Category: Sports News

It’s been impossible for the Orioles to sustain genuine momentum this season, and … I’m not sure this series, involving three home games against the Chicago Cubs, is going to be the one that does it.

The Cubs come to Camden Yards in second place in the NL Central, six games back of a red-hot Brewers club, and considering their genuinely bad rotation health luck, to be still in second is pretty gritty of them. At 50-40, Chicago has actually won 7 of its last 10, but that’s despite a starting five that’s been held together with duct tape most of the year. (The Orioles, at 42-49 and buried in fourth in the AL East, 12 games back, don’t have the injury excuse in quite the same way.)

The Cubs bring real thump. As a team they’ve got one of the top two offenses in the game, per Fangraphs, with a .244/.338/.409 slash line with 112 home runs. Pete Crow-Armstrong has been the engine of it, with his .910 OPS with 19 homers and 23 steals, almost an unfair line to be getting from your centerfielder. Dansby Swanson has been so-so for most of the year (.716 OPS) but has caught fire over his last month (.981 OPS). Seiya Suzuki (13 HR, .795 OPS) and Ian Happ (17 HR, .768 OPS) round out a lineup that can change a game with one swing.

On the Baltimore side, the story is uneven as always. Gunnar Henderson has 16 homers but only a .701 OPS. Pete Alonso has quietly been Baltimore’s best hitter (.810 OPS, 19 HR), and Samuel Basallo has shown real thump too, at age 21 (.789 OPS, 14 HR). Coby Mayo, on the other hand, is still searching—a .628 OPS overall, though he’s shown flashes in shorter stretches this year.

Here’s how these two teams match up in each game of the series.

Game 1, Tuesday: 6:35pm Eastern

RHP Shane Baz (4-8, 4.19 ERA, 87 K) v. LHP Matthew Boyd (3-1, 5.08 ERA, 37 K)

Baz has settled in as a legitimate mid-rotation piece since coming over from Tampa, and his recent form has been solid—a sub-.700 OPS against over his last 28 days of work. The one soft spot is the platoon split: he’s been much tougher on right-handed hitters (.667 OPS against) than lefties (.802), and the Cubs lineup has real left-handed power in Busch, Suzuki, and Happ.

Boyd is the wild card of the series. He was an All-Star a year ago, but a biceps strain and then knee surgery have limited him to just five starts in 2026. So far, the numbers (6.00 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) reflect a pitcher still finding his rhythm. If the old Boyd shows up, this is a real problem for Baltimore. If not, the Orioles’ lineup should have chances.

Game 2, Wednesday: 6:35pm Eastern

RHP DeanKremer (1-1, 3.18 ERA, 20 K) v. RHP Colin Rea (6-5, 4.74 ERA, 68 K)

Kremer’s return has been one of the few unambiguous bright spots for Baltimore lately. In three starts since returning from a quad strain, he’s flashing a strikeout rate well above his career norm (10.6 K/9), and the results to match. Whether that holds up over a longer look remains the question, but for now he’s given the rotation exactly the lift it needed.

Rea has been a steadying presence for a Cubs staff that’s had arm after arm hit the injured list (Cabrera, Brown, Taillon, Boyd have all missed time this year) and he’s pitched well in his last three starts specifically, with just three earned runs in 15.1 IP. With one of the worst fastballs in the game by expected run average, he’s not going to overpower anyone, but he’ll compete, and given how thin Chicago’s depth has been, that’s valuable.

Game 3, Thursday: 6:35pm Eastern

LHP Trevor Rogers (6-7, 4.70 ERA, 65 K) v. LHP David Peterson (4-7, 4.28 ERA, 68 K)

Rogers has been the definition of matchup-dependent this year: brutal against right-handers (.779 OPS against) but nearly unhittable against lefties (.526 OPS against). The Cubs lineup skews right-handed outside of Busch, Conforto, and Crow-Armstrong, which doesn’t play to Rogers’s strength the way a lefty-heavy lineup would.

David Peterson has one good thing going for this season: he’s a lefty. Traded from the Mets, the team that drafted him in the first round in 2017, at the end of June, Peterson was struggling in Citi Field and continues to struggle at Wrigley, allowing 12 runs in 9.1 innings so far. Maybe the O’s lately-producing righties—Rutschman, Alonso, Mayo and O’Neill recently—can give the struggling lefty more problems.

