Category: Baseball

Another Monday, another new series starts. Four games against the Rays.

The pitching matchups:

• Monday: Nick Martinez (8-2, 2.65) vs. Dylan Cease (6-4, 2.56)
• Tuesday: Drew Rasmussen (7-5, 3.26) vs. Kevin Gausman (4-8, 4.33)
• Wednesday: Griffin Jax (5-7, 4.08) vs. well, Spencer Myles either as starter or bulk guy.
• Thurday: Ian Seymour (6-2, 4.79) vs. Shane Bieber (1-1, 5.70)

Max Scherzer starts for the Bisons Wednesday, they are saying he’ll have another rehab start after that. If he could have a great start for the Jays after that and get traded off the next day, that would be the best of all worlds, I think.

Yimi Garcia will start a rehab assignment this week. Likely 2-3 appearances before they decide if they can call him up (barring another setback). Jesus Sanchez ran the bases today and likely will again tomorrow, and then a rehab assignment. If they can get him up to the majors, maybe he can build a little trade value.

John says “We gotta start winning.” No Farrelling kidding. But, even if the bats could magically start working, I don’t think there is enough starting pitching to get us the long win streak we need:

Right now I’m more interested in Kevin Gausman having a good start or two to build a little bit of trade value, he looks to be the guy with the most obvious trade value. In spite of what I said above, Scherzer will not have any trade value. Bieber, if he can have a couple of good starts in a row, might have some value.

After that, bullpen arms? Tyler Rogers would be a guy I’d be asking about if I ran a playoff team, but he has 2 (or 3) years left on his contract, so you’d have to offer a lot.

Maybe Springer?

Unless the Jays sweep the Rays, I’m thinking we’ll find out who has trade value at the deadline (you may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you will join us).

Tonight’s lineups. Straw in against a right-hander.

Peyton Tolle takes the mound tonight against the Orioles in a matchup of teams that have won a combined 20 games in a row. That’s pretty nuts! I will not be saying the Red Sox’s actual number of consecutive victories as a hedge against jinxing it. I truly do have that power. They say it’s impossible but I’m here to tell you it ain’t. But I’m not going to exercise it, so we have a chance.

Shane Baz is on the mound for the O’s, if that does anything for ya:

The less said here the better. We know what’s at stake. Let’s get this bread. Again.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. New York Yankees, July 20, 2026, 7:05 p.m. ET

The Pittsburgh Pirates are continuing their road trip as they travel to the Big Apple to take on the New York Yankees for the first matchup of a three-game set in the Bronx.

Braxton Ashcroft is making his first start of the second half for the Pirates. He finished the first half off in style, winning each of his last five starts and picking up four wins in that stretch. He did not factor in the decision. During his last start against the Milwaukee Brewers on July 11, he pitched five innings, gave up five hits and five earned runs, and struck out six. The Pirates are 13-6 in games where Ashcroft pitches this season, which is a good sign for today’s matchup.

The Yankees are countering with Ryan Weathers, who struggled a bit in the first half of the season. Weathers went 3-7 with a 4.15 ERA. Weathers was a no-decision in his last start of the first half against the Washington Nationals on July 11. Weathers pitched 5.1 innings, giving up six hits and one earned run, as the Yanks beat the Gnats 5-3, thanks to three runs scored in the top of the ninth inning.

Location: Yankee Stadium, The Bronx, NY

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh

Pitching Matchup: Braxton Ashcraft (9-3, 3.49 ERA) vs. Ryan Weathers (3-7, 4.15 ERA)

BD community, this is your gameday thread for today. Chime off in the comments section below.

For decades, stadium giveaways have served as a chance for marketers to push boundaries, releasing quirky collaborations and keepsakes that have sent fans clamoring to get into stadiums hours before the game, if they even cared about the game at all. On July 26th, the MLB’s Chicago White Sox will officially take home the crown for the most absurd giveaway of the season.

This Sunday when the White Sox host the Houston Astros, the first 15,000 fans to enter Rate Field will receive a limited-edition Munetaka Murakami First Major League Home Run bobblehead. The presenting sponsor? TOTO, the Japanese company best known for making the WASHLET, the heated, self-cleaning, bidet-equipped toilet that has become a cult favorite in the U.S. over the past decade.

The team that’s bringing you Pope Hat Night comes a chance to commemorate the Cyclospora outbreak of 2026!

How a Clubhouse Toilet Turned Into a Sponsorship

When Murakami, one of the most decorated hitters of the past decade in Japan, signed with the White Sox this year, he brought a piece of his pregame routine with him: he asked the team to install a TOTO WASHLET in the clubhouse. Naturally, his teammates got curious, tried it, and fell in love with the wonder toilet. An official sponsorship followed.

