Category: Baseball

Greetings folks, and a happy Thursday to you.

The Mariners lost a snoozer to the Marlins yesterday, falling 2-0 with another hapless performance from the offense.

A question for you to ponder on this fine morning in advance of the series finale: who is the most Mariner-like Marlin, and who is the most Marlin-like Mariner?

In Mariners news…

• Ryan Divish at The Seattle Times wonders if the Mariners should have more than one All-Star this year.
• Emma Cortes Ellendt at Forbes went behind-the-scenes to learn more about the Mariners’ new influencer strategy.

Around the league…

• Veteran right-hander Justin Verlander announced that he will retire at the end of the season. Verlander was also just selected to the All-Star team as a “legend pick.”
• Bradford Doolittle eulogized the amazing and unique career Verlander has enjoyed.
• We have some new Home Run Derby participants, with the Royals’ Jac Caglianone and the Red Sox’s Willson Contreras each announcing they will compete.
• Former Mariners righty Gregory Santos has elected free agency. Santos has had a rough season between the majors and Triple-A in the Giants organization.
• The Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL) unveiled the names and logos of its four teams in advance of its inaugural season, set to begin on August 1.
• Carlos Collazo at Baseball America provided his penultimate mock draft with less than a week to go until the first round begins. ($)

Anders’ pick…

• This is gonna hit so hard in December.

As has been the case more often than not of late, it was not the Yankees’ day on Wednesday. In an important divisional match with the first place Rays, the Bombers were shut out, and will be forced to try for a split in the series’ fourth game on Thursday. Now five games out of the top spot in the East, New York has plenty of work ahead them as we march closer to the All-Star break.

Regardless, there was plenty of other important baseball going on around the Junior Circuit on Wednesday. Amid some blowouts, gems on the mound, and the narrowing of standings, let’s take a look at what went down.

Boston Red Sox (42-48) 5, Chicago White Sox (47-44) 0

In a battle of the Sox, those of the Red variety had control over Wednesday’s game for much of its duration. After a pair of scoreless innings on both sides to begin the game, Boston jumped out to a five-run lead in a hurry. In the third, RBI knocks from Tsung-Che Cheng and Ceddanne Rafaela helped to plate three, while the same from Carlos Narváez and Cheng scored two more in the following inning.

The outburst in the middle innings was actually the extent of the scoring on either side, as the Red Sox cruised to victory in Chicago. The story of their day, however, was the pitching. Starter Jake Bennet had his best stuff working on Wednesday, as he tossed seven scoreless innings, while striking out four and walking just one. It was his fourth consecutive start of six or more innings, as the lefty continues to pitch well for the Sox.

Boston’s win gets them to within a few games of the final wild card spot, while Chicago’s loss only tightens the situation in a rather close American League Central. With three different teams within two games of first place, the division could once again remain close for much of the season.

Other Games

Toronto Blue Jays (44-49) 10, San Francisco Giants (38-54) 0:

On the topic of top-notch pitching, Dylan Cease was about as good as it gets in San Francisco on Wednesday. The highly talented righty took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Giants, and although he lost the no-no to the first hitter of that frame, Cease finished with a pristine line of eight scoreless innings with eleven strikeouts racked up. All the while, the Toronto bats backed up their starter with double-digit runs, fueled by Kazuma Okamoto’s grand slam, and homers from Vlad Guerrero Jr. and George Springer. The Jays creep back to within 2.5 games of a wild card berth with their dominant win by the Bay.

Miami Marlins (51-42) 2, Seattle Mariners (47-46) 0:

Remaining on the theme of shutouts, the Mariners dropped a tough one on the road against the Marlins. Early runs for Miami, thanks to extra-base hits from Kyle Stowers and Xavier Edwards gave them the lead, while another excellent effort on the mound allowed them to keep it. Miami’s Tyler Phillips along with three relievers kept Seattle out of the run column wire-to-wire, as the Fish continue to impress, holding onto the last wild card spot in the NL. With the disappointing loss, the Mariners shrink their lead in the West to just a half-game, as their situation becomes a bit troubling as we head toward the second half.