The Cubs have a strong lineup, but an injury-riddled rotation. These are winnable games, on paper, for a team that badly needs some. Will the Orioles find enough offense to make it count? What do you think, Birdland?

The New York Mets (38-53) are back home for one final series before the All-Star break as they host the Kansas City Royals (37-54) for three games at Citi Field. The Mets took two out of three from the Royals in Kansas City last year, and took two out of three the last time these two teams squared off at Citi Field back in 2024. All time, the Mets are 14-16 all-time against the Royals, which includes their World Series loss in 2015.

The Mets earned a hard-fought split with the Braves to complete a 3-5 road trip. It was a tale of two halves of a series for the Mets in the Braves, which started with two losses (-3 loss on Friday and 14-3 on Saturday) that were dominated by the Braves and incredibly sloppy affairs by the Mets. New York rebounded for two one-run victories, 10-9 win on Sunday (a game that, quite frankly, felt like a loss after they allowed six runs in the ninth to almost snatch defeat from the jaws of victory) and 7-6 on Monday in extra innings. The latter was the team’s second victory when trailing after eight innings this year, a feat they accomplished exactly zero times in 2025.

The main focus around the club continues to be the trade market and trade value for some of their best assets. With the team clearly being sellers, the team appears open to business. Trade rumors have been swirling, and every player on an expiring contract seems to be available. The team will almost certainly look for someone to take Freddy Peralta, AJ Minter, and Brooks Raley, while guys like Clay Holmes and Bo Bichette could also draw some interest. It’s unfortunate that the only things we have to look forward to at this juncture of the season are trade returns and draft prospects, but the club appears to be treating the deadline as a chance to retool rather than rebuild, with their eyes set on competing once again in 2027. This will be David Stearns’ chance to at least gain some points in the eyes of the fanbase if he can really nail the returns on the trades he orchestrates.

One of the lone bright spots continues to be Juan Soto, whose three-run homer on Monday gave New York a two-run lead in the ninth (a lead Devin Williams would eventually relinquish before the team jumped ahead for good in the tenth). Soto was voted in as a starter for the NL squad in the upcoming All-Star game. Soto leads all NL players in OPS (.984) and wRC+ (168) and is ninth among hitters with a 3.0 fWAR. He is also ninth in home runs with 19, tied with Shohei Ohtani, whom he will be battling with for NL MVP honors later this year. While so much has gone wrong for New York this season, Soto has continued to perform at his usual incredible pace, even with the early-season injury that kept him out of the lineup for a little bit. In even the worst of seasons, it’s always a joy watching Soto play baseball for your team.

This series is shaping up to be a race to the bottom of the standings, as both the Mets and Royals are in the bottom-five of records in the league and could be competing to help their lottery odds this week. The Mets currently find themselves one game better than the Royals heading into play today. The Royals, like the Mets, enter this series on a two-game winning streak after taking the final two games of their series against the Phillies. Prior to that, they dropped four in a row and eight of their previous nine.

The Royals enter play with a 95 wRC+ as a team, which is 21st in baseball, and a .708 OPS, which is 20th. Meanwhile, their 384 runs scored are 20th in MLB (no doubt that both numbers were aided by their 15-1 outburst against the Phillies yesterday). On the pitching side of things, their rotation sports a 4.52 ERA (23rd in MLB) and a 4.33 FIP (20th). Their bullpen is by far their biggest weakness, as their relievers enter play tonight with a 5.21 ERA (29th), and a 5.15 FIP (30th), so if you can keep the game close heading into the late innings, you stand a good chance against them.

Bobby Witt Jr. remains one of the best players in the league despite the team’s struggles. Witt Jr. enters play today slashing .292/.364/.467 with a 128 wRC+ and a 4.7 fWAR in 85 games. He has 12 home runs to date and also has 30 stolen bases already, which is tops in the American League and second only to Nasim Nuñez of the Nationals in all of baseball. On the other end of the spectrum, veteran Salvador Perez is having a miserable year, hitting .209/.249/.347 with a 59 wRC+ and a -1.3 fWAR in 83 games. The nine-time All-Star and lone holdover from the 2015 World Series-winning club has the worst fWAR among all position players in baseball, as his career may finally be reaching its end.

Tuesday, July 7: TBD vs. Seth Lugo, 7:1o PM EDT on SNY

TBD

The Mets have not named a starter for Tuesday’s game. It’s likely Kodai Senga could factor into the game in some capacity, but he pitched on July 3, so he may not be ready to pitch on Tuesday.

