Category: Baseball

Here are some under the radar trade targets for the Houston Astros:

OF Lars Nootbaar, Cardinals (28): Nootbaar is a solid OBP corner outfielder whose season only started June 5 due to offseason surgery on both of his heels, which has impacted his ability to run the past couple of seasons. When healthy, as he appears to be, Nootbaar is a good defender as well.

Nootbaar is a heavy side of the platoon player as a lefthanded bat with some pop. Nootbaar is currently batting .270 with a .353 OBP and .769 OPS in 26 games.

Nootbaar is on a 1 year, $5.25M contract and has one year of arbitration eligibility remaining.

OF Trevor Larnach, Twins (29): Larnach is currently having his best season as a pro. His .292 AVG, .387 OBP and .833 OPS would all be career highs. He is currently pacing for career bests in runs scored and doubles as well.

Larnach is not a fast runner, so left field is his best outfield position, and his range is well below average. He makes up for it with an accurate throwing arm.

Larnach is patient at the plate. Minnesota has a logjam of lefthanded hitting outfielders and is in need of bullpen help.

Larnach is on a 1 year, $4.475M contract and has more year of arbitration eligibility remaining.

SP Clay Holmes, Mets (33): Holmes has reinvented himself as a starting pitcher the last 2 seasons after spending his first 7 years coming out of the pen. In 9 starts this season, Holmes was 4-4 with a 2.39 ERA and 1.10 WHIP before a line drive comebacker struck him in the leg and landed him on IL with a fracture.

Holmes was putting up career best numbers before the injury. He is currently expected to face live batters in about a week and go on a rehab assignment later this month with an expectation of an early August return.

Holmes is in the 2nd year of a 3 year, $38M contract in which he makes $13M this season and has a player option for $12M next year that he is a virtual lock to opt out of, making him a rental type player (and a cost of acquisition to reflect that).

RP Luke Weaver, Mets (32): Weaver has been absolute nails out of the pen for the Mets this season, with a 2-1 record with 1 Save in 36 appearances. Weaver has a miniscule 1.89 ERA and terrific 0.84 WHIP, with 42K in 38 IP.

Weaver is exactly the kind of high-leverage righthanded pen arm the Astros need, especially with Bryan Abreu’s issues this season. Adding Weaver to Hader/King/Okert would give the Astros pen more depth and balance, and help them truly shorten games in which they have a lead.

As a member of the Yankees pen the past 2 seasons, he is well versed in pennant race pressure.

Weaver is in the first year of a 2 year, $22M contract. He is making $9.5M this season and is scheduled to make $12.5M next season.

SP Michael Wacha, Royals (35): Wacha has been the leading workhorse in the AL this season, with a junior circuit-high 114.2 IP. Not only is he eating innings, he’s pitching well, reflected in his 5-6 record, 3.45 ERA and 1.16 WHIP on a weak Royals squad.

Wacha is not a strikeout pitcher, and he has an average groundball rate. He succeeds with a six-pitch arsenal that keeps hitters off balance.

Wacha is in the 2nd year of a 3 year, $51M deal. He is making $18M this season, $14M next season, and has a club option for $14M in 2028 with a $1M buyout.

Thank goodness the World Cup is in full swing, because the Yankees are trying their hardest to make this a miserable summer for sports fans of a pinstriped persuasion. Even after winning on Monday, they have lost 12 of their last 16, subjecting us to one of their worst summer swoons in an era defined by their summer swoons. If it was just one problem area that would be palatable, but at the moment it’s all parts of the roster that are deficient. As such, we have just one game from which to select our At-Bat of the Week – Trent Grisham’s leadoff home run in a rare Yankees win – the 5-2 victory over the Twins last Friday.

We join Grisham to lead off the bottom of the first, the Yankees already facing a 1-0 deficit after Gerrit Cole gave up a solo home run to Kody Clemens with two outs in the top-half. Grisham is taking his first AB since being activated off the IL earlier that day, a right hamstring strain sidelining the center fielder since June 12th. He’s facing rookie righty Mike Paredes, making just his seventh major league start.

Through his first handful of big league starts, Paredes has typically attacked lefties with four-seamers up and changeups down and away. He starts this encounter with an elevated four-seamer at 95 mph.

This pitch doesn’t land too far away from the zone, but Grisham’s plate discipline is so advanced that he doesn’t even think about offering at this pitch, almost immediately recognizing it as a ball out of Paredes’ hand.

Paredes sticks with the express after missing the zone by a slim margin, again targeting the top of the zone with a 95 mph heater.

This time, he nails his spot, dotting the corner up and in with this four-seamer. Grisham recognizes it as a strike, but the combination of the perfect location with the elite amount of induced vertical break Paredes achieves with the pitch makes it pretty much impossible to put into play. The heater stays on plane above the barrel of Grisham’s bat and he can only manage to foul it back over the screen.

After two straight elevated fastballs, the second eliciting a swing from Grisham, it’s a good time for Paredes to change speeds and eye level with a low changeup.

Oh man, Grisham misses a good pitch to hit here. Paredes isn’t able to command it to his spot on the corner down and away, and it hangs pretty much down the middle. The change of speeds gets Grisham out in front, however, and he hits it just off the end of the bat foul to the left. You’d love to be able to punish a mistake like that, and now he has to hope he can do damage if Paredes makes a similar mistake.

The count is now 1-2 but there is no panic in Grisham’s approach facing another changeup.

Paredes executes this one much better than the last, making it look like a strike out of the hand and allowing the sinking and fading movement to carry it below the zone. However, Grisham’s pitch recognition and strike zone knowledge kicks in again, and he manages an excellent take against this pitcher’s pitch.