When it Comes to Collectibles, the Ceiling Is the Roof

If this feels like a new level of absurdity for the collectibles industry, something tells me we won’t have to wait long until it’s topped. Back in January, we covered some of the most popular stadium giveaways and cross-fandom activations over the past few years. A few standouts:

• LA Dodgers x ONE PIECE card: one graded copy sold for $14,999.99
• BVB x ONE PIECE card: up to $6,000 on the secondary market
• Seattle Mariners x New Balance “When It Rains, It Dumps” Cal Raleigh snapback: $400
• Mac Miller Pittsburgh Pirates bobblehead: this one drew lines stretching outside PNC Park onto the bridge
• Milwaukee Brewers x Bob Uecker Magic 8-Ball: a legitimate cult classic

The through line between culture and sports isn’t hard to see, but the White Sox x TOTO promo might have produced the most literal cross-audience collectible yet: baseball fans and people who care a lot about their bathrooms.

What to Expect on July 26

Given the hype around the South Side Samurai, this one is going to go fast. The bobblehead commemorates Murakami’s first MLB home run, and the rising star slugger is currently tied for 19th when it comes to hitting dingers this season. With the success of Japanese imports like Shohei Ohtani, the 26-year-old’s bright future has driven strong demand for his rookie card, and it’s fairly safe to say that this toilet-sponsored collectible will knock it out of the park on eBay.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Hobby is always up to something.

Today’s roster move: Here

Monday notes…

• STACKING WINS: The Cubs have won three consecutive series, matching their longest such streak of the year. They won three in a row three times before: April 13-23 at Philadelphia, then at home vs. the Mets and Phillies; April 27-May 7, at San Diego, then at home vs. the Diamondbacks and Reds; and June 22-July 1, at New York vs. the Mets and at Milwaukee, then at home vs. the Padres. They are 8-1-1 in their last 10 series and 16-14-2 in all series. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• RISPy BUSINESS: After going 7 for 13 with runners in scoring position yesterday, the Cubs’ batting average with RISP for the season is .239, matching their highest after their last 52 games, since it was .241 after they went 2 for 9 in an 8-3 loss to the White Sox on May 16. It also was .239 after their 23-3 demolition of the Padres on July 1. Their average was down to .217 on June 16, when they went 0 for 8 in a 5-2 loss at Colorado. In 25 games since then, it is .299. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• RUN DIFFERENTIAL: The Cubs’ run differential stands at +60, 502-442. It was +44 after a 3-0 loss to the Cardinals on the Fourth of July. In 10 games since then, they have outscored their opponents, 53-37 while going 7-3. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: The Cubs score six runs in the ninth inning at St. Louis, overcoming a 6-1 Cardinals lead and winning 7-6, their biggest ninth-inning comeback in 42 years. The runs scored on two bases-loaded walks, a two-run single by Javier Báez and a two-run double by Ian Happ. It happened five years ago today, Tuesday, July 20, 2021.

Cubs lineup:

Tigers lineup:

Jameson Taillon, RHP vs. Jack Flaherty, RHP

Jameson Taillon’s start before his hamstring injury was actually pretty good, June 2 vs. the A’s at Wrigley Field, where he allowed six hits and two runs in six innings, with “only” one home run, and I say that because Jamo has given up an ungodly number of home runs this year.

Hopefully that changes tonight. Overall Jamo has been better at home (4.19 ERA in seven starts) than on the road (6.21 ERA in six starts), so maybe that will mean a better outing tonight.

Current Tigers are 7-for-44 (.159) against him with two home runs (Kerry Carpenter, Riley Greene).

Jack Flaherty is not the pitcher he was when he was having solid seasons for the Cardinals in the late 2010s. He is still only 30 and a pending free agent, so I suppose the Tigers might look around for a trade partner.

Over his last seven starts he has posted a 2.55 ERA and allowed only one home run in 35.1 innings, which is pretty good.

Dansby Swanson is 6-for-16 (.375) with three doubles and a home run off Flaherty, and Michael Conforto is 4-for-8 with a home run.

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

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network.

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

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

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

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

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

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

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

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

Discuss amongst yourselves.