Lugo (2026): 96.1 IP, 76 K, 30 BB, 12 HR, 4.20 ERA, 4.15 FIP, 97 ERA-

Lugo is failed to reach the heights of his 2024 campaign, when he finished second in AL Cy Young voting and 15th in AL MVP voting. Despite that, he’s still been a mostly-solid pitcher for the Royals over the past two years. He’s picked up a loss in each of his last two outings, both against the Rays. His last time out, he allowed three earned runs on nine hits over six innings, and before that he allowed seven earned runs on seven hits over five innings. This is the right-hander’s first start against his old club, whom he last played for in 2022.

Wednesday, July 8: Christian Scott vs. Stephen Kolek, 7:10 PM EDT on SNY

Scott (2026): 49.0 IP, 60 K, 25 BB, 7 HR, 3.49 ERA, 4.36 FIP, 85 ERA-

Scott was handed his first loss of the year in his last outing, going four innings and giving up three earned runs on two hits to the Braves. He walked four and surrendered two home runs, two things that have plagued him as of late. Specifically, he’s allowed six home runs in his last three starts after allowing just one in his previous eight outings.

Kolek (2026): 54.0 IP, 34 K, 12 BB, 8 HR, 4.50 ERA, 4.55 FIP, 104 ERA-

Kolek got off to a strong start, earning a win in three of his first four starts, including a complete game shutout in his fourth start of the year. He’s fallen on hard times lately, failing to go beyond the second inning in each of his last two starts. His last time out, he returned from the Family Emergency List to pitch two innings. He allowed three earned runs on four hits in the outing as he picked up the loss to the Rays.

Thursday, July 9: Sean Manaea vs. Michael Wacha, 1:10 PM EDT on SNY

Manaea (2026): 68.0 IP, 68 K, 23 BB, 8 HR, 5.16 ERA, 4.01 FIP, 126 ERA-

Manaea got hit pretty hard in his last start, allowing six earned runs over five innings against the Braves. It was tied for the most earned runs he’s allowed in a game this season, and the most he’s given up since getting bumped up to the rotation. It was a discouraging step back after a pretty strong stretch for the left-hander, but with no better options, Manaea will remain in the rotation as the club searches for better outings from their starting pitchers.

Wacha (2026): 114.2 IP, 91 K, 31 BB, 13 HR, 3.45 ERA, 3.91 FIP, 80 ERA-

Wacha is in his 14th major league season and still performing very admirably. The former Met, who is in his third season in Kansas City, leads the AL in innings pitched and has pitched into the sixth in all but two of his 18 starts this year. In his last start, he went six innings and allowed four earned runs on eight hits in a loss to the Phillies. It was the sixth time he’s allowed four earned runs or more this year, and he allowed a season-high three homers after allowing 10 in his previous 17 outings.

This social media post made last week caught my eye, and probably yours too:

Of those 13 pitchers, at least three (Cade Horton, Shelby Miller and Porter Hodge) aren’t expected to pitch at all the rest of this season. The status of Hunter Harvey, Riley Martin and Justin Steele to throw any pitches for the 2026 Cubs is still uncertain. We also don’t know when Ben Brown will be back — and if he is this year, he could be limited to relief work.

About the six others:

• Jameson Taillon made a rehab start Sunday and might start this weekend in Cincinnati
• Edward Cabrera will need a rehab assignment, so he’s likely not back until August
• Daniel Palencia could be back by the end of July
• Phil Maton, same, perhaps back by the end of this month
• Ethan Roberts’ timeline for return is unclear, though he officially began a rehab assignment on Friday
• Hoby Milner should return from having his appendix removed sometime in August

(All the info above is from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter.)

So there are pitching reinforcements returning from injury. And the Cubs still could make a deal for a starter, a reliever, or both.

What I wanted to talk about here are the guys replacing all the pitchers listed above.

Jed Hoyer traded for David Peterson, who had his moments in New York but apparently wore out his welcome. He’s had one good start and one bad one for the Cubs so the proverbial verdict is still out on him. Some of the other pitchers who have put up innings for the Cubs this year, woof. Bryse Wilson? Jordan Wicks? Corbin Martin? I mean, yes, each of those guys had at least one good game for the Cubs but my question here is: Why don’t the Cubs have the parade of 98 mile per hour guys that seem to be coming out of every other team’s system? There don’t seem to be relievers like that in the Cubs organization.