Despite failing to get Grisham to chase that changeup, Paredes opts to throw a third straight one. This tends to be a risky strategy with off-speed pitches as each one needs to be a little better than the one that preceded it.

That is not the case with this changeup, Paredes throwing this one closer to the zone and with less downward break than the last one. It’s clear Grisham is getting a good sense of the velocity and movement profile of the pitch as he’s able to pull this pitch with some power just foul on the wrong side of the right field foul line.

Perhaps Paredes senses that Grisham is growing wise to the low changeup, because he looks to speed things up and reset the eye level again going back to the elevated heater.

This pitch is not close enough to the zone to achieve the goal Paredes wants, sailing up and in and causing Grisham to recoil out of the way. Just your classic waste pitch that doesn’t do much to set up future offerings.

Grisham has fought back to work the count full, and after watching the poor execution of the four-seamer Paredes just threw, I wonder if he allows himself to sit on the changeup here.

Whatever the case, Grisham is absolutely ready to hit the off-speed. Even though he is a little out in front of this pitch, he is able to sink to one knee to dig out this ball and lift it into the second deck in right for the game-tying home run. After missing the first mistake changeup earlier in the count, the worry is that that might’ve been the one good pitch to hit this AB. However, Grisham made sure not to miss when he got a second meatball to hit.

Here’s the full AB:

Grisham was in the midst of a searing hot streak at the time of his injury, his loss from the top of the lineup a huge blow with the team already missing Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. It was incredibly encouraging to see that he did not miss a single beat in his three weeks on the shelf, making an immediate impact in his first AB back from injury. The Yankees offense needs its regular starters back to turn this summer around, and Grisham’s return to the leadoff spot is a huge step in that direction.

The Atlanta Braves are headed to Pittsburgh to face the Pirates and they appear to finally be hitting again. After ranking dead last in MLB in runs score in the month of June, the first week July has seen the Braves score the fifth most runs in MLB.

A lot of that is thanks to Michael Harris with a 205 wRC+, Matt Olson with a 176 wRC+, and Mauricio Dubón with a 165 wRC+ leading the way. It really is a shame that Harris did not get an All-Star nod. There is always the chance that he could be an injury replacement should that be necessary.

The Braves are slotted to face Paul Skenes who has struggled mightily in his last two starts. He has only pitched a total of 9.0 innings in those two starts and gave up eleven runs. The Pirates have lost the last nine games that Skenes has pitched in, despite them having scored the fourth most runs in MLB since the start of June.

Only five players currently on the Braves’ active roster has faced Skenes before and none of them have more than three at-bats. Austin Riley has one hit in three at-bats and Ozzie Albies has one hit in two at-bats. Olson, Smith, and Yastrzemski are all hitless against him in their limited appearences.

One could assume based on injuries and Skenes being a righty, that the Braves would have a lineup very similar to the one they has last night against the Mets, but you never know for certain until you see the lineup card. Smith did have a single last night but has largely struggled as of late, while Joey Bart has a 172 wRC+ in his last eight at-bats.

As most probably predicted, the Braves are going with the exact same lineup as last night since it mostly seems to be working right now.

The Pirates have been steadily good on offense. Not only have they scored the fourth most runs in MLB since the start of July, they have also score the fourth most since the start of June. Hurston Waldrep will have his hands full against a lineup that he has seen only one player before. Brandon Lowe hit a solo shot against Waldrep in his lone at-bat against him.

It was announced earlier in the day that Konnor Griffin has a torn tendon in his left ring finger, so he is not in the lineup this evening. Jared Triolo will be getting the start at shortstop for the pirates. Old friend Marcell Ozuna will not be getting the start as Brandon Lowe will be getting the DH duties this evening.

First pitch is at 6:40 EDT

Detroit Tigers’ manager A.J. Hinch announced prior to Tuesday night’s game against the Athletics that third base coach Joey Cora has left the organization. Hinch told reporters that he and Cora had met and mutually decided to part ways based on some philosophical differences that had developed. Billy Boyer will take over as third base coach effective immediately.

Hinch characterized the differences of opinion as purely baseball related. That’s interesting considering that Cora has been his third base coach for two and a half seasons after joining the organization in November of 2023. The 61-year-old had an 11-year career in the major leagues, mainly with the Padres, White Sox, and Mariners, before moving into coaching. Apart from his third base responsibilities, Cora has also been the Tigers infield instructor for the past two and a half seasons.

One wonders if the difference of opinion may have had more to do with coaching players than Cora’s work at third base. Like every third base coach since the dawn of time, he’s been criticized for some aggressive sends that worked out badly, but overall the Tigers have graded out pretty well in the baserunning department under his watch, despite not stealing many bases. That’s changed a little bit this year, with the Tigers slipping in the baserunning metrics a bit. They currently rank 17th best in team baserunning per FanGraphs, compared to finishing 10th in that category in 2025.

The 41-year-old Boyer was a college coach until working for the Twins player development system in 2019-2020. He joined the Tigers’ organization as a minor league infield coordinator back in 2021. That was part of now assistant general manager, Ryan Garko’s, overhaul of the entire player development system after long-time director of player development, Dave Littlefield, was reassigned. Boyer became the quality control coach for the major league club this season. As a longtime infield coach who has been working with infielders all year anyway, we assume he’ll take over Cora’s responsibilities working with the infielders as well.

