if unspectacular, starter for the Yankees for the last two seasons. He posted 0.6 bWAR last year and might do the same this year, though his bWAR is currently negative (-0.1).

The Phillies hit him pretty hard in his last start, July 26 — six runs in three innings.

Warren was Imanaga’s opponent in that July 13, 2025 game at Yankee Stadium, which is his only career start vs. the Cubs. He allowed two runs in 5.1 innings, including a home run by Michael Busch.

Here is the weather forecast for the area around Wrigley Field.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. It’s also on MLB Network (outside the Cubs and Yankees market territories).

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Yankees site Pinstripe Alley. If you do go there to interact with Yankees fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

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Shohei Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700-million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024 — and he's now made $11 million for a card collector in 2026.

A Florida fan pulled a one-of-one Dual Gold Logoman autographed Ohtani card redemption from his local card store.

Key Takeaways

• The special gold patches were worn during Ohtani’s 2024 and 2025 MVP seasons.
• The card was quickly sold to a renowned collector, who owns a collectible business with a Shark Tank personality.
• Ohtani could tie an MLB record by winning his fourth straight MVP this year.

Luck graced the collector’s hobby box of 2026 Topps Chrome Baseball cards purchased at Boca Sports Cards in Boca Raton, Florida. The card features game-worn patches from Ohtani’s back-to-back MVP seasons, his English autograph, and his rare Kanji signature, one of three core scripts in Japanese writing.

The patches were from a Sept. 7, 2025 road game and an April 12, 2026 home game. The special gold patches are only awarded to players who win the MVP, Cy Young, or Rookie of the Year awards in the previous season.

BREAKING: This Shohei Ohtani card just sold for $11 MILLION 🚨

While opening a hobby box at @boca_breaks in Florida, a collector found the card of a lifetime.

The 1-of-1 Shohei Ohtani Gold Logoman card features game-worn patches from his back-to-back MVP seasons, along with… pic.twitter.com/gRTugE6TWq

— Fanatics Collect (@Collect) July 31, 2026

The identity of the man who found the card is unknown.

However, the card was quickly sold for $11 million — the third-highest price for a sports card sale — to renowned collector Matthew Allen, known by the screen names shyne150 and Bolillo Lajan San, and Secure Collectibles, a high-end trading card investment firm. Secure Collectibles was co-founded by Kevin “Mr. Wonderful” O’Leary and Paul Washaw.

“The card just resonated deep with me, and I was like, you know what, I have to get this card,” Allen reportedly said.

Ohtani making history

The only other cards with a larger sale price are a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle ($12.6 million) and a 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Auto of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant ($12.9 million), according to Fanatics.

Ohtani’s performances during his MVP-winning seasons in 2024 and 2025 — two of his four years for which he was rewarded with the league’s highest individual honor — were among the best in league history.

In 2024, he crushed 54 home runs and 130 RBIs while batting .310 with a 1.036 OPS. He did not pitch as he was recovering from surgery following a UCL tear in 2023, but he became the first player in MLB history to record 50+ home runs and 50+ stolen bases in one season. He won the MVP award unanimously and also won the Silver Slugger and his first World Series.

BREAKING: The 1-of-1 Shohei Ohtani dual Gold Logoman autograph card has surfaced in Boca Raton, Florida

The card was pulled from a hobby box of Topps Chrome Baseball by a collector at his local card shop, Boca Sports Cards pic.twitter.com/FarZKDvnh5

— Topps (@Topps) July 30, 2026

He bounced right back in 2025 with 55 home runs and 102 RBIs while hitting .282 with a 1.014 OPS. He pitched that year, going 1-1 in 14 starts with a 2.87 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, and a career-best 6.9 strikeouts per walk.

With 99 games under his belt in 2026, the Japanese two-way star is a consensus -125 favorite to win the MVP again in 2026, with odds dropping as low as -135 at Caesars Sportsbook. That would mark his fifth MVP win in six years and fourth in a row, which would tie Barry Bonds (2001-04) for the longest streak in MLB history. 

