ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 15: Outfielder Drew Burress #8 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets bats during the Spring Classic college baseball game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on April 15, 2025 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
A lot of names have been thrown around for the first Braves pick, which will be the ninth overall. We have covered some of them like Tyler Bell, Gio Rojas, Drew Burress, and Ryder Helfrick. You would like to get real upside from a top pick. The problem is that most evaluators have the first six picks well above the field. Although the Braves do have some extra money to use, they may not be able to break into that group.
The Braves have been able to get starters like Michael Harris, Drake Baldwin, Austin Riley, Spencer Schwellenbach, AJ Smith-Shawver, and Spencer Strider outside of the first 30 picks. Each one of those, even the ghost of Austin Riley, have been very productive and well worth the pick. Michael Harris was found in the third round after some draft pool maneuvering. He’s been worth 14.5 WAR and climbing.
So how important is the perfect first Braves pick? And I mean to find the next Braves All-Star? The evaluators like that top six, but MLB organizations often rate prospects much differently than the outsiders. So maybe they walk away with a highly-touted-in-public-circles pick. Although, if that doesn’t go their way, the later picks and the larger draft pool offer an excellent opportunity this year.
I don’t usually put photos of Cubs opponents as the lead image for game recaps but in this case… Reds starter Hunter Greene was clearly the story of the game. He allowed just three hits and struck out 12, and the Reds shut out the Cubs 4-0 in the first of a three-game series. It was the first Reds win over the Cubs this year, after the Cubs swept a four-game set at Wrigley Field in May.
Seiya Suzuki had two of the three hits, including a second-inning double. Ian Happ had the other hit off Greene, a single leading off the fifth, and Greene also walked Happ, his only walk of the game. That’s it for Cubs runners reaching off Greene.
Shōta Imanaga threw reasonably well for five innings, allowing just one run, a fifth-inning homer by Elly De La Cruz. Imanaga ran a lot of long counts and also allowed seven hits. It wasn’t a bad outing, but you can’t win if you don’t score runs.
More on Imanaga’s evening from BCB’s JohnW53:
Imanaga’s start was the Cubs’ 207th since 1901 of exactly five innings with one run allowed. It was just the seventh of the 207 with exactly seven hits allowed.
Ben Brown had the sixth, on June 13 at San Francisco. The first five were by Wilbur Cooper in 1925, Joe Niekro in 1967, Randy Martz in 1982, Mike Harkey in 1990 and Jon Lester on April 2, 2017, at St. Louis.
Imanaga tied Lester for the most strikeouts, seven. Imanaga and Martz walked one. Harkey walked none.
Imanaga was the first to serve up a homer for the run.
One thing I wanted to note about the 12 strikeouts: Four of them were swinging K’s on sliders or splitters way out of the strike zone.
Michael Conforto, in the second:
Pete Crow-Armstrong, in the sixth:
Alex Bregman, also in the sixth:
Conforto again, in the seventh:
As you can see, some of those pitches were so far out of the zone that they barely show up on the Gameday images. Greene had Cubs hitters utterly fooled. It’s far from the first time; the last time Greene pitched against the Cubs, Sept. 18, 2025 at GABP, he threw a complete-game shutout, allowing just one hit (a single by Suzuki) and striking out nine. At least now, the Cubs don’t have to face Greene again until September.
Trent Thornton kept the game at 1-0 by throwing a 1-2-3 seventh on only seven pitches.
Then we witnessed the Cubs debut of Jake Woodford. Of that two-inning appearance, all that can be said in a positive vein is that he saved all the leverage relievers for the rest of the series. Woodford struck out the first hitter he faced, Ke’Bryan Hayes. Then De La Cruz tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly. At 2-0 maybe this game is still within reach but the next four hitters off Woodford did this: single, two-run homer, single, single and at this point the game’s pretty much over. Woodford threw 43 pitches and the next time we see his name in connection with the Cubs is likely going to be when he’s designated for assignment after the All-Star break.
It was mentioned near the end of the broadcast on Marquee that this was the first time the Reds had ever shut out the Cubs and struck out 15. After that comment was made, the Reds made it 16 when Ian Happ struck out to end the game. The previous record wasn’t 14, either — it was 13, and it had stood for nearly 63 years, since Jim Maloney (who would no-hit the Cubs two years later!) threw a one-hit shutout at Wrigley Field, striking out 13 on July 23, 1963.
One more note on Greene’s 12 strikeouts, from John:
Hunter Greene’s 12 strikeouts were the most by a starter against the Cubs this season, one more than by Kyle Harrison of the Brewers at Wrigley Field on May 20. Each pitched 7.0 innings and walked one. Harrison gave up two hits, one less than Greene.