FIRST PITCH: 540p Central
TELEVISION: Twins.TV, presented by Progressive
RADIO:Washburn Crosby COmpany 830 AM, K–MiNnesota-Buzzin’ 102.9 “The Wolf”, Treasure Island Baseball Network, Audacy App
KNOW YOUR FOE:Covering the Corner

After a wildly disappointing couple of losses to the Chicago Cubs in the Friendly Confines (how many times was that said on the telly or radio this weekend…), the Minnesota Twins truck on over to the Buckeye State for an important four-game set against the Cleveland Guardians. Nothing much has changed since these foes met a little over a week ago before the All Star Break. The Twins are three games back from the Spiders, so a sweep in Cleveland can sling-shot Minnesota into second place in the American League Central. (Just let me dream, alright?)

It’s a prime pitching matchup to kick things off, and a re-match for the starting pitchers from early May. The Spiders call upon Tanner Bibee while Joe Ryan answers the bell for the Twins. The game in early May was the one where Byron Buxton homered off of Bibee on the third pitch of the contest. Kyle Manzardo had an RBI single off of Ryan to tie it up in the bottom of the fourth. Then it was goose eggs until Buxton doubled in the top of the 11th to bring in Matt Wallner (remember him?) and Luis Garcia (remember him, too?) shut things down for once.

Good news: Buxton has been activated off of the injured list and is in the lineup tonight. The corresponding move was optioning Tristan Gray to St Paul, so we won’t have to see him flop around like a fish at shortstop… for the time being.

GO TWIMS GO

Lineups:

Here are the lineups. For the Phillies:

For the Dodgers:

Let’s talk about it.

Earlier this month Justin Verlander announced his plans to retire at the end of the season. The veteran right-hander has had about as storied a MLB career as is possible. He will leave the game as a former MVP, pitching triple-crown winner, three-time Cy Young winner, two-time World Series champion, and Rookie of the Year, among a long list of other accomplishments. In his prime he was not only the best pitcher in baseball but arguably the best player in the game.

Verlander will retire as the active wins leader in MLB with 266 wins over his 21-year career. Which means despite all of his accomplishments he will fall 25-30 wins short of one of the all-time immortal MLB pitching marks. While it’s basically an arbitrary number, reaching 300 wins for a pitcher means something. Only 24 players have ever reached that mark. Behind Verlander, the next highest active mark is his old teammate Max Scherzer with 222 wins. Scherzer has totaled all of eight wins over his last two-plus seasons, making it basically impossible to reach 300. After that there isn’t a single pitcher with even 100 wins under the age of 32.

It is a very real possibility that there will never again be a 300 game winner in MLB. The active pitchers right now that appear to have the best shot at getting there are José Berríos, Freddy Peralta, Logan Webb, and Tarik Skubal.

Because of the elite levels Verlander reached even without getting to 300 wins, there is no question about his eventual home in Cooperstown. Verlander is a no-doubt Hall of Fame player, the only question is when. As with everything in baseball, the speed at reaching the Hall of Fame is something of a competition in its own right. Voters will decide if Verlander gets the accolade of being a First Ballot HOF player or just a regular-old every day Hall of Famer.

Cast your vote now and be on the lookout for results of the voting later this week. Make sure you never miss any Reacts surveys or results by signing up for the weekly newsletter!

Today, the Houston Astros officially announced the following roster moves:

• RHP Ronel Blanco and LHP Bennett Sousa have been reinstated from the 60-day IL.
• IF Raynel Delgado has been optioned to Triple A.
• LHP Bryan King was optioned to Triple A after yesterday’s game.

Blanco will start tonight’s game against the Marlins at Daikin Park, joining the Astros battered rotation.

Sousa will likely reclaim a leverage role very soon, if not immediately. Sousa had ascended to being the primary setup man for Bryan Abreu after Josh Hader’s injury before he was injured himself.

King is suffering though the worst stretch of his career, having allowed 5 HR in his last 4 outings, including at least 1 HR allowed in each. King has been a valuable piece of the Astros pen since his call up in 2024, so it’s likely this demotion will either be only as long as it takes him to get right or until we find out he will be retroactively placed on IL.

Delgado’s versatility makes him a valuable depth piece, but with Jeremy Pena and Christian Walker avoiding the IL for the time being, doesn’t have a spot on the roster right now.

The Astros are now back to 13 pitchers and 13 position players on the active roster.

The Seattle Mariners reportedly have completed the signing process of their 2026 draft class, per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, who also secured the details of the individual signing bonuses for each player. That is 18 new draftees entered into Seattle’s system, with only two players choosing to eschew the pros in favor of a college route: 18th round outfielder Dominic Santarelli of St. Joseph Catholic Academy in Wisconsin who will instead attend Louisiana State University, and 20th round 3B Connor Shouse out of Texas Tech University who was a draft-eligible sophomore and will return for his junior year.

