Category: Baseball

The San Diego Padres dropped their series opener to the San Francisco Giants and it was Daniel Susac who knocked in three of the four runs for the Giants. The Padres were bit by their “Pitching Chaos” approach after JP Sears allowed three runs over 3.2 innings. The San Diego offense did not help much, scoring just one run in the 4-1 loss. Both sides will need to play better tonight if the Padres are going to even the series.

Taking the mound

Bradgley Rodriguez (SD) v. Carson Whisenhunt (COL)

Rodriguez is getting the start for San Diego. It would be hard to imagine him pitching more than an inning, so he is assuming a more traditional opener role. The right-handed rookie has appeared in 44 games this season and holds a 2.33 ERA. He was sent down for some time to give him a break from pitching to ensure he would make it through the season. Rodriguez has had some ups and downs in recent outings, but he should be able to have a solid start to set the tone for the Padres.

The Giants are sending left-hander Whisenhunt to the mound for just the fourth time this season. He has a 2-1 record with a 4.60 ERA. Whisenhunt has only pitched 15.2 innings but has recorded 13 strikeouts over that span. The right-handers in the Padres lineup should be able to take advantage of a young pitcher, but as has been the case in the past, if Whisenhunt is allowed to settle in, it could be a long night for the San Diego lineup.

Batter up!

Manny Machado went 0-for-4 in the series opener against the Giants so it should come as no surprise that the Padres lost the game. Machado has been on a hot streak and the saying it the team goes as Manny goes. If that is the case, he needs to have a couple hits tonight. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill did their parts, but the other big bat in the lineup, Ty France, also went 0-for-3.

1. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
2. Luis Rengifo, LF
3. Manny Machado, 3B
4. Ty France, DH
5. Jackson Merrill, CF
6. Xander Bogaerts, SS
7. Gavin Sheets, 1B
8. Luis Campusano, C
9. Jake Cronenworth, 2B

Relief corps

Randy Vasquez to the rescue! The right-handed former starter pitched the final 4.2 innings of the game on Thursday, which saved multiple bullpen arms. He only allowed three hits over that span and did not allow a run. JP Sears started the game and lasted 3.2 innings and Wandy Peralta pitched 0.2 innings in relief. Thanks to Vasquez the majority of the Padres’ ‘pen should be available, minus Rodriguez who is making the start.

The Colorado Rockies (42-67) return to Coors Field tonight to open a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals (46-64).

Colorado has not won since beating the Milwaukee Brewers last Friday. The Rockies lost the final two games of that series, had Monday off, were swept in a two-game set against the San Diego Padres and were off again yesterday.

They remain stuck on 42 victories.

One more win would match the Rockies’ entire 2025 total before the calendar turns to August. Last year’s club did not reach win No. 43 until September 21.

Kansas City arrives in Denver following a painful walk-off loss to the Minnesota Twins. The Royals have disappointed this season and enter the series 18 games below .500 despite carrying higher expectations into the year.

Tomoyuki Sugano (菅野 智之) will take the ball for Colorado in what could be his final start with the Rockies before the trade deadline.

Sugano enters at 10-4 with a 4.69 ERA as his results continue to outpace his expected metrics.

He has accomplished that through mixing and locating a deep arsenal. In his last start, Sugano pitched into the sixth inning and allowed two earned runs while striking out five and walking only one.

Both runs came on solo home runs.

That was typical of Sugano’s season. He has allowed his share of home runs, but he has often limited the damage by avoiding traffic in front of them. A solo homer hurts. A three-run homer can end an outing.

Sugano threw seven different pitch types against Milwaukee and relied on sequencing and varying speeds to quiet a pesky Brewers lineup. His splitter was the most effective offering, while his four-seamer and cutter were more vulnerable, making the order and location of his pitches especially important.

Sugano will look to follow the same formula tonight against a fellow veteran right-hander who also relies on sequencing and location more than raw power.

Michael Wacha enters at 5-7 with a 3.60 ERA and 104 strikeouts across 132.1 innings. His 4.26 xERA is less flattering, but this is not a new disagreement. Wacha has posted a lower ERA than xERA in six consecutive seasons.

Wacha does not overwhelm hitters. His four-seamer averages 93.1 mph, while his strikeout and whiff rates sit below league average. He instead limits walks, avoids barrels and receives excellent results from his offspeed pitches.