You’ll notice there are no video highlights up to this point. That’s because there weren’t any from a Cubs standpoint. I did want to show you this one weird play from the bottom of the fifth. JJ Bleday lifted a foul fly to right that Seiya Suzuki appeared to catch, but it was … well, watch [VIDEO].
That clip is from the Reds broadcast, in which they said Suzuki “didn’t catch it,” but you can see Suzuki wondering why it wasn’t called a catch. After more than four minutes of deliberation, the review crew said the call on the field was “overturned” — but what was the call on the field? It wasn’t clear, though it appears to have been “foul ball” because of fan interference. But if it’s fan interference, shouldn’t it have been an out?
One thing that’s been really good on this road trip so far is Cubs starting pitching. Over the four games the starters have a 2.11 ERA in 21.1 innings, with only two home runs allowed.
Standings update: The Cubs lost half a game to the Brewers, who were rained out in Pittsburgh, and now trail Milwaukee by 7.5 games. The Brewers and Pirates will play a doubleheader today. The Cubs lead the Cardinals by 2.5 games in the division and are half a game ahead of the Phillies (and Marlins!) for the top wild card spot.
The Cubs will look to even up the series Saturday evening in Cincinnati. Javier Assad will start for the Cubs and Nick Lodolo goes for the Reds. Game time is 6:10 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.
BALTIMORE, MD - JUNE 09: Johnny Costello and Kimberly Perry of The Band Perry shake hands with Baltimore Orioles mascot the Oriole Bird after throwing the ceremonial first pitch prior to the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Tuesday, June 9, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Alyssa Piazza/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Tides out-hit the Chiefs in this one by an 8-4 margin and still lost the game. You might be tempted to think that means that Syracuse got clutch hits with RISP and Norfolk didn’t, but you would be wrong: Syracuse was 0-6 with RISP. Norfolk did not commit any errors. They scored first in the game, holding a 2-0 lead. Then they gave up three runs over the next two innings and lost the shortened game. This team is good at losing. They are 32-58.
Norfolk box scores have become a lot less interesting while Creed Willems is on the injured list. There is one prospect taking regular at-bats, and that is Enrique Bradfield Jr. The speedy outfielder had a single and a walk out of the leadoff spot on Friday night. He sits at a .680 OPS in 38 games. Not-prospect-but-I-always-root-for-him guy Heston Kjerstad had three of the Tides hits all by his lonesome, raising his batting line to .301/.330/.451 in 44 games.
A tough day at the office for 24-year-old lefty Sebastian Gongora, the Baysox starter. The RubberDucks dropped nine hits on him in only 4.1 innings and they were able to turn those hits into all five Akron runs. Gongora has been pretty good overall this year, so this rough start still only bumps his ERA to 3.55.
Chesapeake scored their two runs in the top of the first inning and then did not score for the remainder of the game. Thomas Sosa and Frederick Bencosme each drove in a run in the first frame. Brandon Butterworth, one of the players from the Padres deal last July, had three hits for the Baysox. He’s OPSing .766 through 28 games of his age 23 season at Double-A. It’d be more interesting if he was doing that at Triple-A, but it’s not nothing.
High-A: Frederick Keys 5, Jersey Shore (Phillies) 2
A masterful outing by 21-year-old righty Twine Palmer gave the Keys a good shove in the right direction in this one and they didn’t waste that chance. Palmer struck out eight batters over his six innings, allowing a run on three hits and two walks. Those are some good ratios. His ERA for the season is lowered to 3.58. Batters are hitting just .203 against him. He had a brutal introduction to the organization after being acquired from the Astros last July. This year is going better for him.
The only run the BlueClaws scored off of Palmer came home in the top of the first inning. Frederick’s offense scored two in the bottom half of the inning and never looked back. The Keys picked up three doubles in their first inning, starting with leadoff man RJ Austin. The infielder/outfielder from last year’s draft had three hits and a walk overall and stole a pair of bases as well. Austin is hitting .257/.352/.415 in 44 games with Frederick.
Other 2025 picks also played a part. Ike Irish drove in two of the five Keys runs thanks to one sacrifice fly and one RBI single. Wehiwa Aloy picked up a pair of hits and drove in a run. Each of these guys continues to OPS over .800.
An unfortunately typical sad-looking Shorebirds box score this season. True, it was a seven-inning game since this was a minor league doubleheader, but even so, they only got four hits. They also committed two errors. Tough way to win.
Shortstop DJ Layton was on base three times in four plate appearances, picking up a pair of singles and a walk. He also stole two bases, giving him 26 on the season in 37 tries.
More offense from the Shorebirds here. They actually got nine hits in this one. They still lost because they gave up ten hits and walked six guys.