We look forward to seeing a new set of gestures at third base, but otherwise this probably won’t change much about the way the Tigers run the bases. They’re still committed to being aggressive in terms of sending runners from third base to home. We’ll see if they’re more or less successful with Boyer making the calls. It’s quite possible that this has more to do with coaching infield defense, as Boyer spent a lot of time working with Kevin McGonigle last season, with good results.

The Athletics announced a series of roster moves on Tuesday afternoon before beginning their three-game series with the Tigers, activating shortstop Jacob Wilson and recalling left-hander Jacob Lopez from Triple-A:

To make room on the active roster the team is sending backup catcher Brian Serven and starter/reliever Kade Morris back down to the Aviators.

Wilson’s return should provide a boost to both the offense and defense. There was fear after his reinjury that he may have suffered a severe setback but it appears the young shortstop just needed some more time to rest that shoulder of his. He’s slashed .277/.310/.386 with four home runs, a bit of a step back from his second-place ROTY finish last year but still an upgrade over Alika Williams, who will return to backup duties.

Lopez meanwhile will return to the team after spending the past month-plus with the Aviators. In Triple-A the left-hander has made four starts: two duds in his first two after the demotion, followed by two strong starts back-to-back. The assumption is that he’ll slide into Morris’ spot in the bullpen but he could be a starting option again when needed.

Morris meanwhile only made two relief appearances in his most recent stint with the big league squad. He pitched three innings apiece in those appearances, allowing three and one runs respectively. He’ll likely slide back into the Aviators’ starting rotation, taking the spot of Lopez. Well certainly be seeing him again with the big league club at some point this season.

Serven only made it into one game for the big league team during his brief stint, going 1-for-4 with a single and a strikeout. He’s been hitting well for the Aviators this season and could be an option for the team again if any injury (or trade) occurs.

The Guardians will pick 19th in MLB’s draft on Sunday, July 12th, with the draft beginning at 1pm ET. Who might Cleveland select with their top pick?

As you probably know, discovering who an MLB team is targeting by the mid-point of the first round is a crapshoot. Almost no one had the Guardians connected to Jace LaViolette last year, in what was a break from their typical focus on contact over slugging. So, this is an inexact science. I want to be upfront in saying that I do not personally follow college and high school prospects; simply lack the bandwidth for that, and only did so leading up the Guardians #1 pick in 2024. But, I do read up on prospects as we approach the first round, so the following potential selections come from Baseball America’s excellent pre-draft podcast, from Keith Law’s latest mock for the Athletic and from Kiley McDaniel’s latest mock from ESPN.

The names below are players mentioned by these outlets as connected to or a potential fit for the Guardians, and the final six names are additions from our sites’ writers and friends and from players listed around #19 on MLB Pipeline’s list. You can click on names below to read a scouting report on them from MLB Pipeline or Yahoo Sports or Perfect Game.

Names to Know at Pick #19:

Sawyer Strosnider, LHH, OF, 6’2, 200 lbs, TCU 21 years old – A great athlete who projects as a centerfielder, this would be a pick similar to LaViolette as Strosnider is power over contact, with some concerning chase rates but some light-tower pop.

Jared Grindlinger, LHP/OF, 6’3, 190 lbs, Huntington Beach HS CA 17 y.o. – Probably Grindlinger ends up as a pitcher, but he does have some interesting two-way potential. A lot of projectability in his arm and one of the youngest prospects in the draft.

Logan Schmidt, LHP, 6’4, 210 lbs, Ganesha HS CA 17 y.o. – Experiencing some recent helium, Schmidt has gained some velo and flashed some fun secondary pitches.

Zion Rose, RHH, OF, 6’1, 200 lbs, Louisville 21 y.o. – Probably a left-field only defender, Rose has good contact skills and excellent power, but chases a little too much to be drafted higher than around where the Guardians’ pick.

Ace Reese, LHH, 3B, 6’4, 220 lbs, Mississippi St. 21 y.o. – A lot of power and some solid contact skills here, but some chase concerns and, primrily, defensive liability that may push him to first base put Reese in this general are of the draft.

Connor Comeau, LHH, 3B, 6’4, 180 lbs – Anderson HS TX 17 y.o. – Would be fun to see the Guardians draft another Canadian and this power-first prospect would also be interesting as he is likely limited to 3B as a defender.

Landon Thome, LHH, 2B/3B, 6’0, 177 lbs – Nazareth Academy IL 18 y.o. – You may recognize the last name – it’s Jim Thome’s son! With contact ability and speed being a big part of his game, he is different from his dad, but there’s some solid power potential as well.

James Clark, LHH, 2B/SS, 6’1, 195 – Riverside HS CA 18 y.o. – A little bit of an under the radar prospect, this would be a return to more of the contact-first profile the Guardians had been targeting prior to 2026.

Ty Head, LHH, OF, 6’3, 205 lbs – North Carolina State 21 y.o. – A centerfielder with fringy power potential and a swing that needs some work, this would be a fun pick for the Guardians if he is there.

Owen Hull, LHH, OF, 6’4, 215 lbs – North Carolina 21 y.o. – He has an odd swing but seems to make it work. Take me home country roads, again?

Chris Rembert, RHH, 2B, 5’11, 209 lbs, Auburn 21 y.o. – Would the Guardians draft another player likely limited to second base in round one? He’s got good bat speed and contact ability but not a lot of pop.

Cole Carlon, LHP, 6’5, 230 lbs – Arizona State 21 y.o. – Some reliever risk but there’s enough to dream on for him becoming a good starter with the right organization with a fastball that has hit 98 mph.