Like Sugano, Wacha works with a broad arsenal. His four-seamer and changeup lead a six-pitch mix that also includes a cutter, sinker, curveball and slider.

How he distributes those pitches may be more important than any individual offering.

During his last start on July 25, Wacha did not throw consecutive pitches of the same type to any hitter the first time through the order. He did not repeat a pitch type until the third batter of the fourth inning, after the lineup had already turned over once.

Only five hitters during the entire outing saw the same pitch type thrown back-to-back.

Wacha rarely allows a hitter to eliminate possibilities or use the previous offering as a comfortable reference point for the next one, much like Sugano.

He finished that outing with seven innings of two-run baseball despite recording only three strikeouts.

Tonight at Coors Field, it is a battle between two wily veterans who rely on location, variety and sequencing more than raw power.

For Sugano, it could be one final opportunity to work his way through a lineup in purple.

Meanwhile, Brenton Doyle returns to the fold tonight, adding another piece to an already crowded Rockies outfield. Colorado’s three biggest position-player trade pieces — Jake McCarthy, Mickey Moniak and Hunter Goodman — will bat first, second and third.

For at least one more night, they are all still in purple.

The details…

First Pitch: 6:40 p.m. MDT

TV: Rockies.TV

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

Royals SB Nation site:Royals Review

Lineups:

In Denver for the final leg of the road trip. pic.twitter.com/l3SSCfyG6P

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) July 31, 2026

Happy Friday!

Repost for your chance to win a Rockies City Connect jersey ‼️ pic.twitter.com/4oYCPzo4JD

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) July 31, 2026

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks! 

Texas Rangers @ Houston Astros

Friday, July 31, 2026, 7:15 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Apple TV)

Daikin Park

RHP Nathan Eovaldi vs. RHP Hunter Brown

Go Rangers!

Here’s the DBacks lineup:

Let's Rock and Roll 🤘 pic.twitter.com/v7cCHqqCow

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) July 31, 2026

Here’s the Guardians lineup:

Back home. 🏠#GuardsBallpic.twitter.com/9lGSowDxnn

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) July 31, 2026

Let’s go, Guardians!

I’m getting this together ahead of time in case I’m not back for game time.

Vlad is back in the lineup, as is Jesus Sanchez who is back along with Braydon Fisher. Lips and Macko are back in Buffalo

The game starts at (around) 7:00 p.m. Friday, it’s nearly 90 degrees and Truist Park is the place to be as the Braves are taking on the Nationals once more. Will the Braves take the 2-0 lead and at least ensure a split with a win tonight? Will Washington’s bats make Bryce Elder their latest victim? We’re about to find out!

Preview

Lineups

After losing three of their last four, the stakes are raised for the Nats tonight. They really need a win to stay in the hunt and avoid falling out of the race. The clutch hitting just has not been there for this group lately. Hopefully that will change tonight.

Blake Butera is making a few adjustments. Jose Tena will be in the lineup as the second baseman, giving Nasim Nunez a day off. Jacob Young is in center, moving Dylan Crews to right and James Wood to DH. Brady House is in there at third, while Harry Ford does the catching. Foster Griffin takes the ball in what could be his last start with the Nats.

for tonight's game we have this lineup for you

→ https://t.co/iUBDqlACVspic.twitter.com/upO9rIEqTf

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 31, 2026

The Braves only have a couple changes. Long time Brave Austin Riley is in the lineup at third base. That moves Mauricio Dubon to left field. Joey Bart will do the catching while Drake Baldwin shifts to DH. Bryce Elder has had an up and down season, with more downs lately. However, his last two starts have been better. He is on the mound tonight.

Friday night showdown! pic.twitter.com/1XKNust7it

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 31, 2026

Game Info:

Stadium: Truist Park

Time: 7:15 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV and Fox 5 WTTG

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

With Foster Griffin on the mound, this is a massive game that could determine what team the lefty is making his next start for. The Nats are 17-4 in Griffin starts, a trend they will look to continue. To do that, they will need to hit with RISP. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats.

The St. Louis Cardinals will get out their passports and visit Canada to take on the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend. The Cardinals will send Kyle Leahy to the mound while the Blue Jays will start All-Star Dylan Cease. First pitch is scheduled for 6:07pm central time and the game TV broadcast will be available on Cardinals.tv.