One of the more exciting Delmarva players, Jaiden Lo Re, exited the game after picking up a single and a walk in two plate appearances. Lo Re was involved in a collision on the bases, according to MASN’s Roch Kubatko. We can all hope that was just precautionary and there’s not any prolonged absence because of it.
Texas A&M Aggies' Caden Sorrell (13) catches a fly ball as Auburn Tigers take on Texas A&M Aggies during the SEC baseball tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Ala. on Friday, May 22, 2026. Auburn Tigers defeated Texas A&M Aggies 7-0. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The MLB Draft is this afternoon, which means the final batch of mock drafts have been published. Now, we wait to see which people are most in the know when it comes to the plans of all the other teams. Let’s see what people think the Phillies are going to do.
It sounds as if Horn has three or four teams that have him valued among the top-25 players in the draft, while others think he’s unsignable for how they have him evaluated. I don’t have that full list of interested teams, but rivals think that the Phillies are on the list. Marchand also fits here if he makes it this far, and Jason Amalbert is a target for a later pick.
Sorrell could be getting passed over by other college outfield profiles like Logan Hughes and Chase Brunson, but I do think he starts to pick up a lot of traction in this range. He would give a 29th-ranked Phillies farm system plenty of upside potential and tools.
Peterson has a super wide range, in our honest opinion. There’s a solid chance he goes much higher than this, but most people are split on his future outcome. The stuff is legit, but his command never turned the corner as we expected. If the Phillies had Peterson fall into their lap, they would be extremely happy.
Milwaukee Brewers infield prospect Andrew Fischer walks across the field during spring training workouts Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at American Family Fields of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona. | Dave Kallmann / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The 2026 MLB Draft kicked off earlier today, as the Chicago White Sox took UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky with the No. 1 overall pick. Milwaukee took shortstop Trey Ebel — the brother of Brewers’ 2025 No. 32 overall pick Brady Ebel — with their first pick at No. 25. For our full draft preview from Adam released earlier this week, click here. For Dave’s mock draft roundup from this morning, click here.
We’ll be keeping track of each Brewers pick as they happen, so stay tuned here for updates as the draft continues through Sunday.
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 9: Joan Beringer #19 of the Minnesota Timberwolves looks on during the game against the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2026 NBA Las Vegas Summer League on July 9, 2026 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets Date: July 11th, 2026 Time: 6:30 PM CDT Location: Cox Pavilion Television Coverage: Prime Video
After what felt like an eternity, nearly two months since the Minnesota Timberwolves’ season came to an abrupt end against the San Antonio Spurs, Wolves fans finally got to celebrate another victory.
No, it didn’t carry the emotional weight of Game 4 against San Antonio, when Anthony Edwards dragged Minnesota back from the brink to even that second-round series. Nobody is hanging a Summer League banner. Nobody is pretending July basketball belongs in the same conversation as playoff basketball. But after weeks of trade speculation, draft debates, LeBron fantasy scenarios, and endless roster discussions, it was simply refreshing to watch a Timberwolves team take the floor, wear the uniform, and come away with a win.
The 103-90 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans also marked something much bigger than the score itself. It served as the official on-court debut of the Timberwolves’ new identity. The young Timberpups took the floor wearing the franchise’s redesigned royal blue and green color scheme, quietly ushering in what the organization hopes will become the next great era of Timberwolves basketball.
The previous era officially ended when the Wolves were eliminated by San Antonio. Julius Randle and Naz Reid are gone. LaMelo Ball has arrived. The roster has been reshaped. The logo has changed. The uniforms have changed. Even if it was “just” Summer League, this was the first real glimpse of what the next chapter actually looks like, and if there was one player who stole the show, it was Joan Beringer.
Coming into Summer League, Beringer was arguably the most important player on Minnesota’s roster, not because he was expected to dominate Las Vegas, but because the Timberwolves suddenly need him. Trading away Randle and Reid completely altered Minnesota’s frontcourt. What had been one of the deepest collections of big men in basketball has suddenly become one of the roster’s biggest question marks. Rudy Gobert remains the anchor, but beyond him there are opportunities to be earned.
Beringer looked like someone fully aware of that opportunity. His stat line of 18 points and 12 rebounds will immediately catch your attention, and deservedly so. Double-doubles always look nice in July. But what should excite Wolves fans even more was the simple fact that Beringer looked noticeably more comfortable than he did during stretches of his rookie season. Instead of simply surviving possessions, he looked like he was beginning to dictate them. He played with confidence around the rim, competed on the glass, and generally looked like a player beginning to understand where he belongs on an NBA floor.
That doesn’t suddenly mean Minnesota has solved its power forward problem. Let’s not do the annual Summer League thing where every solid performance immediately becomes proof that someone is ready for 28 meaningful minutes a night in May. We’ve all been down that road before. Last summer, Terrence Shannon Jr. looked like he was ready to kick the NBA’s front door off its hinges, only for injuries to derail much of his sophomore campaign. Summer League is filled with false positives every single year.