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.

Ahead of the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline, the Detroit Tigers are calling up one of the MLB's top prospects.

The Tigers announced on Thursday, July 30, that they are selecting the contract of 21-year-old prospect Max Clark. Clark is the team's No. 1-ranked prospect and the No. 13 MLB prospect (per MLB Pipeline).

Clark is expected to make his MLB debut this weekend, which could come as early as Friday, July 31, when the Tigers take on the Oakland Athletics in Sacramento, California. In Triple-A with the Toledo Mud Hens, Clark has posted a .276 batting average with 11 home runs, 20 doubles, 42 RBI and 21 stolen bases in 362 at-bats in 90 games.

He was selected third overall by the Tigers in the 2023 MLB Draft out of high school, in the same class as fellow rookie Kevin McGonigle. Before embarking on his professional career, Clark was a star high school player.

Here's what you need to know about Clark's prep career:

Where did Max Clark go to high school?

Clark was the No. 3 overall pick — one pick ahead of former Florida and current Texas Ranger star Wyatt Langford — in the 2023 draft for a reason. He was named the Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year in 2023.

He attended Franklin Community High School in Franklin, Indiana, which is 25 miles South of Indianapolis, where he was named the Indiana Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year in his sophomore, junior and senior seasons.

As a senior, Clark finished with a .646 batting average with six home runs, 33 RBIs, and 45 runs scored, living up to the preseason draft hype he had garnered. As a junior, he hit .577 with nine home runs, 32 RBIs, 31 walks and 22 stolen bases. He hit .450 with six home runs, thirty RBIs and 31 stolen bases in his sophomore season, also pitching to a 0.84 ERA and 120 strikeouts over fifty innings.

Clark could have had more high school success, but his freshman season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ahead of his senior year, Clark played for Team USA in the 2021 WBSC U-18 World Cup, posting a .294 batting average over eight games to help the U.S. earn a gold medal.

While he was committed to Vanderbilt for college baseball, he ended up signing with the Tigers for $7.7 million on July 17, 2023.

Following the selection of Clark, Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris praised Clark's abilities on the baseball field.

"He was the best player on our board at that pick, and we are thrilled that he got to our pick," Harris said. "We think Max is a five-tool player. I think that label gets thrown around way too much in our industry. We think Max has all five."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Where did Max Clark go to high school? What to know about Detroit Tigers' top prospect

Baltimore is three games under .500 – will they consider abandoning ship on the prospects they collected who are flaming out? Would that make Coby Mayo available?

You can view our larger trade deadline piece here as we discuss a wider pool of options the Guardians may consider. To make my position clear, I expect the Guardians to make smaller moves, like trading Bo Naylor and getting a castoff/undervalued reliever. But, in the interest of exploring potential larger moves, we are doing a series looking at some of those bigger names. So far, we have discussed Spencer Steer, Luis Arraez, Shea Langeliers, Taylor Ward, Heliot Ramos, Jo Adell, Ty France, Tyler Soderstrom, Heriberto Hernandez, Kyle Stowers, Alec Burleson, and Otto Lopez. Although the Guardians’ greatest need is hitting, the market is aflush with starting pitching so it also may make sense for the Guardians to see if they can find a good value there, as we wrote here and looked at specifically with Jose Soriano and Reid Detmers.

Mayo is 24 years old and under team control through 2031, he has only a 93 wRC+ this season but a career 146 wRC+ against LHP as a right-handed hitter. He is not a good outfielder but above average at first. Is there a market for a player who appears to be a short-side of the platoon first baseman/DH? Probably not a strong one, but the dearth of lefty mashers in MLB and Cleveland make it a possibility.

Given Mayo’s age, I imagine he’ll come at a higher price than he should. However, could this be a spot for the Kyle Manzardo swap? Make space for Ralphy and swap an underperforming lefty for an underperforming righty hitter? Something for these teams to consider! Let me know what you think in the comments below