Minnesota Twins (46-47) 6, Cleveland Guardians (47-46) 5:

In the closest game on our docket for the day, the Twins walked it off in the ninth to close the gap between them and the Guardians. It was a close battle throughout on Wednesday, as both clubs matched each other with three runs in the fourth inning, and two in the seventh to knot things up at five. The big hit came from Alan Roden in the bottom of the ninth, with his walk-off “single” that hit about half-way up the big wall in right-center sending the Twins and their fans home happy. The dramatic wins gets the surprising Twins a bit closer to the action in the Central, as they now sit just two games out of first place.

As we all know by now, the Washington Nationals are scoring a lot of runs. They are the only team in baseball to cross the 500 run threshold, and also lead baseball in home runs and stolen bases. James Wood is a massive part of this run scoring machine, not just due to his 25 homers and .948 OPS, but also due to just how many runs he is scoring. 

James Wood has scored 85 runs this season. I am going to try and contextualize just how crazy that is. He leads all of baseball in runs scored, and it is by an absolute landslide. The Nationals right fielder has scored 21 more runs than the player in second place, which is jarring if you ask me.

The gap between James Wood and second place Bryan Reynolds is the same as the gap between second place and 86th place. It goes to show how potent the Nats offense has been, and also how productive Wood is. You have to give a lot of credit to Blake Butera for sticking Wood in the leadoff spot.

At first it seemed like a bit of a wonky fit, but it has been a stroke of genius. Wood is constantly on base, with a .402 OBP. His intimidating presence also forces pitchers to show their whole arsenal right from the jump. If you make a mistake to Wood to start a ball game, he will make you pay, as shown by his 8 leadoff homers. 

We have seen power hitters leadoff before, and it is becoming more common in the game. Davey Martinez famously moved Kyle Schwarber to the leadoff spot, and that propelled a massive home run binge for him. However, Wood is an even better fit for the leadoff spot because of his athleticism.

When Schwarber got on base, he would clog up the basepaths. Despite being a massive human, Wood is an above average runner, and a threat to steal bases. Wood has 15 stolen bases on the season, which is actually the same amount as CJ Abrams. Between the on base ability, and Wood’s athleticism, it is no shock that he scores a lot of runs.

Runs scored is obviously not a purely individual stat though. You need your teammates to drive you in. That is exactly what Nats hitters have been doing. Luis Garcia Jr. and CJ Abrams are second and third in RBI this season. James Wood is the runner they are driving in on many occasions. 

A July 7th post said that Wood was on pace for 142 runs, a number that will be higher after he’s scored 4 runs in the last 2 games. If he breaks the 140 run barrier, he will join Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio and Alex Rodriguez as the only players 23 or younger to score that many times.

As Dan Kolko said on the broadcast last night, Nats fans are almost used to seeing their young outfielders be in that kind of company. Between Bryce Harper, Juan Soto, and now James Wood, this franchise has had so many record setting superstars. Hopefully we will be able to keep this one around.

Another crazy stat was shown that had Wood in the same breath as Bonds. However, it might not be the Bonds you are thinking of. Wood joined Bobby Bonds as the only players to have 85 runs, 25 homers, 60 RBI and 15 steals before the All-Star Break. Talk about filling up the statsheet.

This James Wood runs scored stat might be my favorite statistic of the season. It not only tells you about Wood’s dominance, but it also shows how elite the offense has been as a whole. There are other players with high on base percentages, but none of them come close to Wood’s 85 runs because they don’t have the type of protection he does.

James Wood is the engine of the Nationals offense, but a car has many parts. You need an exterior, an interior, and a driver. The Nats have that as well with players like CJ Abrams, Luis Garcia Jr. and Curtis Mead. Watching this offense has been such a blast this year. Remember when we were worried about the offense coming out of Spring Training?

So much has changed since the beginning of the season, and most of it has been for the better. I am at the point where I really think the Nats should buy at the deadline to try and take advantage of this offense. The offense is likely to be good moving forward, but there is no guarantee it will be this dominant again. They should not sell off the farm or anything, but it would be a disservice to this group to not go after a controllable arm or two.

They do not need to make a Mason Miller type trade to make this bullpen better. All they need to do is bring in a couple solid arms. Even if they simultaneously sell off a piece or two, I still think the Nats need to be on the hunt for arms.

I got a little sidetracked there, but James Wood is having a truly historic season. Nats fans have seen a few generational talents roam their outfield, and James Wood is the next in line. In a perfect storm season, James Wood not only leads baseball in runs scored, but he is lapping the field when it comes to touching home plate.