Now the attention immediately shifts to Sunday’s matchup with Denver. Obviously, nobody should confuse this with the epic battles these franchises have shared over the past few seasons. The last time Minnesota and Denver met in games that actually counted, the stakes involved advancing through the Western Conference playoffs. This time, we’re talking about Summer League, where half the players on the floor are trying to earn training camp invitations and the other half are hoping somebody remembers their name by October.
The Nuggets now get what amounts to the smallest, pettiest, and most meaningless revenge opportunity imaginable after Minnesota eliminated them from the first round. It won’t erase anything. It won’t change history. Nobody from Denver is going to feel significantly better if their Summer League roster beats Minnesota’s Summer League roster. Still, expect Denver to come ready.
For Minnesota, the priorities remain exactly where they should be. Can Beringer build on his impressive opener? Can the organization’s first glimpse into this new era continue building momentum? Those are the real victories that matter in July.
As always, Canis Hoopus will have you covered throughout Summer League. Grab a seat in the comments section, enjoy the basketball, overreact responsibly (or irresponsibly, we won’t judge) and let’s see what these young Timberpups have in store when they take on the Denver Nuggets.
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 25: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics looks on during the game on December 25, 2023 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Two weeks ago, the idea of LeBron James signing with the Sixers on a minimum contract would have sounded like an AI hallucination. It now appears to be under serious consideration.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Sixers appeared to be in the inner circle of favorites to land LeBron, alongside the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat. He added that they were “not in the picture” prior to the Jaylen Brown trade, but LeBron is now “taking their pitch really seriously.”
Charania said Wednesday that a decision isn’t expected soon, so for now, we’ll have to stay twisting in the wind. But regardless of what James chooses to do, the fact that the Sixers are in the race at all is absurd given where they were in mid-June.
Although the trade for Jaylen Brown looks like a no-brainer at the moment (analytics nerds be damned), there’s at least one universe in which it works out better for the Celtics than it does for the Sixers. But pairing Brown with Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and Joel Embiid has caught the attention of none other than one of the greatest players of all time.
LeBron might not be the last star to think that way. That’s a testament to the work that new team president Mike Gansey and general manager Jameer Nelson have pulled off this summer.
No matter what happens from here, the Sixers have given fans reasons to buy back in again.
The era of apathy is over
Not only is Brown a clear upgrade over George at this point of their respective careers, but he’s also largely dodged the injury bug to this point. He’s missed no more than 15 games in all but one of his 10 NBA seasons, and he just played 71 this past year.
Given Embiid’s injury concerns, the Sixers couldn’t deal with another year of the nightly will-they-or-won’t-they-play game with both him and George. Brown will miss at least a few games here and there, but he figures to be far more available during the regular season than the 36-year-old George. That should help reduce the strain on Maxey and Edgecombe.
The trade doesn’t come without risk. Brown could be tough to fit on and/or off the court. The two first-round picks that the Sixers gave up could land high in the draft, especially given the new lottery system being trialed for the next few years. Now that the shock from the trade has worn off, smart basketball minds have found ways to rationalize the deal for the Celtics.
Celtics president Brad Stevens explained to reporters that he thought the team’s path “looked a little bit more challenging with 70 percent of our cap and such a high percentage of our usage tied into two players.” As someone who pushed back against the Sixers’ Big 3 hopes five months before they signed George, I can’t argue with that logic.
But the Sixers didn’t have a choice. That money was already allocated either way. It was either going to George, or it was going to someone else.
In that sense, the Sixers likely saw little harm in coughing up the draft capital it took to turn George into Brown. After all, given his age, injury history and the size of his remaining contract, it might have cost them nearly as much just to dump George outright.
After drafting Labaron Philon Jr. with the 22nd overall pick, Gansey said part of the appeal was that “he can come in and play some minutes and take a load off” Maxey and Edgecombe. That same rationale likely factored into the decision to trade for Brown.
Maxey averaged a league-leading 38.0 minutes per game last year, while Edgecombe wasn’t far behind at 35.0. That put him in a three-way tie with Anthony Edwards and Jalen Brunson for the ninth-most minutes per game in the NBA, which is absurd for a rookie. Given their spotty backcourt depth—Quentin Grimes and a half-season of Jared McCain—that massive workload was more or less out of necessity.
Between Philon and the newly signed Anfernee Simons, the Sixers have new reinforcements behind Maxey and Edgecombe, but their backcourt depth is still spotty beyond that. Luckily, Brown should be able to lighten the offensive burden on both Maxey and Edgecombe, allowing them to play fewer minutes without having the team crater in their absence.