Except… there were some guys like that, pitchers the Cubs let go for nothing. I’m thinking specifically of Trevor Megill and Jeremiah Estrada, pitchers who can throw 98+ consistently and have had success elsewhere. Megill has been the Brewers closer (mostly, though was briefly demoted this year) for most of the last three seasons and has posted a 2.93 ERA and 1.110 WHIP in 165 games in Milwaukee, with 206 strikeouts in 163 innings. Estrada has made 160 appearances for the Padres over the last three years with a 3.26 ERA and 1.119 WHIP, and 225 strikeouts in 154.2 innings.

Both those pitchers were let go for nothing. So was Jason Adam, who was non-tendered after 2021 because he was reportedly going to get $900,000 in arbitration. Then the Cubs signed Daniel Norris for more than that, and Norris was released after posting a 6.90 ERA in 27 games. Meanwhile, Adam has posted a 2.12 ERA and 0.965 WHIP in 298 games for the Rays and Padres since then, with 317 strikeouts in 289 innings.

Caleb Kilian is another example. The Cubs tried him as a starter and he failed at that. During Spring Training 2025 he was throwing 98 miles per hour and likely would have made the Opening Day bullpen last year if he hadn’t been injured. He pitched in a handful of games at Iowa after returning from the injury and the results weren’t good and he was let go after the season. Now he’s a useful reliever for the Giants, with a four-seamer averaging 97.

I could probably come up with some more examples of this sort of thing, but you get the idea. The Cubs either don’t evaluate pitchers properly, or a perceived money issue gets in the way of keeping a useful pitcher like Adam.

Instead, the Cubs sign retread after retread, trying to get pitchers to re-capture something they had three or five years in the past.

Next up on that list will be Liam Hendriks and Aaron Bummer, both now toiling for Triple-A Iowa. Hendriks, who is 37, was last effective in the big leagues in 2022. Then he missed most of 2023 and all of 2024 with Tommy John surgery, then hip issues shortened his year with the Red Sox last year. He has made three appearances in the Cubs system, one in the Arizona Complex League and two for Triple-A Iowa, all scoreless. Could he be effective? Maybe, but it would have been smarter to keep Hendriks in December 2013, when the Cubs claimed him on waivers from the Twins. Ten days later the Cubs tried to sneak him through waivers and he got claimed by the Orioles, and then, of course, had multiple successful seasons elsewhere.

As for Bummer, he had two pretty good years for the Braves in 2024 and 2025, but a lower K rate, a higher walk rate and a 7.63 ERA in 19 games this year got him released by Atlanta in May. The Cubs signed him and he’s made four appearances in the system, two scoreless ones in the complex league, two others at Iowa with a 4.50 ERA. I suppose we’ll see him in the Cubs bullpen at some point this year.

And at some point, I hope Cubs pitching development will focus more on drafting and developing guys who can throw the 98+ fastballs that are becoming de rigeur in baseball today. Otherwise this beleaguered pitching staff will keep falling behind.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The Boston Red Sox have won three consecutive games and are -125 favorites to extend that streak to four tonight.

My Red Sox vs. White Sox predictions and MLB picks expect Boston's in-form offense and starting pitching advantage to lead to another victory in Chicago. 

Who will win Red Sox vs White Sox today: Red Sox moneyline (-125)

Noah Schultz is having a rough go. He's allowed at least three runs in five consecutive starts, only completing five innings once.

He allowed a homer in four of those games and issued 3+ walks three times. He's giving up power, and he's giving up a ton of unnecessary baserunners.

The Boston Red Sox are sixth in wOBA and fourth in ISO vs. lefties since June 1. They’re in a great spot to score in bulk and make life easier on Payton Tolle, who hasn’t been as sharp lately.

Back Boston to -135.

COVERS INTEL: Payton Tolle is enjoying a strong rookie campaign, ranking in the 81st percentile in xERA.

Red Sox vs White Sox Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (-105)

The Red Sox have a great power profile against left-handed pitching, ranking eighth in OPS, fourth in ISO, and first in fly ball rate over the last five weeks.

Schultz sits in the 10th percentile in xERA, and the White Sox have several lefty relievers in their bullpen, making it a real possibility that six or seven innings are pitched by lefties.