As the A’s June-Swoon evolves into a deeper July collapse (the Athletics won on July 1 and have not tasted victory since then) it would make sense to think about salvaging the season and looking forward to 2027. Three major MLB events will take place in the next thirty days, two of which will have a strong impact on the A’s future. Of course, next week is All-Star week. American League starters Shea Langeliers and Nick Kurtz will likely have the experience of a lifetime, rubbing elbows, taking swings with and against the best the league has to offer and spending times with those they admire in the game; past and present.

The two events with the most impact will, of course, be the MLB draft and the trade deadline. The draft begins this Saturday, July 11 and continues through Sunday, July 12. As always, teams will have the ability to build their minor league systems in hopes of honing talent to be major league ready. As we know, for every Mike Trout and Nick Kurtz there are equal numbers of players such as Mark Appel and Brien Taylor; can’t miss prospects that missed badly!

This year’s trade deadline in August 3. With a core of players that should not be touched, the A’s will likely try to clear out some veteran (read: expensive) contracts and open some roster spots for promising minor leaguers to get some MLB playing time.

This could be a fun time for those of us who are addicted to the sport… thinking about what’s next for our team. But this year it’s different. The specter of an ownership lockout remains too strong of a possibility to make the dream of a better season carry us through the tough times. In a recent poll of MLB players, 101 current major leaguers were asked the simple question, “Do you believe there will be a lockout at the end of the season?” Eighty respondents said “yes,” two respondents said “no,” and nineteen said they were “not sure” Many players elaborated to say the bigger question was not whether or not there would be a lockout, but more importantly will games be cancelled.

It’s hard to argue with the players inside knowledge and their understanding of ownership’s motivations, but the best way for me to get through the challenging times that lay ahead is to think about what next year may bring for A’s Nation.

A’s Coverage:

• Kurtz the 3rd sidelined as stomach bug moves through A’s clubhouse
• 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:

Could you imagine scoring 22 runs and coming within one hit of losing a game? That’s what happened to the Ontario Tower Buzzers, but all is well that ends well in a day of no defeats in the Dodgers minor league system.

Player of the day

While the hitting candidates were plentiful as the Tower Buzzers put up 22, no hitter in that game secured multiple home runs in the same important manner as did Zyhir Hope. The Drillers’ outfielder basically carried the team’s entire offense on his back in a 7-2 win.

Although it is only July 9th, it is already the fourth game securing at least five total bases for Hope this month, who hadn’t homered twice in the same game since the start of June. The lefty-hitting outfielder is already up to 76 RBI on the season.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

It’d be tough to ask for much more out of Zach Ehrhard, who has now passed the 60-RBI mark on the season—Ehrhard hit one of the Comets’ four homers, an inside-the-parker at that, to lead the way for a win over the Chihuahuas by a score of 9-2. Alek Thomas left the yard twice, and Noah Miller had the other home run.

In a game in which both sides combined to allow more hits than strikeouts, the work of veteran Cole Irvin got the job done for OKC. Irvin covered six innings of two-run ball, handing it off to a bullpen that tossed three scoreless without allowing a single hit.

Lastly, Ryan Ward needed just one single to become the all-time hits leader in the OKC’s Bricktown era, reaching 463 total and leaving behind Drew Avans, now second on the ranking.

Double-A Tulsa

Any Hope of winning this game against the Cardinals went through Zyhir, who homered twice and drove in five of the Drillers’ seven runs with those key long balls, his only hits in the game. In fact, considering Chris Newell also left the yard, the only Tulsa run that didn’t come via the long ball came on a Mike Sirota RBI triple, the man who can’t stop reaching base safely.

Pitching, only one of the three runs let across by Adam Serwinowski was earned, as the southpaw managed to earn his seventh win of the season. While they ran into a bit of trouble in the ninth inning, Kelvin Ramirez came in to secure a two-out save, carrying Tulsa to their 56th win in 83 games.

High-A Great Lakes

Working well with runners in scoring position (5 for 11), the Loons overcame a 4-1 deficit in the fifth inning to beat the Dragons 8-4 at home. The combination of Charles Davalan and Eduardo Quintero at the top of the order had a great performance, responsible for half of the team’s RBI, with Quintero hitting the team’s only home run, a solo shot in the first.