It’s hard to believe this, but Maxey is already entering the third year of the five-year max deal that he signed in 2024. While three years might feel like an eternity in the NBA, front offices operate on far different clocks than the rest of us.
Had the Sixers not made this deal and largely ran back the same roster but with Simons, Dean Wade and Ariel Hukporti in place of Grimes, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andre Drummond, it’s fair to wonder how much better (if at all) they would be in 2026-27. Now, even if they don’t land LeBron, they’re currently considered one of the favorites in the East.
There has been zero indication that Maxey is already eyeing his exit from Philly. If anything, the addition of Edgecombe last summer should further entice him to stay. But he might have been wondering what the Sixers’ long-term plan was had they just rode out the remainder of George and Embiid’s bloated contracts.
There’s no guarantee that Brown is the answer to that question. The Sixers could once again run into the three-max problem in three years when both Maxey and Brown’s contracts expire right as Edgecombe’s rookie-scale deal runs out. They might eventually reach the same conclusion that the Celtics did about the viability of that model, although the NBA will have a new collective bargaining agreement in place by then.
There’s still plenty for head coach Nick Nurse to sort out on the court when it comes to figuring out the best way to fit Brown alongside Maxey, Edgecombe and Embiid. The LeBron wild card continues to loom large, too.
But the fact we’re having these conversations at all is absurd given where the Sixers were a few weeks ago.
Bo Naylor and Angel Genao both had big games, but it wasn’t enough for Columbus on Thursday.
Naylor went 2-for-4 with a grand slam and a double while Genao went 3-for-4 with a home run. Genao is on fire and currently is batting .303 at Triple-A with an .870 OPS. I’m super curious what Cleveland is going to do with him at this rate.
Milan Tolentino also went 2-for-4 with a double and Joe Lampe doubled.
Starting pitcher Austin Peterson got knocked around and failed to get an out in the second inning, allowing three runs on three hits with two walks and no strikeouts. Tommy Mace followed him and wasn’t much better, allowing three more runs on four hits in 3.1 innings.
Ryan Webb tossed 2.2 scoreless innings and Daniel Espino allowed a solo home run in his inning of work.
Akron RubberDucks 5, Chesapeake Baysox 3
RubberDucks improve to 38-45
The top of Akron’s order did most of the work. Nick Mitchell went 2-for-4 with a home run while Jaison Chourio went 2-for-4. I’m super curious why Chourio was pinch-ran for late in the game. I didn’t see anything about him being hurt.
Tyresse Turner went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base while Jacob Cozart doubled in a pair of runs.
Starting pitcher Caden Favors was rock solid, allowing one run on two hits with two walks and four strikeouts in 5.1 innings.
Matt Jachec was sensational, striking out all five of his outs in 1.2 innings and Alaska Abney allowed an unearned run while earning the save.
Lake County Captains 8, Lansing Lugnuts 7
Captains improve to 48-33
It was a team effort for Lake County as eight members of the lineup contributed to the offensive eruption that included four home runs.
Esteban Gonzalez had the best game, going 2-for-4 with a home run and a double. Jace LaViolette, Nolan Schubart and Ryan Cesarini also homered for their only hits of the day. Schubart’s home run was his 20th of the season already.
Garrett Howe went 2-for-4 with a triple while Aaron Walton and Tommy Hawke both went 2-for-4 with a double. Correction, both of Walton’s hits were doubles.
Starting pitcher Michael Kennedy had one of his best performances of the season. He allowed two runs on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk in 5.0 innings.
The bullpen had a rough night, allowing five runs in 4.0 innings, but the offense did enough to avoid an implosion.
Hill City Howlers 7, Charleston RiverDogs 3
Howlers improve to 35-48
Fresh off being named the Carolina League Player of the Month, 18-year-old prospect Juneiker Caceres belted a three-run home run and also had a sacrifice fly in a four-RBI performance to lead Hill City to a win.
Other offensive standouts included Riley Nelson, who went 2-for-3 and Cannon Peebles, who went 2-for-3 with a triple and a walk. Gabriel Rodriguez reached base safely three times, going 1-for-2 with two walks.
Ryan Prager I think was used as an opener, tossing a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.
Luke Fernandez followed with 4.0 solid innings of long relief, dancing around four walks and two hits. A recently-activated Conner Whittaker preserved the shutout with 2.0 scoreless frames, then Angel Perez allowed three runs in the final 2.0 innings, although the team had a seven-run lead at that point so it was fine.
ACL Guardians 6, ACL Giants 3
Guardians improve to 28-21
Another day, another perfect day at the plate for Alejandro Blasco. The outfield sensation went 2-for-2 with a walk and a sacrifice fly, raising his season OPS to 1.382.