Tegan Kuhns, RHP, 6’3, 189 lbs – Tennessee 21 y.o. – Pitched well in the Cape with a 98 mph fastball and an upper 70’s curveball, but is still searching for the right third offering. Pounds the zone.

Trey Ebel, RHH, SS/2B, 6’0, 180 lbs – Corona HS CA 17 y.o. – Projectable shortstop. Sometimes that is the Guardians’ type, but a right-handed hitter would be a change.

More Prospects from CTC Writers/Friendsand MLB Pipeline:
Justin Lebron, RHH, SS, 6’2, 190 lbs – Alabama 21 y.o. – A little bit of a project who chases too much, but stole 42 of 43 bases, looks to be a good defender and has solid power.

Logan Reddeman, RHP, 6’2, 185 lbs – UCLA 21 y.o. – A cutter-heavy pitcher many folks see as a back of rotation arm, but he’s a strike-thrower whom one could easily see the Guardians’ pitching team believing they can maximize.

AJ Garcia, LHH, OF, 6’3, 195 lbs – Virginia 21 y.o. – Leads with excellent plate discipline and good playing instincts, but there is raw power there that would be fun to go after. May stick in center, but if not, heads to left rather than right because of arm strength issues.

Cameron Flukey, RHP, 6’6, 210 lbs – Coastal Carolina 21 y.o. – Flukey seems to be the consensus “If he falls to the Guardians, they better take him and it’ll be a great pick” guy this season.

Hunter Dietz, LHP, 6’6, 235 lbs – Arkansas 21 y.o. – Shook off an elbow fracture in the past with a very good spring. He’s big and throws four pitches that some describe as “plus.“

Liam Peterson, RHP, 6’5, 225 lbs – Florida 21 y.o. – Stuff over command, but tinkers with his delivery a good bit, so Guardians’ could imagine themselves helping him fix problems and maximize his talent.

Always be sure to check out our faithful commenter DelGua’s mock drafts, as he does an excellent job, time in and time out. In his latest, he mentions a few other names to track:

Carson Bolemon, LHP, 6’4, 225 lbs – Southside Christian HS SC 19 y.o. – Sinker-heavy projectable arm, throws low 90’s for now.

Derek Curiel, LHH, OF, 6’2, 192 lbs – LSU 21 y.o. – Ranked 12th by MLB pipeline, should he fall to 19 he may be good value as a solid centerfielder with great contact skills and fringy power.

Our Matt Seese has offered a look at some pitchers the Guardians could target in the draft and is working on a companion piece for hitters they could be looking at. Continue to follow along as we prepare for what is always a fun event as the Guardians welcome more young talent into their organization.

Rehmbert and Bell were the best performers of this bunch in Cape Cod league play and we all know how much the Guardians appreciate that, so I’d keep my eye on them. For me, I kinda hope they draft a pitcher this time and Flutey, Kuhns, Dietz and Peterson intrigue me the most, there. Also, I am a sentimental fool but drafting Landon Thome would be awesome. Hopefully, doing some reading here will help us all be able to form half-baked opinions when the pick is announced! Let us know who you prefer in the comments below.

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

The New York Yankees have been going through it in recent weeks. They were sharp at the outset of the 2026 season, and despite trailing the surprising Tampa Bay Rays for much of May, they regained first place in early June. By the 19th, they held a 46-28 record, and only the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves could boast better records.

The road has been bumpy ever since, however, as the Yankees have lost 12 of their last 16 games, ceding first back to the red-hot Rays. They can reasonably hope to regain health as key pieces like Aaron Judge and Max Fried make their way back to the team, and no matter how poor they’ve looked in the past few weeks, it’s fair to expect a recovery from the league-worst .544 OPS they’ve posted since play ended on June 19th. To wit, even the anemic 2023 Yankees put up a .670 OPS when Judge missed time with his toe injury.

Still, it’s not as though this team is absent any causes of concern. And one might reasonably be wary of the Rays or another division rival giving the Yankees a challenge for the division; Tampa Bay still leads by three games. So our Reacts survey question this week wants to know how you think the regular season will end! Yes, there will be a later question at another time but the true end goal of all Yankees fans (related to the postseason), but for now, we are curious if you think they’ll win the AL East, settle for one of the Wild Card spots—be it the No. 4 seed and hosting a Wild Card Series, or the No. 5 or 6 and going on the road—or miss out on October entirely.

Vote in the survey and we’ll check out the results in a few days.

There are round numbers all over the place for the Dodgers, entering play tonight with 60 wins, 30 of them at home, and 10 of those 60 belonging to one specific starter, Justin Wrobleski, the chosen option to attack the Rockies lineup this Tuesday. While on a positive note, the Rockies have the worst wRC+ in baseball against southpaws at 83. The Dodgers know all too well about the problems of potentially underestimating this offense, both Wrobleski and especially the bullpen.

In their last two games, the Rockies have shown why they lead all of baseball in runs from the eighth inning onward with 126, firstly coming back to beat the Giants at home 7-6 and then nearly doing the same against the Dodgers on Monday. Surely, the Coors Field factor plays a key role in helping the Rox score all of these late runs, but the danger is present both home and away.

Quite often able to give the Dodgers the necessary length, Wrobleski will carry that mission after the two extra innings last night forced the bullpen to work more than originally planned due to the Tanner Scott blown save. Speaking of length, Wrobleski is coming off back-to-back seven-inning starts, and if he adds one more, he’ll reach 100 innings on the season. Although it is still too early for this conversation, the way that the Dodgers handle Wrobleski in the second half will be something to watch, remembering he only threw 118.1 innings last year between the majors and Triple-A.