Because the Loons only took the lead after Aidan Foeller left the mound, having covered 4.2 innings with eight strikeouts and allowing three runs across, the win was left for Matt Lanzendonfer, his third on the season.

Single-A Ontario

One occasionally hears of football scores in a baseball game, but nothing quite as shocking as this 22-21 by the Tower Buzzers over the 66ers. In this game both sides combined for 33 hits, six errors, and four half innings with at least six runs scored.

It was by the thinnest of margins that Ontario escaped one of the all-time minor collapses in this one, considering they scored the game’s first 16 runs through three innings. Mairoshendrick Martinus and Ching-Hsien Ko combined to strike out five times, but each had an outstanding game of their own, responsible for 10 of the team’s 22 RBI. On top of those two, Jaron Elkins and Joendry Vargas also left the yard with multi-run homers.

Jholbran Herder tossed a couple of scoreless innings to begin the game, but then virtually any reliever that the Tower Buzzers sent to hold this sizeable lead seemed intent on giving it up. With the most alarming of appearances coming from Dailoui Abad in a ninth inning in which he allowed six runs to come across. The game ended with the tying run in scoring position and Jecsua Liborius punching out Ryan Piccolo, who had reached base all three times up at the plate before that at-bat.

Wednesday’s scores

• Oklahoma City 9, El Paso 2
• Tulsa 7, Springfield 3
• Great Lakes 8, Dayton 5
• Ontario 22, Inland Empire 21

Thursday’s schedule

• 4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Sean Patick) vs. Dayton (Kyle McCoy)
• 5:00 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Davis Martin) vs. Springfield (Chen-Wei Lin)
• 5:05 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Jackson Ferris) vs. El Paso (Evan Fitterer)
• 6:35 p.m. PT: Ontario (TBD) vs. Inland Empire (Jose Romero)

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Another busy slate across the majors presents value in my MLB same-game parlay predictions. 

Today's selections will include the likes of Jesus Luzardo, Nathan Eovaldi, and the red-hot Jo Adell. 

Read more in my MLB picks for Thursday, July 9.

Today's best MLB SGP picks

Game	SGP Odds
SEA vs MIA	+335
PHI vs CIN	+675
LAA vs TEX	+1200

Mariners vs Marlins SGP: Another gem from Miller

Bryce Miller continues to dominate for the Seattle Mariners. The righty owns a 2.17 FIP over his last two starts, and he hasn't allowed a single walk during that span.

Miller has also held opponents to a 30.9% hard-hit rate over the last month. He's cashed the Under in earned runs allowed in two of his previous three outings. 

The strikeout prop for Miller is also a no-brainer tonight. His total is set at a modest 5.5, and the 27-year-old has easily surpassed that in six straight. He's struck out 11.57 hitters per nine innings across his last four starts. 

Cal Raleigh is in the midst of a four-game hitting streak, and he has an impressive 50.3% hard-hit rate over the last week. 

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Mariners.TV, Marlins.TV

Phillies vs Reds SGP: Luzardo quiets Reds

Jesus Luzardo has been inconsistent at times this season, but he's improving a lot lately. Over his last two starts, the Philadelphia Phillies lefty has posted a terrific 1.56 xERA, and he's hit the Under in earned runs allowed in both outings. 

Luzardo is also consistently pitching deep into games. He's lasted into the sixth inning or longer in three of his last four. Over the last month, opponents have only had a 31.3% hard-hit rate. 

Youngster Justin Crawford has multi-hit games in back-to-back appearances, and he's batting .353 over the last six games. He'll face Cincinnati Reds starter Brady Singer tonight, who has an alarming 44.4% hard-hit rate and 14.8% barrel rate in his last two outings.

This is a clear chance for Crawford to stay hot. 

• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Reds.TV, NBC Sports Philadelphia

Angels vs Rangers SGP: Adell keeps raking

Nathan Eovaldi certainly hasn't been dominant this season, but as always, he's still racking up the Ks. The veteran has struck out 10.57 hitters per nine innings across his last five starts.

The righty has easily surpassed tonight's total in three straight outings, posting nine Ks in each. 

Jo Adell is one of the hottest hitters in baseball right now. He has seven hits in his last three games, and Adell just went 2-for-4 on Wednesday with two homers. Eovaldi has allowed a 39.3% hard-hit rate over his last two outings.