Randy Martinez homered and walked while Estivel Morillo doubled and walked.
Starting pitcher Will Hynes was terrific, allowing one run on two hits with two walks and two strikeouts in 4.0 innings.
Reliever Randy Baron added 2.0 scoreless frames and Austin Testerman struck out the side to earn the save.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JULY 10: Tyler Alexander #13 of the Texas Rangers celebrates with teammate Kyle Higashioka #11 following the team's win over the Houston Astros at Globe Life Field on July 10, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Rangers 7, Astros 3
I’m having flashbacks to the series opener against the Angels on Tuesday.
In that game, the Rangers were tied at 3 heading into the bottom of the eighth, and then scored five runs, with a three run homer by Alejandro Osuna capping off the scoring.
In this game, the Ranges were tied at 3 heading into the bottom of the eighth, and then scored four runs, with a three run homer by Jake Burger capping off the scoring.
In the opener against the Angels, Chris Martin gave up a run late, Cole Winn had a scoreless appearance, and Tyler Alexander pitched the ninth.
In this game, Chris Martin gave up two runs late, Cole Winn had a scoreless appearance, and Tyler Alexander pitched the ninth.
A big “attaboy” for Cal Quantrill, who is doing solid work filling in for Jack Leiter in the rotation. Quantrill gave up a single run, on a Yordan Alvarez home run, in six innings of work.
Quantrill isn’t striking out a bunch of guys — he had just one K on Friday. He isn’t missing a ton of bats — he generated just two swings and misses against the Astros out of 79 pitches, which is a remarkably low rate of bat missing.
But somehow he’s managed to get guys out and keep the Rangers in games.
Jordan Montgomery’s return isn’t far off — it looks like he should be back by the end of the month — and at that point, if everyone is healthy (big ol’ if, I know), Quantrill goes back to the pen. Hopefully he can give the Rangers another start or two like this before he goes back to the long relief role.
With a bullpen that was without Jacob Latz, who had thrown 41 pitches the night before, Skip Schumaker turned to Chris Martin for the seventh inning. Martin allowed a bloop single by LaMonte Wade, Jr., an extremely hard hit line drive right to Evan Carter for an out by Cam Smith, and then a crushed home run down the left field line by Yainer Diaz to tie the game. After a routine fly out, Martin was pulled for Cole Winn, who ended up retiring all four batters he faced in the game.
Martin’s ERA is now up to 8.31 on the season. He has a 7.40 xERA and 6.57 FIP. Fortunately, this has been in only 13 innings over 15 games, because Martin has had a couple of stints on the injured list.
The Rangers could really use Good Chris Martin, given the raggedy nature of the current bullpen. That version of Chris Martin may not be coming back, though. Martin, I imagine, is going to get some more rope, if only because there aren’t any real viable options to replace him right now. But the trade deadline is looming, the Rangers will likely be shopping for relievers if they stay in the playoff hunt, and Martin’s roster spot will be danger if he doesn’t turn things around, quick.
Fortunately, the Rangers beat up on Astros reliever Bryan King, allowing us not to dwell on the Chris Martin situation.
King came into the game with a 2.03 ERA in 38 appearances on the season. He had a nine game scoreless streak going, and had allowed just one run since Joc Pederson homered off of him on May 27 in some lefty-on-lefty violence.
The Rangers blew his ERA all the way up to 2.85, thanks to Wyatt Langford leading off the inning against him with a home run, and Jake Burger hitting a three run homer later in the inning.
That’s 15 home runs in 8 games this month for the Rangers.
I like it when the Rangers hit home runs.
I also like it when Wyatt Langford is healthy. He’s now slashing .276/.324/.506 on the season, with a 1.9 bWAR in just 42 games played. That’s an MVP caliber level of performance if its done over a full season.
Cal Quantrill hit 95.8 mph with his sinker, averaging 94.4 mph. Chris Martin’s fastball hit 94.8 mph. Cole Winn reached 96.2 mph with his fastball. Tyler Alexander’s fastball topped out at 91.6 mph.
Wyatt Langford’s homer was 108.6 mph. Joc Pederson’s home run was 107.7 mph. Brandon Nimmo had a 105.2 mph double. Josh Jung had a 104.4 mph single. Jake Burger’s home run was 101.0 mph.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 08: A general view of merchandise and menu items during the 2026 All-Star Week Welcome Press Conference at Cadillac Hall of Fame Club at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday, July 8, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Allie Ippolito/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Guardians won a game against a good team, downing the Marlins 3-2.
We are ramping up for the MLB draft starting at 1pm ET. Read our draft prep article here. Matt Seese and myself discussed the MLB draft on Disgusting Baseball Podcast here.