Tuesday’s game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Rockies
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Start time: 7:10 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

The New York Mets will play host to the Royals the next games as both teams look to salvage what’s been a disappointing first half of the season. For the Mets, though, it’s even worse, as the team entered the year with quite a lofty payroll to go with those World Series aspirations. Instead, heading into this evening’s match-up, the Mets find themselves not only last in the National League East but with the second-worst record in the entire N.L.

This despite the Major’s second highest payroll, coming in at $369 million, behind only the Dodgers. Heck, the Mets are even outspending their New York brethren by a good $35 million. That money should be worth more than a 38-53 record between two different managers, but alas: baseball.

Kansas City Royals (37-54) at New York Mets (38-53) at Citi Field, Flushing, NY

Royals: 4.22 runs scored/game (20th in MLB), 5.00 runs allowed/game (24th in MLB)

Mets: 4.05 runs scored/game (27th in MLB), 4.71 runs allowed/game (19th in MLB)

Juan Soto remains one of the game’s biggest stars as he leads the National League in on-base percentage (.414), slugging percentage (.570), and, naturally, OPS (.984). He’s homered 19 times while driving in 46 runs and scoring 41 times. He’s been worth 3.1 bWAR, far and away the best of the Mets. His mates in the outfield are also posting solid numbers with A.J. Ewing in center slashing .259/.342/.400 and the team’s right fielder, Carson Benge, slashing .258/.316/.405. Bo Bichette came over from Toronto in the offseason for a massive contract, but he’s struggled so far, posting an OPS eight percent below league average, though he is tied with Benge for the team lead in runs scored (47). Brett Baty is already 26, if you can believe it, and he still hasn’t panned out. His OPS has dropped from .748 in 2025 to .601 this season. Yikes. Francisco Lindor is having the worst season of his career as he’s slashing an abysmal .216/.300/.366 for a .666 OPS [makes sign of the cross].

While the Mets have yet to name a starting pitcher for tonight, it looks like it could be 33-year-old Kodai Senga, who is not pitching very well as evidence by his nearly 9 ERA and nearly 7 FIP. Fangraphs predicts righty Christian Scott to take the mound tomorrow night followed by once-upon-a-time-Royals-farmhand Sean Manaea for Thursday’s matinee finale. Scott’s been fine though he averages less than five-innings-per-outing. Manaea, already 34, would be making just his sixth start of the season. He’s thrown 68 innings to the tune of a 5.18 ERA and 4.01 FIP.

As so often is the case with bad teams, the Mets have a bad bullpen. Devin Williams, the team’s closer, such as it is, isn’t getting many opportunities to do his job, and when he does, doesn’t exactly do it smoothly. Luke Weaver, briefly a Royal, is the bullpen’s shining star as he continues to reshape his career as a New York reliever. If David Stearns, the team’s front office honcho, decides to sell this July, he could get back a nice haul in exchange for Weaver. Teams usually overpay for those types of dudes.

Let’s see if the Royals can keep it going after taking the last two against the Phillies, including trouncing them yesterday, 15-1. Seth Lugo takes the ball tonight followed by Stephen Kolek and Michael Wacha. Taking two series right before the All-Star Break would be a nice little somethin’-somethin’ to give the fans.

The Dodgers series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Monday, July 20 will be exclusively televised by ESPN, the network announced on Tuesday.

Karl Ravech will call play-by-play for Dodgers-Phillies alongside analysts Eduardo Pérez and David Ross, plus reporter Buster Olney. There will be no SportsNet LA telecast of this game. This is the third ESPN game for the Dodgers this season, along with April 15 against the New York Mets and June 15 vs. the Tampa Bay Rays. Both of those previous games were at Dodger Stadium.

The game against the Phillies is the start of the middle series of a nine-game road trip gauntlet directly following the All-Star break, with the Dodgers facing the Yankees, Phillies, and Mets, teams they faced over the last two postseasons.

It’s also a trip rife with nationally televised games, four of them exclusive:

• July 18 at Yankees, 5:08 p.m. PT (Fox)
• July 19 at Yankees, 4:20 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)
• July 20 at Phillies, 4:10 p.m. (ESPN)
• July 21 at Phillies, 3:40 p.m. (TBS, non-exclusive telecast)
• July 25 at Mets, 4:15 p.m. (Fox)

67.7%.

That’s how much of Northwestern baseball’s offensive production, by RBI, is departing Evanston.

Ben Greenspan had done well in his first three years with the ‘Cats, building back toward conference tournament contention. But year four for him seems like it will be the toughest of all — most of the guys he’s recruited to be the building blocks of a Wildcat rebranding on the diamond will be gone, leaving him with more questions than answers as to how he’ll find success.

There’s a tornado tearing through Greenspan’s roster this summer, and there’s no telling what the wreckage will be once the dust settles in the fall.

Who’s gone?

Among the names to depart Northwestern this summer, the one that hurts the most is MLB prospect Ryan Kucherak — the ‘Cats’ most disciplined hitter this past season, leading the team with 27 walks.

Kucherak has the five-tool player “starter pack,” per se: power to all fields, the ability to hit for average and drive in runs, a plus glove at shortstop, the ability to steal bags and an above-average baseball IQ. The integration of all these aspects of his game immediately makes him one of the top available players in the portal, which is further supported by his performance at the MLB Draft Combine last week, where he topped out at a 106 MPH exit velocity.

NU loses its spark plug in the two-hole, as Kucherak slugged .521 last season with 23 extra-base hits, second on the team behind another draft prospect in Jack Lausch.