The Chicago White Sox have excelled against lefties all season, leading the majors in ISO. Tolle has posted an xERA of 4.0 or higher in four of his last five and will be tested.

Bet this to -115.

Red Sox vs White Sox weather

Temperatures in the mid-70s are expected with slight winds blowing inwards. Small boost to the offenses.

Red Sox vs White Sox odds

• Moneyline: Red Sox -125 | White Sox +105
• Run line: Red Sox -1.5 (+135) | White Sox +1.5 (-155)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-105) | Under 8.5 (-115)

Red Sox vs White Sox trend

The White Sox have cashed the Over in 30 of the last 50 games for +10.30 units and a 19% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Red Sox vs. White Sox.

How to watch Red Sox vs White Sox and game info

Red Sox vs White Sox latest injuries

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.

Morning A’s fans!

The club is hitting the road for the final two series of the first half, starting with a trip to Detroit to take on the Tigers then heading back west to Chicago for three against the White Sox. At the begining of the year if you had told someone that Chicago would be in first place in the AL Central while the Tigers are preparing to sell, you’d have had a hard time getting anyone to take you seriously. But here we are, with the White Sox’s 47-42 record giving them a one-game lead in the division while Tigers, at 40-50 and seven back in the Central, look likely to begin taking offers for their best players, with one pitcher in particular set to force a bidding war.

The A’s will have the honor of facing that very pitcher tonight in their first game outside of California in almost a full month. It’s Tarik Skubal going for the Tigers tonight, set for his 12th start of the year. It’s incredible that the 29-year-0ld is even pitching right now considering he just only underwent elbow surgery on May 6th. He hasn’t been quite his usual dominant form, as his 3.15 ERA is a far cry from the sheer dominance the two-time Cy Young winner displayed over the previous two seasons. He’s still having an overall fantastic year and with his track record he’s going to be the hottest commodity on the trade market over the coming weeks.

Before he departs Detroit however the A’s have to take him down. The right-hander has generally dominated the A’s in his career, like so many other teams. In 10 career starts against the Green & Gold Skubal owns a pristine 2.81 ERA, though that’s still only gotten him four wins compared to three losses. He’ll be running into the A’s at the right time though as the squad is really struggling to remain competitive and stay afloat in the AL playoff race.

The club comes into today on a three-game losing streak after getting swept by the Miami Marlins at home. They’re just 3-11 over their past 14 games, which has dropped them to 41-49 and now 5 1/2 back of the division lead and four back of the final wild card spot with five teams to leap over. The team has generally floated around the .500 mark this year but this is the current low point for the squad and things will need to turn around fast if the A’s want to get back into the playoff hunt. Getting a few wins before the All Star Break would go a long way towards that goal.

Taking on Skubal tonight is the emerging J.T. Ginn. He’s actually having a better statistical season than his opponennt tonight as the first-year full-time starter has a 3.04 ERA in his 19 games this year. And taking out the three relief appearances he made in April that number drops lower to 2.87 in 16 starts. It wasn’t exactly unsurprising that Ginn didn’t earn an All-Star nod but still disappointing for A’s fans who have seen an emerging ace blossom before our very eyes. He’s coming off a strong performance last time out (6 IP, 1 ER) and the A’s could certainly use more of that tonight to help snap this losing streak.

After tonight’s contest the middle game tomorrow will be a matchup between lefty Jeffrey Springs and right-hander Troy Melton. Melton has been borderline unhittable in his seven starts for Detroit as he’ll bring a 2.07 ERA into tomorrow’s game. He’s only ever faced the A’s once in his short career, firing three shutout innings in relief last season so tonight will be his first start against the Green & Gold. Springs meanwhile has gotten hit hard in recent outings, allowing six runs last time out against the Los Angeles Dodgers. His 5.79 ERA is hard to stomach and at this point in the season it’s starting to get frustrating to see manager Mark Kotsay continue to ride him. There are younger options that might actually be around for the next A’s playoff team and it’s time to start getting them some experience, even if that means sending Springs into relief.

Then we wrap up the series on Thursday in the finale, where it’ll be a battle between young righty Jack Perkins facing veteran Framber Valdez. The longtime Astro lefty isn’t having the dominant year the Tigers were expecting when they shelled out that huge contract for him this offseason but he’s managed to be serviceable all the same. Perkins meanwhile continues to struggle in his extended look in the starting rotation. Overall he’s sporting a 8.10 ERA in six starts, including arguably his worst appearance ever last time on the mound when he allowed seven earned runs to the Marlins. Perkins is one of those young arms A’s fans want out there getting his feet wet but even that’s tough to swallow. Hopefully Kotsay knows what he’s doing and isn’t destroying the 26-year-old’s confidence.