After getting out of the gates after the All-Star break with a strong road trip that saw four wins in six games, the White Sox started to falter. Losing four of five to the Houston Astros and New York Yankees, it looked as if the South Siders were starting to wilt under the pressure. Out of nowhere, the White Sox pulled two miraculous wins in extra innings out of their hat, and found a way to split the series with the Yankees.

Those two wins were absolutely critical and may turn out to be the difference in a tight AL Central that Chicago currently leads by two games. Unfortunately, their work is far from over as they now face off against the best team in the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays.

Just like they have for most of the past decade, the Rays have been one of the more underrated and underappreciated teams in the majors and will pose a real test for the White Sox. While the Rays don’t have an especially potent offense or pitching staff, they do have a 40-16 record at home — by far, the best in baseball. They will look to improve upon this year’s success at Tropicana Field when they throw out Nick Martinez to start tonight’s game.

Much like the Rays, Nick Martinez has flown under the radar this year and there should be much more noise surrounding his Cy Young candidacy. Martinez comes into Friday’s game with a 10-2 record and 2.45 ERA, good for second in the American League and fifth in all of baseball. With just three starts in which he’s allowed more than two earned runs, and never allowing more than three all year, the best way to attack Martinez in his current form is to find a way to elevate his pitch count and get him out of the game as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, that’s incredibly hard to do when Martinez is in the upper echelon of pitchers when it comes to allowing walks, with just 20 in 20 starts this year. He also limits hard-hit balls and is methodical as a pitcher. The one saving grace for the White Sox is that Martinez struggles to strike batters out, totaling just 67 in more than 117 innings of work.

As for the White Sox, it’s another “Fedde Friday”, as Erick Fedde takes the hill. While he hasn’t been great this season, he’s been exactly what you’d expect from a pitcher at the tail end of the rotation. Even his 5-6 record and 4.25 ERA don’t tell the whole story, as Fedde sports a 3-1 record and an ERA of 3.73 over his last seven starts.

To be quite honest, Fedde’s stuff isn’t anything to write home about. He’s been more than serviceable as a fifth starter, but it’s clear the Rays have the edge on the mound tonight. With that in mind, all Fedde needs to do is keep Chicago in the ball game and hope they can find the same late success as they have in their last two games. Although Chicago’s bullpen isn’t exactly the best, either, a battle between the bullpens is their best bet at taking the first game of this series.

Here are the starting lineup for the Chicago White Sox:

Here are the starting lineup for the Tampa Bay Rays:

First pitch is 6:10 p.m. CST. You can watch on CHSN or listen on ESPN Chicago 1000. Let us know your thoughts and predictions below!

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Brewers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

In this week’s Reacts survey, we asked fans how they’d like to see the Brewers handle Jacob Misiorowski’s workload down the stretch.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, nearly half of fans (47%) said the Brewers should be setting strict pitch counts and limits, while 38% said the team should spread his starts out more. The final 15% voted for the team to continue pitching him every fifth day as normal.

Misiorowski has already tossed 120 innings across 20 starts this season, putting him very close to his previous career-high of 141 1/3 innings reached last year (between Triple-A and MLB). The team has already started to pull back a bit on Misiorowski, as he’s been spaced out a bit between starts and had his pitch counts limited, with just 83 pitches on Sunday and 65 pitches in his previous start.

With the trade deadline on tap, it seems likely the Brewers will look to add another starter, and adding one would solve two problems at once — give some relief to Misiorowski, and add general depth to the rotation with two-plus months to go. Who would you like to see the team go after to help out?

Thanks for continuing to participate in these polls, and be sure to visit FanDuel Sportsbook for all of your sports betting needs.

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Brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.

After Freddy Peralta was scratched from tonight’s start due to increased trade interest (per manager Andy Green), Kodai Senga was named tonight’s starting pitcher against the Marlins.

Senga hasn’t started a game in over a month, and has exactly one (1) appearance with no earned runs either as a starter or reliever. His 8.85 ERA is a far cry from his stellar 2023 campaign or the start of 2025 before an errant throw landed him on the Injured List. With the expected departure of Peralta, Senga will likely get a few more opportunities to show that he’s got something left in the tank before he enters the fifth year of his contract next season.

Senga will be squaring off against Janson Junk for Miami tonight at Citi Field.