There's some vulnerability that Adell can capitalize on. 

Mike Trout has collected a hit in nine consecutive games. While he just returned from the IL, the veteran has continued to make quality contact, producing a 45.8% hard-hit rate over the last month. 

• Time: 8:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: ABTV, Rangers Sports Network

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.

Michael King was pulled with a 3-0 lead after 75 pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers in his last start, which ultimately became a 4-3 loss after an error and a grand slam followed his departure. He came into the contest between the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks looking to replicate the success from his previous start and he did just that allowing one run on four hits over six innings of work. King limited the walks in his outing, allowing two free passes, and struck out four on 92 pitches as the Padres earned a 10-4 win over the Diamondbacks at Petco Park on Wednesday.

The Padres offense supported King’s effort with runs in the third and fourth innings to take a 2-1 lead. San Diego then added two runs in the fifth inning and four runs in the sixth inning to take a comfortable 8-1 lead. Arizona added two runs to its total in the top of the seventh inning when Tommy Troy connected on a two-run homer against reliever Ron Marinaccio which made the score, 8-3. San Diego immediately responded in the bottom of the inning, adding two runs to its total to give the Padres a 10-3 lead. The Diamondbacks tacked on a run in the top of the eighth inning,

San Diego got contributions from the majority of the lineup with only Gavin Sheets being held without a hit. Miguel Andujar recorded three doubles and Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and Luis Campusano each had two hits in the game with Campusano recording his first home run of the season.

Padres News:

• The San Diego farm system has seen several changes over recent days, and Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball provides details on who moved up, who moved down and who was released.

• The Padres have had a first half of the season to forget when comes to their pitching staff. Thomas Conroy of Gaslamp Ball looks ahead to what the rotation could look like following the All-Star break.

• The MLB trade deadline is fast approaching, and Gaslamp Ball asks readers how they would handle that time on the baseball calendar.

• Samad Taylor is the latest Padres player to land on the IL and Luis Rengifo was recalled from Triple-A to take his spot on the roster.

• Manny Machado got the day off following a game in which he fouled a ball off his big toe.

• Jake Cronenworth has returned to the San Diego lineup and has supplied much needed power to the bottom of the order.

Baseball News:

• Dylan Cease came close to his second no-hitter, but the San Francisco Giants played spoiler breaking up the no-no in the ninth.

• The Miami Marlins knocked off the Philadelphia Phillies.

• Mike Trout returned to the lineup for the Los Angeles Angels and homered in his first game back.

• The Chicago Cubs knocked off the Baltimore Orioles.

Thanks to a disastrous 2025 season, the Twins are set to draft a soon-to-be top MLB prospect with the 3rd overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft this weekend. It is their highest draft pick since 2017 when they selected Royce Lewis with the 1st overall pick, and their last two top 3 picks before that were Byron Buxton and Joe Mauer. Not bad! It goes without saying that a pick of this significance will have massive implications on the future of the Minnesota Twins franchise. As we approach draft day, I took a little dive into the top prospects in this draft class and ranked my top 5 hopefuls for the Twins if they are available at 3. Enjoy!

1. SS Roch Cholowsky – UCLA

Roch Cholowsky has been the top prospect in this year’s draft for a while, but doubts are rising as the draft approaches, with some scouts opting to push Grady Emerson or Vahn Lackey to the top spot. They are all phenomenal prospects of course, but as a gold glove caliber shortstop with an all-around great offensive profile, Roch stays put at the top for me.

He had a more slender build when MLB Pipeline ranked him as the No. 44 prospect in the 2023 draft out of high school. Instead, Cholowsky went to UCLA and was able to beef up without losing the athletic profile. Meanwhile, he was producing at an elite level the entire time. He combines a short and well-controlled swing with excellent bat speed and some loft that allows him to carry the ball out consistently to all fields. There is a little more aggression in his approach that will have to be monitored as he begins his pro career, but it is an elite combo of hit and power.

Defensively, Roch has a cannon arm that consistently produces highlight throws when he’s on the move or deep in the gap. While he’s an average runner, he is incredibly smart and instinctual, which shows up both in the field and on the bases. Excellent range and defensive actions are pushing Cholowsky’s defense into elite-level shortstop talks.