First pitch is at 3:40. Have a great one guys.

A’s Coverage:

• 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
• A’s Take Series Finale, Beat Dodgers 7-1
• Dodgers Overwhelm A’s Once Again
• A’s roster moves: Massive Shakeup
• A’s To Trade Brett Harris To Red Sox
• 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:

• Shohei looking like Shohei again after 3-hit night, HR No. 299
• Brewers To Promote Luis Lara
• 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:

Will the A’s still even be buyers in a couple weeks?

Morris heading down to Triple-A. Who takes his spot on the roster?

Do the A’s need to shake up the coaching staff with regards to the pitching?

UPDATE: The Brewers made the move official late Tuesday morning, optioning outfielder Blake Perkins to Triple-A Nashville.

According to Daniel Álvarez-Montes, who works for El ExtraBase, a Spanish-language baseball website, Luis Lara is being promoted to the big leagues.

Lara will join an outfield rotation that also includes Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick, and Jake Bauers.

Lara, 21, signed a seven-year, $31 million contract in early June that includes club options for an additional three years. A speedy outfielder who has always had a good glove, Lara turned heads this season when he tore up Triple-A through the season’s first two months. Even after a bit of a cooldown, Lara is batting .321/.432/.470 in 78 games with the Sounds, good for a 143 wRC+, and he’s got nine homers this season — almost as many as he’d hit in his three previous minor-league seasons combined (10). After a bit of a lull after he signed his contract in June, Lara has ticked up again lately: in 11 games going back to June 23, Lara is hitting .366/.469/.610 with two homers, two doubles, and a triple. Lara is currently ranked as the No. 47 overall prospect by Baseball America and No. 67 by MLB Pipeline.

This move creates a bit of a roster crunch. You would expect that the Brewers would want Lara to play, but there’s no real way for him to do that without taking playing time away from Frelick — Mitchell is one of the hottest players in the league, and Chourio is a star.

It also means that the Brewers will have no choice but to start both Joey Ortiz and Cooper Pratt against right-handed pitching, assuming David Hamilton hits the IL after exiting early on Monday. If no further move is made, the Brewers will be operating without a backup infielder who has any experience playing anywhere other than first base.

Andrew Vaughn notably appeared at one game as a third baseman earlier this year, but that was for one inning and not something I’d expect to see with any regularity whatsoever. It’s hard for me to believe that the Brewers would return to the “Frelick-at-third-base” experiment that was rumored during spring training in 2024, but if there were ever a time to try it, this would be it.

The Brewers didn’t have any great options with which to replace Hamilton on the big-league roster. Triple-A Nashville didn’t have a single left-handed infielder, so there was no internal platoon option for Ortiz at the highest level of the minors. Skipping Triple-A and going to Double-A Biloxi for a Hamilton replacement would’ve been a bold move, which the Brewers are not particularly known for; there are no shortage of exciting players at Double-A who bat left-handed (Josh Adamczewski, Mike Boeve, Andrew Fischer, Jesús Made, and Dylan O’Rae are all either left-handed or switch-hit and could hall conceivably play third base) but none has ever appeared above Double-A.

We’ll see if the Brewers are comfortable operating with nothing beyond an emergency backup in the infield. If Hamilton’s injury is minor and they expect him back right after the All-Star Break, the Brewers will likely just ride out the week. But if Hamilton is out for an extended period, they’ll likely start canvassing the league.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

I'm back from a solid vacation and ready to smash some more dingers. I've run up over 24 units of profit over the last nine articles and am looking at some All-Stars today to keep the good times rolling with today's MLB player props and homers. 

Bobby Witt Jr. will get to feast on a tired Mets bullpen all game, while the best AL rookie has a great price vs. a starter that should regress and a bullpen that gives up bombs.

These are my favorite home run predictions for Tuesday, July 7.

Best MLB home run props today

Player to hit a HR	Odds
Bobby Witt Jr.	+454
Kevin McGonigle	+575

Home run pick: Bobby Witt Jr. (+454)

It's a big name at a big price with a nine-inning home run edge. Bobby Witt Jr. and this Kansas City Royals offense get to face a tired Mets bullpen that used six arms yesterday and has leaned on its three best relievers in back-to-back games. New York is going with a bullpen game to add injury to insult, and this staff has allowed 29 runs over its last three games.