Lausch made a major improvement in the middle of his junior season and hasn’t looked back since. This past year, he settled into the cleanup spot for the ‘Cats and proved himself to be one of the best bats in the Big Ten with a .312 average, 1.047 OPS, 41 RBI, 16 home runs and a 131 wRC+, while his pure athleticism made him a sure-handed fielder in center field.

Owen McElfatrick and Matt Kouser are another two departures that pain Northwestern. McElfatrick was one of the ‘Cats’ most consistent hitters — a .250 average doesn’t necessarily scream that, but he still managed to slug .475 and drive in 39 runs last year.

Kouser hits the transfer portal alongside Kucherak after pitching to a 5.02 ERA in 15 appearances. He’d consistently been in a top-two starter role in his freshman season, this year being more of a Swiss army knife for the ‘Cats’ pitching staff, slotting in wherever Greenspan sees fit. A very valuable addition to whichever program is able to secure him out of the portal.

That brings us to first baseman Nick Barron, whose last-minute departure has completed a demolition of NU’s infield. Barron showed power in droves in his first season of college baseball, leading the team with 15 doubles and tacking on nine home runs and 33 RBI batting in the middle third of the order.

A major positive to having Barron back is his plate discipline — his 14.6% strikeout rate was the second lowest on the team in 2026. He would have likely seen himself in the heart of the Northwestern order. Instead, he’ll look to claim that spot elsewhere.

NU is in deep trouble, simply put. It needs corner infielders, a shortstop, a center fielder and a No. 1 starter for next year. Not a great place to be, but maybe it’s not as bad as we’re making it out to be.

What’s left?

In the wake of massive turnover in Evanston, Greenspan has gathered a quartet of transfers for the 2027 season.

Let’s start with a pair of former Duke Blue Devils in Jeff Lougee and Andrew Bell — a pair of athletic infielders who will compete for jobs that seem up in the air as of now with Kucherak’s absence and a lack of an everyday second baseman in 2026.

Lougee only played a total of eight games in Durham last season and struggled, hitting .176 in 17 at-bats. However, much of his true promise was shown in his 2025 Cape Cod League campaign with the Hyannis Harbor Hawks, hitting .288 in 80 at-bats, logging eight extra-base hits and 16 RBIs. By season’s end, he was No. 8 on D1Baseball’s top-10 position player prospects list for the 2027 MLB draft.

Bell, on the other hand, is more of what one would call a “raw talent.” He saw a total of 25 plate appearances at Duke, posting a career .158 average in his two seasons there, but his 2025 summer with the Keene SwampBats of the NECBL gives a much larger sample size of his archetype as a middle infielder.

Bell made plays like these, which proves that he has the tools to be one of the Big Ten’s best defensive shortstops.

Graduate transfer Jonathan Kim had his 2025 season ruined by injury, only making 17 appearances on the year. However, he’s proven himself to be consistent when healthy, leading the Wolverines with a .322 batting average in a freshman season that landed him on the All-Big Ten Third Team. Kim hovered around the .270 mark in the seasons after, logging 10 doubles and 15 RBI in 2025.

Rounding out the transfer class is Eddie Albert from Dartmouth, who won the team’s Big Green Rookie of the Year award in 2023 — a year that saw him fan 22 batters in 28 innings. Albert pitched to a 3.72 ERA in 9.2 innings last year in appearances against Gardner-Webb and LSU, and is looking to replicate flashes of reliability with the Wildcats.

The new guard for NU baseball stems far beyond this transfer class — in fact, it includes changes in its coaching staff. Former Washington and Texas A&M pitching coach Jason Kelly is expected to make his way to Evanston in the coming months.

Kelly was named D1Baseball’s Assistant Coach of the Year in 2018 — the year of the Huskies’ first-ever trip to the Men’s College World Series. He’d lead one of the most efficient pitching staffs in the nation in his first year as an Aggie — a staff that ranked top-three nationally in walks allowed per nine (2.89) and in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.31).

After seeing an early exit in the College Station regional, Kelly looks to revitalize a youthful Northwestern pitching staff which, right now, seems centered around promising sophomores in Jake Rifenburg and James Whitaker.

All that being said, the backbone to next season’s team will be its most crucial returner in Jackson Freeman, who’s still searching for his freshman season swing that carried him to all-conference freshman team honors. While his 2025 season was more reflective of that year than 2026 was, Freeman seeks to build upon the potential he showed three seasons ago.

Above all, this team lives and dies with Ben Greenspan staying true to himself and his coaching philosophy, and not letting the chaos dictate his decision making.

NU is in a developmental phase, where it’s seeking its core pieces for the future. It thought Barron and Kucherak would be those pieces, but now it finds itself back at square one.

Next year will say a lot about Greenspan’s readiness to be the head coach of a struggling program that has been treading water in the Big Ten for the past decade. If he can find a way to move the needle upward, despite the massive turnover, that means that he’s the man for the job.

2026 MLB Draft Preview: Brett Renfrow scouting report.

The 2026 draft is less than a week away — the first round kicks off on July 11, 2026 — so its time to start offering capsule looks at players the Texas Rangers could select with their top picks. The Rangers’ first round pick is at #16, their second round pick is at #54, and their third round pick is at #89.

Leading up to draft day, we will be doing writeups of some of the players who could end up getting selected by the Rangers with one of their first three picks. Today we are looking at Virginia Tech righthander Brett Renfrow.

Brett Renfrow is a 6’3”, 220 lb. righthanded pitcher who just finished his junior season at Virginia Tech. Undrafted out of high school in Manassas, Virginia, Renfrow has been in the rotation for VaTech all three seasons. He turned 21 in January.