AROUND MLB:
The White Sox and Tigers won, the Twins and Royals lost.
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 17: Commissioner Robert D. Manfred announces the 25th pick for the New York Yankees during the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft at L.A. Live on Sunday, July 17, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
It’s that special time of year again. A new generation of Yankees will enter the farm system in the coming days and weeks through the Major League Baseball Draft, seeking to make their mark on this historic franchise. The highest picks will understandably get the most attention, but remember that impact can come from anywhere. Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice have Cy Young and MVP cases this year while making their first All-Star Game, and the Yankees nabbed them in the seventh and 12th round of the 2022 and 2021 drafts, respectively.
Jake, Madison, Michael, Peter, Jonathan, and our old friend Dan Kelly—who previewed the draft for us—will join me in delving into all of the Yankees’ new draft picks, from their first four today to Round 5 and beyond tomorrow. Note that the two-day draft schedule from Philadelphia is a little different from last year and very different from the years before that, when this was a three-day event. If you’re curious about who the Yankees might take, Dan wrote a good roundup of names from recent mock drafts, though as he notes, predicting who exactly will still be on the board at No. 35 overall is quite difficult.
If you have any interest in following the MLB Draft proceedings beyond PSA’s coverage (which you can find here), check out the viewing guide below. The best guess is that the Yankees won’t pick until around 4pm-ish.
Saturday, July 11: Rounds 1-4
1:00-2:30 p.m. ET – Preview show + Picks 1-10 (NBC/Peacock) 2:30-4:30 p.m. ET – Picks 11-40 (MLB Network, MLB.com, MLB.tv, MLB+) 4:30-7:45 p.m. ET – Picks 41-135 (MLB.com, MLB.tv, MLB+)
Sunday, July 12: Rounds 5-20
11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. ET (MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)
Below is the draft order for Sunday’s coverage. The Yankees are picking 10 spots behind where they would have lined up due to luxury tax penalties (as are the Dodgers, Mets, Phillies, and Blue Jays). So their first pick won’t come until No. 35 overall, though because they didn’t sign any free agents this past offseason, they do have all their expected picks.
Note that under current MLB rules, the only draft picks that can be traded are Competitive Balance Round picks, and while the Yankees are technically picking in the first Competitive Balance Round, it is considered an untradeable first-round pick that simply moved back 10 spots.
The first half of the first round was primarily curated by last December’s MLB Draft Lottery, which the White Sox won. The Rays are in first place right now, but they fared well in the lotto last year and will get the No.2 pick, with the Twins selecting after them. UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey, and Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson are all expected to go within the first three picks, though it remains to be seen who the Pale Hose will pick to kick off the action. As a darkly amusing reminder (like with the White Sox from 2024-25), the 119-loss Rockies were ineligible from picking any higher than 10th this year because they’re a revenue sharing team that also had lotto picks in 2024 and 2025.
That’s enough semantics. Here’s the order!
Round 1
White Sox
Rays
Twins
Giants
Pirates
Royals
Orioles
Athletics
Braves
Rockies
Nationals
Angels
Cardinals
Marlins
Diamondbacks
Rangers
Astros
Reds
Guardians
Red Sox
Padres
Tigers
Cubs
Mariners
Brewers
Prospect Promotion Incentive Picks
26. Braves [for Drake Baldwin winning NL Rookie of the Year] 27. Mets [No. 17 pick moved back due to luxury tax] 28. Astros [for Hunter Brown finishing in the top three for AL Cy Young]
Competitive Balance Round
29. Giants [acquired from Guardians for Patrick Bailey] 30. Royals 31. Diamondbacks 32. Cardinals 33. Rays [acquired from Orioles for Shane Baz 34. White Sox [acquired from Pirates for Jacob Gonzalez and Brandon Eisert] 35. Yankees [No. 25 pick moved back due to luxury tax] — Hunter Dietz 36. Phillies [No. 26 pick moved back due to luxury tax] 37. Rockies
Round 2
38. Rockies 39. Blue Jays [No. 29 pick moved back due to luxury tax] 40. Dodgers [No. 30 pick moved back due to luxury tax] 41. White Sox 42. Nationals 43. Twins 44. Pirates 45. Angels 46. Orioles 47. Athletics 48. Braves 49. Rays 50. Cardinals 51. Pirates [compensation for unsigned 2025 No. 50 pick] 52. Marlins 53. Diamondbacks 54. Rangers 55. Giants 56. Royals 57. Astros 58. Reds 59. Guardians 60. Padres 61. Tigers 62. Cubs 63. Yankees — Sean Duncan 64. Phillies 65. Mariners 66. Brewers
Competitive Balance/Compensation Round
67. Red Sox [acquired from Brewers for Caleb Durbin and two others) 68. Cardinals [acquired from Mariners for Brendan Donovan] 69. Tigers 70. Reds 71. Marlins 72. Cardinals [acquired from Rays in Brendan Donovan trade] 73. Athletics 74. Twins 75. Cubs [for losing Kyle Tucker in free agency, and no luxury tax]
133. Astros [for losing Framber Valdez in free agency as luxury tax payor] 134. Padres [for losing Dylan Cease in free agency as luxury tax payor] 135. Phillies [for losing Ranger Suárez in free agency as luxury tax payor]
The draft will then be on hold until Sunday at 11:30am ET, and it will be a primarily MLB.com-focused event from there. Usually, they make it pretty easy to follow the draft picks though, and there won’t be much pomp and circumstance between selections. If anything, it will be just enough time for their draft experts to opine on the picks, and then it’s onto the next!