Witt might only have three homers over the last 30 days, but he also missed a week, has nine games under his belt since returning, and ranks 10th in all of baseball in BlastContact% (23.2%) over that span. The home runs and hard contact are coming, and there could be a handful before the All-Star break.

The Royals' shortstop might see three or four different pitchers today, but that also means he'll get plenty of plate appearances against the weaker arms in New York's bullpen over nine innings.

• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SNY, Royals.TV

Home run pick: Kevin McGonigle (+575)

Let's add another All-Star to the home run card at a +EV price of +575 with a fair price closer to +475. The Rookie of the Year frontrunner, Kevin McGonigle, is leading off and should get five plate appearances today against J.T. Ginn, who has been pitching above his underlying numbers all season.

The Athletics' starter has also cut his HR/FB rate in half despite generating more fly-ball outs. Regression is coming.

Detroit's offense also gets to tee off on an Athletics bullpen that owns the worst HR/FB rate in baseball over the last 30 days, the worst HR/9, and the second-worst ERA.

Anything at +500 or better is a play on the rookie. There could also be multiple Tigers home runs today, with Spencer Torkelson (+469) and Riley Greene (+372) joining him as Detroit's most likely long-ball threats.

• Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Detroit SportsNet, NBCS-California

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.

For the second time in as many starts, the pitcher who had been the most consistent this season was pummeled by an opposing lineup. Walker Buehler was hit early and often, and the result was an embarrassing 8-0 loss for the San Diego Padres against the Arizona Diamondbacks to open their four-game series at Petco Park.

The thought heading into the game was the Padres might carry some momentum from their win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday into Monday night. That was not the case in any area of the game as the pitching was bad, the defense was ugly early and the offense reverted back to being dominated by a subpar pitcher.

Buehler last five innings in the loss, but that was more out of necessity because manager Craig Stammen did not want to burn his bullpen in the midst of their current 17 games in 17 days schedule leading into the All-Star break. The right-hander was tagged for seven runs on seven hits with one walk and four strikeouts. He also allowed two home runs. Alek Jacob pitched three innings in relief and allowed a run on two hits, which came on a solo home run before giving way to Ron Marinaccio who pitched a scorless ninth inning.

As bad as Buehler was allowing two runs in the first, four in the third and one in the fourth, the San Diego lineup was equally ineffective. The Padres managed eight hits with Jake Cronenworth and Jackson Merrill providing half of those with two hits apiece, but the team managed to put just one runner in scoring position all game. Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Pfaadt like Buehler lasted five innings, but he did not allow a run and surrendered just four hits with no walks and six strikeouts. Ryan Thompson was just as good and he allowed just two hits over two innings of work with four strikeouts before Drey Jameson came on for the final two innings, allowing two hits with a strikeout.

San Diego returned to two games below .500 and will try to keep from adding to that total today against the Diamondbacks at 6:40 p.m.

Padres News:

• Jhony Brito returned to the MLB roster for the first time since the 2024 season after an elbow injury and a long rehabilitation process.

• Mason Miller is used to navigating his way through opposing lineups, but after the Padres’ recent losing streak and struggles he is learning how to deal with limited usage.

• Craig Stammen is painfully positive at times and Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune says he is not changing who he is during the recent struggles for San Diego.

Baseball News:

• The Los Angeles Dodgers got a walk-off win over the Colorado Rockies.

• Heliot Ramos hit three home runs to lead the San Francisco Giants to a win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

• The Milwaukee Brewers got a comeback win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

• James Wood hit a grand slam and helped the Washington Nationals beat the Houston Astros, 12-11.

• The New York Mets escaped with a win over the Atlanta Braves for the second time in as many days.

Last night was just an absolute caricature of the 2026 Nationals. They have so much heart and offensive firepower, but the pitching is so shaky. In the end, they came out on top, just barely in a 12-11 thriller. I have never seen such a disparity between a pitching staff and an offense in my life. 

Usually, when one part of your team is so bad like the Nats pitching staff, the other side of the ball is not elite. That is not how things usually work, and there was actually a good article on Fangraphs about this. The 2026 Nationals are not most teams though. They are a wacky, wonderful, hideously flawed bunch that we have all fallen in love with.