Renfrow has a mid-90s fastball that grades out around average and that works well up in the zone, but that isn’t a bat-missing pitch. He’s reportedly been able to touch 97 mph with it. Renfrow also throws a cutter, a slider, a curve and a changeup, though there appears to be a lot of similarity between his cutter and his slider. As with his fastball, the secondaries all grade out as more or less average, though Keith Law gives his curve a plus grade.

Renfrow has the size and build of a workhorse starting pitcher, as well as the repertoire. He improved his walk rate in 2026, and the grades on his control all come in around average. However, MLB Pipeline notes that he’s currently a control-over-command guy, and has gotten punished at times due to not locating his fastball in the zone where it needs to be.

Renfrow made 15 starts in each of his three seasons with the Hokies, and logged between 73.2 and 75 innings in all three seasons. After putting up a 4.92 ERA with 78 Ks against 32 walks as a freshman, he improved to a 3.89 ERA in 2025 despite the K and walk rates being very similar, primarily due to cutting his home run rate in half. This year, he improved to 88 strikeouts and 25 walks, though his home runs increased from 7 to 11, resulting in a 4.64 ERA.

Baseball America has Renfrow at #68 on their board. MLB Pipeline has Renfrow at #123 on their board. Kiley McDaniel puts Renfrow at #76 on his top 150 list. Keith Law has Renfrow at #40 on his board. Fangraphs does not have Renfrow on their board. Baseball Prospectus does not have Renfrow on their top 30 draft board.

Renfrow is not a particularly sexy draft candidate, with grades coming in at around average across the board. He does have a track record of durability, though, and has the build and pitch mix that you want to see in a potential starting pitcher.

To avoid being an up-and-down guy, Renfrow is probably going to need to improve one or two pitches by a grade, and tighten up his command. He seems to offer the upside of a mid-rotation starter, and you could see the Rangers taking him in the second or third round.

Previously:

Liam Peterson

Tyler Bell

Aiden Robbins

Jared Grindlinger

Logan Reddemann

Cooper Harris

Justin Lebron

Cameron Flukey

Derek Curiel

Hunter Dietz

Logan Hughes

Carson Wiggins

Peyton Bonds

Ace Reese

Sawyer Strosnider

Gio Rojas

Chris Rembert

Jack Natili

Andrew Williamson

Trevor Condon

AJ Gracia

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.

Welcome back to another edition of our Brewers Reacts Surveys, and this week, we’re asking fans if they think it’s time for veteran right-hander Brandon Woodruff to retire.

Woodruff, 33, has spent nine seasons in the majors, all with the Brewers, and he’s pitched to a solid career stat line with a 55-30 record, 3.10 ERA, 3.19 FIP, and 918 strikeouts over 790 1/3 innings. He hasn’t been able to stay healthy, though, with an injury on the Fourth of July in Phoenix the latest in a long string of frustrating setbacks.

While he has a solid 2.98 ERA and 3.20 FIP this year, he’s pitched just 45 1/3 innings over his nine starts, and he hasn’t exceeded 70 innings since the 2022 season. In fact, since the beginning of 2023, he’s pitched just 177 innings, and while he has a 2.80 ERA in that period, that’s simply not sustainable for a team like the Brewers, as they’re paying him $22 million, plus $10 million from his opt-out of a mutual deal last offseason.

While there’s no doubt Woodruff provides value as a veteran in the clubhouse and is a fantastic pitcher when healthy, that leaves the question: Is it time for him to retire? He’s spent more days on the IL with a variety of arm injuries than he has healthy, and it seems like a perfect fit for him to find a home with Milwaukee’s coaching staff in some form or another.

I know nobody wants him to retire, but what’s the right call here? Weigh in below and stay tuned for results later this week!

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It’s Paul Skenes Day, and that means the odds have lost their bearings. With the Pittsburgh Pirates starting their most well-known player since a much smaller Barry Bonds was in Pittsburgh, plenty of casual bettors are backing the Bucs.

That means the better team is a heavy underdog, which means a chance to cash in. It’s why my Braves vs. Pirates predictions and MLB picks are calling for an Atlanta win.

Who will win Braves vs Pirates today: Braves moneyline (+132)

Even at the height of his powers, Paul Skenes shouldn’t make the Atlanta Braves +132, and he’s far from his height.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have lost their last nine starts. It’s not merely a lack of run support — Skenes has a 5.36 ERA over his last nine games, and he’s coming off a career-worst day — eight runs and two homers in four innings.

It doesn’t guarantee a Braves win, but it’s the smart-money play if the Braves are heavier than +120. Atlanta is seven games better, has a run differential 62 runs higher, and is better on the road than Pittsburgh is at home.

COVERS INTEL: Paul Skenes' four-seamer and sinker have both lost almost one full MPH from last season and are spinning 90 revolutions less. His whiff rate on the sinker is 8.8%, about half of last season’s. His changeup is the same speed as before, and the lack of difference between that and his fastballs is affecting that pitch as well. Batters are hitting 100 points higher against the change this year.

Braves vs Pirates Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (+109)

Skenes is affecting these odds as well. However, he's not pitched in the seventh inning in his last nine starts and has failed to complete six in six of them. Pittsburgh’s bullpen has a 6.75 ERA in the last three games, in which they’ve pitched a total of 16 of the 27 innings.

Both teams are stroking the ball. Pittsburgh has scored five or more in each of the last five games. Atlanta has done one better, scoring a total of 44 in the last six.

The Braves start Hurston Waldrep, who's making just his third appearance since returning from February arm surgery.