There is still no news regarding Peralta’s landing spot, but there are reportedly many teams involved, including the White Sox, Braves, and Phillies.

Ahead of the game, Cionel Pérez was placed on the 15-day IL, retroactive to July 30, with a left forearm strain. To replace both he and the traded A.J. Minter on the active roster, the Mets have recalled right-handed pitchers Jonathan Pintaro and Xzavion Curry from Triple-A Syracuse.

Happy Friday, everyone! It’s a warm evening in Baltimore as the Orioles and Phillies kick off a big series in what will surely be a rocking crowd filled with both Orioles and Phillies fans.

But first, some news if you missed it. The Orioles have announced that they signed Yennier Cano to a two-year contract extension with a club option for 2029. Those two years are his arbitration years, so this isn’t a big move. Good for them, I guess. The Orioles are weird. Anyway, on to tonight’s game.

Brandon Young is on the mound for the Orioles, sporting a sharp 3.13 ERA. The Orioles are 14-3 in games started by Young this year, which might make him the most valuable player on the team.

For the Phillies, it’ll be righty Andrew Painter on the mound. Painter is a 23-year-old rookie who was Philly’s top prospect coming into the season. He made the team out of spring training and made 12 starts and two relief appearances before he was demoted to Triple-A. His first go-round in the big leagues did not go so well, with a 7.06 ERA and 1.662 WHIP in 14 games. He was sent to the minors on June 17th and has made five starts with a 4.56 ERA. That doesn’t sound great, but he had four very good starts and one very bad one.

If Painter shuts down the Orioles, I know everyone in the comments will register their displeasure about how they rolled over for a guy with a 7 ERA. And while they technically wouldn’t be wrong, it’s worth keeping in mind that Painter is a recent top prospect with just 14 MLB games who was performing better in Triple-A. I would prefer, however, that the Orioles light him up like a Christmas tree and render this entire conversation moot.

The Orioles lineup is your typical vs righties lineup of late, however you choose to feel about that. Coby Mayo is in against the right-handed pitcher, which is fine with me. He has done better against them of late and it’s worth seeing if that’s real, in my opinion.

The Phillies lineup might be filled with aging guys, but it still has a lot of street cred.

Orioles lineup

Dylan Beavers (L) LF
Pete Alonso (R) 1B
Gunnar Henderson (L) SS
Taylor Ward (R) DH
Leody Taveras (S) RF
Jackson Holliday (L) 2B
Coby Mayo (R) 3B
Colton Cowser (L) CF
Yohel Pozo (R) C

Phillies lineup

Trea Turner (R) SS
Kyle Schwarber (L) DH
Bryce Harper (L) 1B
Alec Bohm (R) 3B
Brandon Marsh (L) LF
J.T. Realmuto (R) C
Bryson Stott (L) 2B
Gabriel Rincones Jr. (L) RF
Justin Crawford (L) CF

Let’s go O’s!

I was originally going to post this as a reply to DbacksEurope’s comment on the Place Your Bets thread, but I ended up rambling on a bit, so figured I should write it up here instead. Basically, the core was “Thank you AZSnakePit for reminding me that I am terrible in gambling.” Me, too. I don’t do it often, and when I do, expect to lose whatever I wager. It’s the price you pay for the entertainment, like buying a ticket to a baseball game or a movie. Indeed, I think gambling and watching sports are similar endeavors: you’re mostly watching things over which you have no control, and hoping for a particular outcome to take place. The uncertainty is the thrill.

However, personally, there’s a very large social aspect to both. If I gamble, it’s typically along with Mrs. SnakePit. We’ll sit beside each other at a slot machine, taking turns and agonizing over the spin of every reel, celebrating or commiserating as appropriate. Sitting by myself, pushing the button, just isn’t anywhere near as much fun. And the same goes, I find, for watching sports. I go to games with other people. If I’m at home and watching, I’m inevitably on the ‘Pit as well. I can’t remember the last time I watched any sporting event “in isolation”. I know some people watch other teams and game, but me? I’ll just wait for the highlights.

This is not to say there’s a “right” or “wrong” way, of course. But I think that sports and gambling are perhaps tied closer to each other than we’d like to think, in terms of the endorphins they release in our brains. And that may partly be why we now have MLB openly and blatantly touting for these companies. But remember, folks! Any player who gambles threatens the very fabric of baseball! We’ll have more on the topic, after this word from our latest sponsor, Kalshi. “It’s not gambling, it’s a prediction market”.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled Gameday Thread. 🙂 I’ll also embed the Confidence Poll today and tomorrow, in case anyone hasn’t yet voted, what with it being an off-day yesterday!