It’s a more demure draft class than in years prior, and notably only includes college attendees, with Santarelli the only high schooler the club even selected. The M’s have hewed towards college performers plenty, but it was a striking level of singular focus. Seattle utilized $8,202,600 of their $8,218,200 bonus pool, reallocating their $460k in bonus pool savings from the first 10 rounds to securing several of their selections in rounds 11-14. The club reportedly had hopes of reeling in one or two prep talents, but was not able to financially draw Santarelli or Shouse away from school, and were wary of any of the remaining preps in the rounds of 11-20, opting for on-campus options instead.

The class of new players has continued to grow, however, with Baseball America reporting that Seattle has secured at least five additional players who went undrafted:

OF Kyle Boylston of Florida Atlantic University

C Jacob Galloway of Oregon State University

C Jake Harvey of University of Nevada

SS Henry Kaczmar of Ohio State University

RHP Joseph Webb of East Carolina University

While undrafted free agents are longshots for big league roles, there are several in recent years who have had big league time, including 1B Mike Ford and RHP Devin Sweet for the Mariners.

What a week for this guy, huh? First, he gets to go to his first-career All-Star Game as a player after getting voted in as a starter and now he’s ended what has had to have been a whirlwind week with a performance over the weekend that was so good that MLB has recognized him as the National League Player of the Week.

In the clearest sign yet that Baldwin is back in the form that earned him those All-Star honors, Baldwin had a massive series at the plate against the Rangers in Atlanta’s second-half opening series victory. The star catcher for the Braves racked up 10 hits (three of which were homers), eight RBI, five runs scored and he even threw in a stolen base as well. Five of those 10 hits came on Sunday alone, as Baldwin had himself a five-for-five game with two dingers. It was a dominant performance and one that was well worth the honor of getting named Player of the Week.

Here’s more from Major League Baseball’s official press release:

• The 25-year-old hit .714 (10-for-14) with three homers, eight RBI, a walk, five runs scored, a stolen base, a 1.357 slugging percentage and a .733 on-base percentage in three games.
• The Madison, Wisconsin native led the Majors in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, OPS (2.090), hits and total bases (19); tied for first in RBI and runs scored; and tied for second in home runs.
• One of 36 first-time All-Stars in 2026, Baldwin racked up a career-best five hits on Sunday against Texas, becoming Atlanta’s first player with a five-hit game since Whit Merrifield in August 2024. Baldwin is the youngest Brave to achieve the feat since Michael Harris II had a five-hit game in June 2023 at the age of 22, and he became the first Brave with multiple home runs as part of a five-hit performance since his teammate Ozzie Albies in June 2021. Baldwin is just the sixth player in Braves history with a five-hit game as a catcher, joining Johnny Estrada (2004); Eddie Perez (1999); Biff Pocoroba (1982); Walker Cooper (1951); and Hall of Famer Ernie Lombardi (1942). 
• The 2025 NL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award winner opened the second half with a three-hit, five-RBI game on Friday against Texas, becoming the second Brave this season with a five-RBI performance, joining fellow catcher Jonah Heim. The Braves are one of two clubs to have multiple games of at least five RBI by catchers this season, joining the Orioles, and it is just the fifth time in franchise history that the Braves have achieved the feat twice in a single season, joining 2006, 2003 (3x), 1966 and 1950.
• The third-round pick in the 2022 Draft out of Missouri State University has not struck out in 34 consecutive plate appearances dating back to July 8th, marking the longest active streak in the Majors. With 10 hits and eight RBI in the three-game set with the Rangers, Baldwin became the first Braves player to reach those marks in a three-game set and the first to reach those marks in a series of any length since Harris had 10 hits and nine RBI against the Mets in a four-game series earlier this month.

This is the first time that a Braves player has been named Player of the Week so far this season and hopefully it won’t be the last, either.

Today the Atlanta Braves have announced that they have officially signed all 21 of their draft picks from last weekend’s 2026 MLB Draft. The class headlined by college outfielders AJ Gracia and Carter Beck, as well as overslot prep arms Kaiden McCarthy and Jensen Hirschkorn is made up of eight right-handed pitchers, two left-handed pitchers, four outfielders, two infielders, and five catchers.

It had already been announced that the Braves had signed their first 12 choices and the bonus figure for Cole Dorland had been leaked, but today’s announcement signifies that the final nine picks have come to terms – including Dorland. That list includes C Dominic Kibler, RHP Cole Dorland, RHP Brady Hamilton, OF Caleb Klein, C Dalton Harper, RHP John Damozonio, LHP Ethan Stade, C Austin Fawley, and RHP Nile Adcock.