The Nats have scored the most runs in baseball, while being bottom 3 in runs allowed. That was on complete display from the jump against the Astros. It looked like this would be a beatdown early on, with Houston taking a quick 6-1 lead in the top of the 3rd inning. However, in peak 2026 Nationals fashion, the game was tied by the time the third inning was over.

Like the Nats have done so many times this year, they just blitzed the Astros. A 6-1 deficit turned into a 6-6 ballgame within five batters. CJ Abrams put the cherry on top of the rally with a 3-run homer to tie the game. That was a big and important swing for Abrams, who had been struggling recently. He made a statement today going 3 for 5 with that homer.

You can never take your eyes off this team because if you blink, you could miss five runs from either team on the field. There have been so many times this year in Nationals games where pitchers just can’t get outs at all. Sometimes it is Nats pitchers, other times it is the opposing team.

Last night we saw both sides of the coin. So many of these rallies just came from consecutive hits capped off by a homer. The Astros actually scored 10 of their 11 runs with two outs. That is a ridiculous stat, but it is also fitting for this Nats team. There have been too many times this year where the Nats are so close to getting out of a jam before getting their hearts broken with two outs or two strikes. Most of the Nats pitchers just don’t have the raw stuff to put guys away.

Thankfully for them, the Astros pitchers were overmatched against this fierce Nats offense. The Nats did most of their damage in just two innings, but they put up 11 runs in their pair of big innings. We talked about the third inning, but the fifth inning was the Nats other big frame.

Warning signs should have been ringing in the Astros dugout when Curtis Mead took Mike Burrows deep to start the inning. However, Burrows was allowed to face four more batters, only getting one out. He left with the bases loaded, but that was when the games began.

Drew Millas hit a sac fly before Nasim Nunez got an infield hit thanks to his elite speed. Nunez beating out that seemingly routine play ended up looming very large. James Wood was at the plate, and he was looking for his first out of the park grand slam. After he fouled off a high fastball, the Astros went back to the well again, and the Nats big slugger did not miss it. He walloped a 446 foot home run to make it a 12-6 game in the 5th inning.

For most teams a 12-6 lead should feel safe, but the 2026 Nationals are not most teams. After all, this group couldn’t hold an 8-1 lead in the 8th. The Astros got a run back in the 6th, but after a scoreless 7th by Cole Henry, things seemed to be under control.

However, this is where manager Blake Butera made a rookie mistake. He has made a habit of trying to extend relievers for multiple innings even if that is not really their strength. That is exactly what he did with Henry, and it backfired massively.

Cole Henry got sent down to Rochester in the beginning of June and made 10 appearances. The right hander did not throw more than one inning in any of those outings. In AAA, Henry had settled into a routine of being a one inning guy.

Butera tried to push Henry for a second inning, and it nearly cost them the game. Henry got the first out, but after a single and a walk, he was in trouble. Despite this, Butera stuck with Henry. The righty got a force out for the second out. However, that Astros two out magic showed up again. As his pitch count climbed into the 40’s, Henry allowed a double and a home run. Just like that, the game was 12-11.

Finally, Henry was pulled for Clayton Beeter, the Nats top high leverage arm. Beeter had a heroic performance, securing a four out save without allowing any baserunners. Clayton Beeter has his issues with control, but when he is on, he can be a dominant force as we saw last night. That was the game, the Nats secured a 12-11 win in the most 2026 Nationals way possible.

I hate to get on Blake Butera like this because he has done an outstanding job with this team. He has created a great culture and built a great staff. His lineup construction can be confusing at times, but it always feels like there is a method to the madness. However, he has to know his reliever’s limits. It should be clear by now that Cole Henry is not a multi-inning guy.

Butera has been dealt a very poor hand when it comes to the bullpen, but some of his decision making can be frustrating. Fans of every team second guess their manager’s bullpen decisions, but it feels like there are some correctable mistakes he keeps making. At the end of the day, the Nats are 47-45 and have an elite offense. If you told me that at the beginning of the season, I am not sure I would have believed you.

This team has so much heart and firepower, they just need pitching. Whether it is at the deadline or in the offseason, Paul Toboni has to address this pitching staff, the bullpen especially. This has been a great season so far, but hopefully this is just the beginning for this Nats core. To take the step from exciting young bunch to legitimate contender, the Nats need pitching, pitching and more pitching.