While it is still highly unlikely that he is available when Minnesota is on the clock, the chances have grown, and he should be a shoo-in for the No. 3 pick if he still happens to be on the board. The Twins have lacked true shortstop prospects in recent years but would move into an excellent spot with Cholowsky and Houston, while Culpepper sits on the border. It would set them up for a future level of infield defense that we have not seen from this team in a long time. And oh yeah, Roch can hit the crap out of the ball too!

2. C Vahn Lackey – Georgia Tech

Vahn Lackey has been highly touted throughout his college years for his excellent backstop defense, but back-to-back breakout years at the plate have thrown him into “best player in college baseball” territory.

There are a lot of moving parts in his swing, including a big leg kick and stride out. He loads his hands early and has a powerful, yet easy drive through the zone. Doesn’t miss a fastball, but I worry about his ability to adjust to offspeed given how much pre-swing movement there is. His contact skills have looked good in college and his swing decisions have improved nicely over the past few years, but I do think there could be some more whiff as he moves into the pros. Still, it’s an above-average hit tool with plus power potential.

Lackey is a unique catcher with an impressive athletic profile. He stole 18 bags in 2025 and 15 more in 2026. He possesses excellent quickness at the catcher position, moving laterally and blocking with ease. He has a plus arm with a lightning-quick trigger.

Its a plus catching profile with the tools to be a high-end bat, and the continued development makes me hopeful that there is even more in the tank. He may get pushed through the minors a little slower than fans would hope to allow the bat to continue developing, but the defense is already looking great. It’s a high floor, high ceiling player. The Twins haven’t drafted a catcher anywhere in the first round since Joe Mauer, but Vahn Lackey is the odds-on favorite to become Minnesota’s first selection of the weekend and he absolutely has the talent to warrant that.

3. SS Grady Emerson – Fort Worth Christian (HS)

Looking through clips of Grady Emerson’s swing on Twitter is fun because I watch them and say “wow that swing is beautiful” and then realize that it’s a post from 2023 when he had just entered high school. Emerson has been at the top of this class ever since scouts laid eyes on him.

His swing is so smooth. So simple and efficient in his load, gliding through the zone with some good loft and impressive bat speed. Emerson batted .532 with some solid power and was nearly impossible to strike out while showing off an incredibly mature approach. He’s a very well-rounded hitter with an easy plus hit tool, an advanced approach, and developing power.

Defensively, Grady is above-average across the boards and possesses a unique fluidity that pushes his shortstop defense into plus territory. Great instincts give him easy range and he pairs it with fluid actions and an above-average arm.

There is always more uncertainty about how high school prospects will mature physically. You can project a certain amount of added power, but it’s difficult to be certain about it, and you never know what some added muscle will do to their movement. I feel comfortable slotting Emerson in with an above-average power tool, but its not quite on Roch’s level and there is a more limited defensive ceiling. He gives me some Jackson Holliday vibes. An uber-polished high school hitter that will fly through the minors, but may not quite have that truly elite ceiling.

4. RHP Jackson Flora – UCSB

Just one year after Tyler Bremner shot up the boards and went 2nd overall, another UCSB arm in Jackson Flora is slated to end up in the top 5. With a 1.06 ERA and 133 strikeouts in 102 innings this season, the hype is absolutely warranted.

Flora is 6’5” with long levers and some freakish arm speed. Its a whippy arm action and a lower release point. His fastball sits 96-98 and has touched triple digits. With good carry, its already an easy plus offering with potential to be one of the best fastballs in the world. He has a pair of plus breaking balls, one in the mid 80s and the other in the low 80s, both displaying some wicked sweep with huge whiff potential. His changeup has developed nicely this year, and while he is still finding the feel for command, the pitch is now flashing plus splittler-like depth.

He is a good strike-thrower, but the whippy arm motion may expose some weaknesses in command as he faces off against more talented hitters in the pros. He holds his velocity and stuff well throughout starts and has ace potential that we could see in the majors as soon as 2027. Given the three hitters at the top of charts, Flora is sitting comfortably in the No. 4 spot, but he is absolutely in play at pick 3 or even higher if one of these teams wants to go the pitching route.