Mets Lineup

1. A.J. Ewing – LF
2. Francisco Lindor – SS
3. Bo Bichette – 3B
4. Carson Benge – RF
5. Luis Robert – CF
6. Jared Young – 1B
7. Brett Baty – 2B
8. Jorge Polanco – DH
9. Francisco Alvarez – C

SP: Kodai Senga – RHP

Marlins Lineup

1. Liam Hicks – DH
2. Xavier Edwards – 2B
3. Otto Lopez – SS
4. Kyle Stowers – 1B
5. Griffin Conine – RF
6. Heriberto Hernandez – LF
7. Jakob Marsee – CF
8. Joe Mack – C
9. Javier Sanoja – 3B

SP: Janson Junk – RHP

Broadcast Info

First pitch: 7:10 PM ET
TV: WPIX
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

Ohtani.

Freeman.

Mookie.

Yamamoto.

…Kiké?

Legends all. And the Red Sox will be facing the best team in baseball for a weekend. Just over a month ago this was a dreaded series. The Dodgers were going to crush the last place Red Sox like an egg. Until the Sox caught fire. As essentially the hottest team in the game, will the series go differently?

The Dodgers are 69-40 vs the Sox 57-51. There’s a bit of a gap. They’ve scored 562 runs and allowed 402. The Sox, with their elite pitching and defense, have scored 454 and allowed 404. So, you know, they’re hanging around. This will be the biggest challenge for the Sox so far. As it is for essentially the other 29 teams that aren’t the Dodgers.

Ranger Suarez is back for his second start off the IL. The last time back he looked just about as sharp as expected. He was only out for 4.0 innings so expect maybe 5.0 or 6.0 in start number 2. Edgardo Henriquez gets the start as an opener. A righty, he’s actually finished 6 games and started none until Friday. So it’s his first career start. He’s striking out about a batter per inning and has a large platoon split: .348 OPS against righties and .770 against lefties. With Wilyer Abreu’s reverse splits, this could be a fun first inning.

Payton Tolle is entering some uncharted territory in innings these days and might start to have a little bit of a leash to keep that total down a tad. Will it finally be the piggyback with Brayan Bello we keep hearing about? He’s facing one of the best pitchers on the planet in Yamamoto. The Dodgers ace was hit hard a few weeks ago against the Diamondbacks (6 runs, 6.0 innings) but followed that up with a complete game against the Yankees. He’s never faced the Red Sox.

Jake Bennett last pitched in a minor league park with a few thousand fans and now faces the juggernaut Dodgers in a packed house for Sunday Night Baseball. There hasn’t been a challenge he didn’t face well this season. Emmet Sheehan is a Boston College product out of Connecticut. He strikes out out at a good clip (26.3%) but has been hit hard. Opposing batters are slashing .245/.311/.462 against the righty.

The ageless Freddie Freeman leads the league in doubles with 27 and is slashing .301/.379/.485.

Ohtani “only” has 23 home runs this year and has stolen just 6 bases. He’s dealing with some knee soreness so this may be the best weekend to face him.

Mookie is struggling this season and in July. He had a good June but in July has a .584 OPS.

Kyle Tucker looks like a bust so far. Glad the Sox dodged that bullet!

Max Muncy is chugging along at .253/.347/.497 with 21 homers.

Coming off a 3-1 series against the Athletics helps Boston avoid a really bad road trip but this is an elite team and we’ll see how the race to the deadline goes.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Friday, July 31: Ranger Suarez (3.02 ERA / 2.50 FIP) vs. Edgardo Henriquez (2.79 ERA / 3.05 FIP)

Saturday, August 1: Payton Tolle (3,32 ERA / 3.39 is FIP) vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2.72 ERA / 3.31 FIP)

Sunday, August 2: Jake Bennett (2.74 ERA / 3.28 FIP) vs. Emmet Sheehan (4.95 ERA / 4.41 FIP)

When/Where to Watch

Friday, July 31: 10:10 PM ET on NESN

Saturday, August 1: 9:10 PM ET on NESN

Sunday, August 2: 7:20 PM ET on NBC/Peacock