Braves vs Pirates weather

Braves vs Pirates odds

• Moneyline: Braves +144 | Pirates -150
• Run line: Braves +1.5 (-144) | Pirates -1.5 (+133)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (+117) | Under 8.5 (-122)

Braves vs Pirates trend

The Pirates have cashed the Over in 30 of their last 45 home games for +13.8 units and a 28% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Braves vs. Pirates.

How to watch Braves vs Pirates and game info

Braves vs Pirates latest injuries

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Quick Background of Michael Soroka.

The Braves drafted him in the first round of the 2015 draft. 

Perhaps, 2019 was the best season of his career (All-Star, received votes for rookie of the year and Cy Young awards).  In 2020, he was the Braves’ youngest opening-day starting-pitcher in the team’s modern history.

A series of injuries over several years kept him from achieving his potential.  In 2025, he started games for the Nationals, then was a reliever (with one game as opener) for the Cubs. 

Why did the Diamondbacks acquire him?

Mike Hazen said Soroka had a combination of stuff, bounce-back potential, and upside to make him a good fit for the Diamondbacks.  What he did NOT say (but is likely true) is that the acquisition was risky (both under-performance and injury were possible), but with risk limited by a one-year contract.

Perhaps the Diamondbacks knew about his new pitch before they signed him. In 2026, he added a cutter to his arsenal so batters would be concerned with the other half of the plate.  In 2026, it was 11-12% of pitches to each of left-handed batters and right-handed batters. 

One aspect of Michael Soroka’s mental attitude is shown in the following quote:

“It’s all about getting out there and getting the next out.” — Michael Soroka, May of 2026

Concerns about injury risk were expressed by AZ Snakepitters in a roundtable.

• “Mike Hazen and his staff are mad if they think Soroka is going to be able to provide 120 IP out of the rotation. He might not even reach 80 IP.” —  James Attwood
• “…That’s not to say ERod hasn’t had the better career thus far, but if I’m going for ceiling and floor, I’m riding the potential of Soroka knowing he’s only good for 20 starts at most….” —  Spencer

Soroka pitching for the Diamondbacks was outstanding.

An immaculate inning is rare (only 121 times in MLB).  It requires striking out three consecutive batters with exactly 9 pitches (the least possible pitches).

“On March 30, 2026, in his first start with the Diamondbacks, Soroka threw the 120th immaculate inning in MLB history against the Detroit Tigers.” — Wikipedia

This season, his best stat is 5.1% walks (94th percentile).  Two other Baseball Savant stats of note: 

• His 33.6% Chase is at the 81st percentile.
• His 34.1% hard hits is at the 79th percentile.   

My view is that for the Diamondbacks, there are two more general stats that will indicate the teams winning chances:

• Percentage of Quality Starts (at least 6 innings with 3 or less earned runs).
• Percentage of games with 3 or less earned runs.

The following table looks at those two stats for all the Diamondbacks starters except Cabrera and Bratt (who together have accumulated 4 games started through 5 July).  Based on the table, my view is that Soroka is the second best pitcher in the Diamondbacks rotation.

Soroka was injured, but is expected back soon.

Soroka injured his left glut on 19 June (after 15 starts, 82 innings pitched). Although some might say I told you so, it was a relatively minor injury and he is expected back this season.

“That glute injury is fairly asymptomatic, so he’s going to begin his throwing program, bullpens, etc., and building up as best he can, as fast as he can to return to us.” — Torey Lovullo

“It’s a fast turnaround.  Once he gets back on the bump, and starts that progression we want to be as quick as possible.” — Torey Lovullo

Outlook for 2027 and 2028.

My view of the Diamondbacks’ starting pitchers who could be part of the rotation is summarized in the following table.

One view is that next season’s return of Corbin Burnes will cover the loss of Soroka, and at least one of the other pitchers will be ready to cover for the loss of Gallen. In that view, there is no reason to extend Soroka.

My view is that at least seven starters will be needed in each of the next two seasons. Subject to changes made via trades and off-season acquisitions, the quality of Diamondbacks pitching would be significantly improved by acquiring one additional starting pitcher for each of 2027 and 2028. Therefore, extending Michael Soroka would fill a need. Let’s look at whether it would be a good move.

Four reasons to extend Michael Soroka.

This season, his performance in percentage quality starts is better than all the other Diamondbacks starters except Rodriguez.

The Diamondbacks have made some bad signings of starting pitchers, such as Madison Bumgarner. That stands in stark contrast to Soroka’s signing, which helped the Diamondbacks. 

Next season would be Soroka’s second season with the Diamondbacks. That is significant because this AZ Snake Pit article found data that showed that newly acquired starters (age 30 and older) tend to perform better their second year with a new team.

Soroka is a known quantity, reducing acquisition risk tremendously. 

Summary.

The Diamondbacks acquired Michael Soroka because he had a combination of stuff, bounce-back potential, and upside to make him a good fit for the Diamondbacks.  The acquisition was risky (both under-performance and injury were possible), but the risk was limited by a one-year contract.

For the Diamondbacks, Michael Soroka’s pitching was outstanding. His excellent stats included percentage walks, chase percentage, and hard hit percentage. His percentage of quality starts ranked second best in the Diamondbacks rotation.

On 19 June, after starting 15 games, Soroka was injured. He is expected back soon.

Looking at the rotation in the next two seasons, my view is that the Diamondbacks would benefit from extending Soroka’s contract. Reasons include high percentage of quality starts, my expectation of improved performance in his second season with the Diamondbacks, and he is a known quantity which reduces risk.