5. OF Drew Burress – Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech’s superstar turned into a running mate this year with Vahn Lackey’s breakout, but Drew Burress has been unbelievably productive for the Yellow Jackets since the day he stepped on campus. If you just looked at the home run totals and exit velocities, you would be shocked to see that Burress is just 5’9” with a pretty compact build. Likewise, if you only looked at his height and weight, you would be shocked to find out that he is Georgia Tech’s all-time home run leader.

He packs a punch in his big and lofty swing. He starts his swing standing straight up and has a sizable stride out, but a minimal hand load keeps him on time as he explodes out with quick, twitchy hands. All throughout college, Burress has posted excellent contact rates against fastballs, but has had issues adjusting to secondaries. Still, he maintains a solid hit tool and patient approach, allowing him to maximize his power output, which is plus raw pop with elite pulled fly ball rates.

Defensively, he manned centerfield for Georgia Tech, showing off good range and a plus arm. He’s not an elite defender out there and will likely end up in a corner, but is a capable centerfielder. Not an aggressive base-stealer in college, but a good runner and all-around impressive athlete.

It is mostly a 3-man race between Cholowsky, Lackey, and Emerson for Minnesota at pick 3, and if the Twins decide to go another direction, I would be shocked if they choose to add to their already overcrowded outfield group. Still, the dynamite bat that Drew Burress swings is going to intrigue some teams at the top of the draft and for good reason.

The Debrief

The Twins obviously do not control their own destiny here, so its a wait-and-see game. If Roch Cholowsky is on the board at pick 3, I would take him with no hesitation. I’d be ecstatic to get Vahn Lackey as well. If those two are both gone when the Twins are on the clock, I think there is a conversation to be had about Flora. I would still take Emerson at 3, but I can see the vision with the flamethrowing righty. At this point, I don’t believe that any other option is in play for Minnesota. There is a lot of pressure that comes with a pick of this importance, but all of these guys have superstar potential and any of them could bust. Given the insane talent in each of these players, the Twins are getting a franchise cornerstone type of asset no matter what.

Since completing their home sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates in early June, the Atlanta Braves are 8-17, winning exactly one series over that span.

But they can change that tune Thursday afternoon, somewhat fittingly against the Pirates.

After a beatdown loss in Game 1 and a late scoring surge in a shutout win in Game 2, the Braves close out their series in Pittsburgh Thursday at 12:35 p.m. ET before heading to St. Louis for a weekend series.

If they’re going to win a series and begin to trend back in the right direction, a strong performance on the mound from Bryce Elder would set them on that path.

The right-hander’s 5-6 record and 4.01 ERA are certainly not representative of his recent form. He’s been off since June 27, skipped once through the order after some serious struggles of late.

After he had a 5-3 record and 2.66 ERA through his first 14 starts, he’s lost his last three starts, allowing a combined 19 runs on 27 hits over 14 innings. Opposing teams had a .313 batting average and 1.61 WHIP against Elder in June, with 35 hits and 24 runs allowed in 26 2/3 innings.

Maybe another start against the Pirates will be what he needs to take a step back in the right direction. His last effective start came against Pittsburgh in Atlanta, allowing two runs on two hits over six innings. At that time, that was his 10th quality start in 14 total starts this season.

Suffice it to say, he hasn’t had close to another one of those since.

In his career against Pittsburgh, Elder is 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA over four starts, striking out 26 and walking five over 24 innings.

He’ll be facing off against Pittsburgh right-hander Mitch Keller. In the Pirates’ pre-Paul Skenes era, Keller was someone who seemed like a possible future ace for them. The former second-round pick was an All-Star in 2023 and had an ERA of 4.25 or better in each of the last four seasons.

This season, though, has been more of a struggle for Keller, now 30, who enters with a 6-6 record and 5.02 ERA, his worst since his first 100-inning season in 2021.

Like Elder, he had a stellar ERA early in the season that has taken a hit of late. In his six starts since June began, he’s 1-4 with a 6.47 ERA, 23 strikeouts and 13 walks in 32 innings. While his skid really began in his last start of May, he wasn’t very good back on June 5 at Atlanta, allowing six runs — tied for his second most this season — on seven hits over 4 2/3 innings.

That’s basically in line with Keller’s track record against the Braves. He has a 1-4 record and 7.85 ERA in eight career starts against Atlanta.

After Atlanta was so incredible in rubber matches early in the year, winning eight of their first nine, they’ve lost their last four deciding games of series.