This news is hardly surprising, as the Braves were always expected to sign all of these 2026 draft picks – however this is still a positive update as it means nothing fell through for any reason such as a failed physical or player changing his mind.

A complete recap of the draft can be found here from last week.

The Mets have reinstated outfielder Luis Robert Jr. from the 60-day injured list, optioned infielder Eric Wagaman to Triple-A Syracuse, and outrighted fellow infielder Zack Short—who was designated for assignment a few days ago—to Syracuse.

Robert Jr. was one of several new acquisitions made by the Mets after the team decided to take a sharp turn from the majority of its former core at the start of the offseason. And like many of his teammates, he’s had an injury-marred and disappointing 2026 season thus far. After getting off to a hot start, Robert Jr. hit the injured list in late April with a .224/.327/.329 line, a 90 wRC+, and 0.1 fWAR. It’ll be interesting to see how often the Mets play him between now and the trade deadline, as he’s been double-Wally Pipped by young outfielders Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing since he was sidelined.

In the short term, perhaps Ewing will start regularly at second base—especially since 2025-26 offseason acquisition Marcus Semien has been terrible this year—to allow Robert to showcase his health and skills in center field ahead of the deadline. Robert is earning $20 million this year and has a $20 million team option for the 2027 season with a $2 million buyout.

If the Mets aren’t able to trade him, though, it would behoove them to keep playing Ewing and Benge alongside Juan Soto in the outfield. And presumably they’d relegate Robert to a semi-regular role, either giving Soto some starts at DH or just having Robert serve as a DH himself.

As for Wagaman, he’s made 42 plate appearances for the Mets, and he’s hit just .162/.262/.324 with a 68 wRC+. Once Mark Vientos hit the injured list, Wagaman started getting regular starts as Jared Young’s platoon partner at first base. The Mets haven’t started anyone other than those three players at first base since early May. Maybe they’ll just let Young face lefties for the time being.

And last but not least, Short has hit just .140/.262/.180 in 62 major league plate appearances this year, the vast majority of which came with the Tigers.

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The Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs meet tonight, with the in-form Jack Flaherty taking the hill for the visitors. 

Behind his recent success, my Tigers vs. Cubs predictions have Detroit winning the series opener as a +101 underdog.

Read more in my MLB picks for Monday, July 20. 

Who will win Tigers vs Cubs today: Tigers (+101)

Jack Flaherty has been lights out for the Detroit Tigers lately. Over his last three outings, the right-hander owns a 2.92 FIP while allowing just 0.54 HR/9, and he has surrendered only two earned runs during that span.

Flaherty’s primary offering is the four-seamer at 49%, and over half of this Chicago Cubs lineup has a Run Value of one or lower against the fastball.

Jameson Taillon counters in his first outing since early June. He owns a 6.31 FIP in 2026 and will likely be on a short leash, exposing a Cubs bullpen with a 5.20 xERA over the last two weeks.

Flaherty keeps Chicago at bay, and Detroit does damage.

I'll play this pick down to -120. 

COVERS INTEL: Taillon is allowing 2.10 HR/9 at Wrigley Field this season, and he's been extremely prone to the long ball overall. 

Tigers vs Cubs Over/Under pick: Under 11.5 runs (-103)

With a total this high, there’s still value in the Under. Even though Chicago's relievers aren't dominating right now, they face a Tigers offense with a 95 wRC+ and .185 ISO over the last two weeks. Extra-base hits drive runs, and Detroit isn't showcasing a ton of power.

The Cubs offense owns a 112 wRC+ across its last nine contests, but the .180 ISO is more manageable. Detroit’s bullpen also gives this Under a strong late-game path, posting a 2.43 FIP over its last 30 innings without allowing a single home run.

I'll confidently play this pick up to -130.

Tigers vs Cubs weather

Conditions will be warm at Wrigley Field tonight, with temperatures around 83 degrees early, then falling to near 81 later. Winds are noticeable at roughly 15 to 16 mph, while rain chances remain low to moderate at 16% to 24%. Weather could have some impact, mainly because of the wind.

Tigers vs Cubs odds

• Moneyline: Detroit +104 | Chicago -108
• Run line: Detroit -1.5 (+156) | Chicago +1.5 (-163)
• Over/Under: Over 11.5 (-104) | Under 11.5 (-100)

Tigers vs Cubs trend

The Detroit Tigers have hit the game total Under in 21 of their last 30 games (+11.10 Units / 34% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Tigers vs. Cubs.

How to watch Tigers vs Cubs and game info

Tigers vs Cubs latest injuries

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