This presents another chance to end that drought and build back some momentum with both the Phillies and Marlins only three games back in the NL East.

Game Info

Game Time: Thursday, July 9, 12:35 EDT

Location: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

Watch: BravesVision

Radio/Audio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan

I think about the 2023 Texas Rangers a lot. (Wait, isn’t this daily question post supposed to be about the Marlins? Yes, bear with me.) Not because they won the World Series. (Did they win the World Series? I have no idea.) But because of this:

• The 2023 Rangers were, before the season, projected as an 82-win team, fourth in their division. Though their talent level changed over the course of the season, the swing was more like two wins (to an 84-win talent level).
• At the same time, these same Rangers finished second in MLB in position player fWAR and 20th in pitching fWAR, with a whopping 97ish WAR-wins. They did outhit their xwOBA by a bit, and benefited from an FIP lower than their xFIP by a bit, but nothing dramatic or even that notable.
• They finished with 90 wins.

So, it was kind of a weird double-whammy. They finished notably better than their talent level, but notably worse than their production. And usually, those two italicized things also line up, so it was kind of a mis-triangulation in a bunch of different directions slash along a bunch of different axes. Hence, that squad living rent-free in my head.

As of right now, the 2026 Miami Marlins are tied with the Phillies record-wise, both three games behind the Braves. The Fish and Phils hold the final two Wild Card spots in the NL, now up two games on the Cardinals.

The Marlins…

• Were projected, preseason, with a central estimate of 76 wins. Their talent level estimation has barely gone up over the course of the season (to around 77 wins).
• They are currently sixth in position player value and tenth in pitching value. Their current WAR-wins total is 50; the Marlins have 51 actual wins.
• They have the league’s second-biggest xwOBA outperformance (after the Rockies), but also the league’s second-lowest HR/FB on the pitching end (which is probably park-aided, but then see the xwOBA outperformance).

So, it’s not exactly the same as the 2023 Rangers. But you can see why I’m going there. Are the Marlins good? They have had incredible production to date, but they’re 21st in team xwOBA and 15th in team xFIP. That combination of average-to-bottom-third is in line with a high 70s-win team (i.e., their projection central estimate). Meanwhile, the Marlins are on pace for 89 wins. If they keep it up, it’ll be a wild ride.

But, all of that is just a bunch of information. The Marlins’ outperformance could cease and they could regress, or it could keep up and give the Braves, Phillies, and other NL contenders a headache. Or, they could actually start playing better and become more 2023 Rangers-esque.

Do you think they’ll pass the Phillies this season? What about the Braves? I don’t necessarily mean when all is said and done, just… can they keep their run up enough to do so, even temporarily? They’ve lost just eight times in the last five-and-a-half weeks, which is quite an April/May 2026 Braves heater.

Monday wasn’t a good day for any of the Phillies, but perhaps it was the worst for Cristopher Sánchez. The ace lefty suffered through his worst start in his big-league career to this point, as he allowed 9 runs on 12 hits in just 3.1 innings. It was the most runs he’s ever allowed in a start and the most he’s allowed in a start since August of 2024. It also tied his career high in hits allowed and the second time this year he’s allowed 12 hits in a start.

All baseball players go through slumps, including pitchers. It’s extremely common for anyone to have an off day where absolutely nothing goes right even in a season where almost everything has gone well. Sánchez will in all likelihood rebound from this disaster and continue to be one of the best pitchers in baseball.

However, this clunker may have cost him some notable recognition. It couldn’t have come at a much worse time in regard to the possibility of Sánchez starting the All-Star game on his home mound. It was already shaping up to be a debate, but recency bias is now firmly against Sánchez. Brewers’ fireballer Jacob Misiorowski being ineligible to pitch certainly helps Sánchez’ chances, but he still went from being second in the NL in ERA and seventh in WHIP to seventh and 15th respectively.

But that’s not all, as this start inflated his numbers to the point where he may have also cost himself a chance at the NL Cy Young award at season’s end. There’s still plenty of baseball to be played and things change all the time, but Sánchez was already facing an uphill battle against Misiorowski. Now the statistical gap between the two is even wider with others such as Chris Sale, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Chase Burns also looking like contenders.

So, did Cristopher Sánchez cost himself the All-Star start and the Cy Young with his bad start?