The draft order is largely the same in the fifth and sixth round, aside from the Dodgers losing picks due to various free agent signings. Then from the seventh round onward, it’s all straightforward “worst record to best record + playoff results” 1-30. You can check out the full order here.
Per Baseball America, the Yankees have a total draft bonus pool of $7,342,800 to spend, meaning that they can go over or under the given slot number on any pick, but in the end, their grand total must stay below that amount. Here’s how the slots are divvied up:
Round
Overall pick
Slot value
1
35
$2,826,700
2
63
$1,451,700
3
99
$792,300
4
127
$603,500
5
160
$437,200
6
189
$341,800
7
218
$270,000
8
248
$223,100
9
278
$203,500
10
308
$193,000
$7,342,800
The Yankees can vary their bonus levels; any left over might be used to help sign draft prospects with signability questions in the 11th round and beyond for more than the allotted $150,000 value. Teams can spend over their allotted pools, but not without penalties:
A team that exceeds its bonus pool faces a penalty. A club outspending its allotment by 0-5 percent pays a 75 percent tax on the overage. At higher thresholds, a team loses future picks: a first-rounder and a 75 percent tax for surpassing its pool by more than 5 and up to 10 percent; a first- and a second-rounder and a 100 percent tax for more than 10 and up to 15 percent; and two first-rounders and a 100 percent tax for more than 15 percent.
Apr 19, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Mets center fielder Luis Robert Jr. (88) is seen in the dugout against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images
MJ Melendez continuned his hot tear, going 1-3 with a solo home run; Ryan Clifford, named to the Futures Game yesterday, did not take advantage of his upcoming spotlight, striking out twice in three at-bats. Jack Wenninger tossed four and two-thirds innings of two-run ball in the Syracuse dub.
Rehabbing Luis Robert Jr. smacked a solo home run in Binghamton’s lopsided loss to the Yard Goats. The Rumble Ponies only collected four hits and two walks against Hartford pitching.
Two potential bullpen arms from the start of the season were rehabbing in Brooklyn tonight, and both did exceptionally well. Robert Stock struck out eight without allowing a baserunner in three and a third innings of work, while Kevin Herget allowed one walk in an otherwise perfect two innings.
Miguel Mejias was the only St. Lucie pitcher to not surrender a run in their loss to the Hammerheads. Mets’ batters struck out 11 times against Jupiter pitching.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - JULY 14: Major League Baseball commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. announces the pick for the Pittsburgh Pirates at the 2024 MLB Draft at Cowtown Coliseum on July 14, 2024 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The 2026 MLB Draft is this weekend, Saturday, July 11, at the Philadelphia Convention Center. The opning day of the draft will include the first four rounds and will start at 1:30pm EST, with TV coverage starting at 1:00pm.
This year, rounds 5-20 will take place on Sunday, July 12.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have the largest bonus pool in MLB history at $19,130,700 to go along with the number five overall pick and 22 total picks in the draft. Baseball America had this to say about the Bucs and the draft:
“Because of the amount of money they have to spend it would be surprising if their draft haul wasn’t one of the most compelling in the league after the draft is over.”
Here’s how to access the MLB Draft.
TV and Streaming
Day 1: Saturday, July 11 (Rounds 1-4) • 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET – Picks 1-10 (NBC/Peacock) • 2:30-4:30 p.m. ET – Picks 11-40 (MLB Network, MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+) • 4:30-7:45 p.m. ET – Picks 41-135 (MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)
Day 2: Sunday, July 12 (Rounds 5-20) • 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. ET (MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)
2026 MLB Draft Order (First Round + PPI Picks + Competitive Balance Round A)
Chicago White Sox
Tampa Bay Rays
Minnesota Twins
San Francisco Giants
Pittsburgh Pirates
Kansas City Royals
Baltimore Orioles
Athletics
Atlanta Braves
Colorado Rockies
Washington Nationals
Los Angeles Angels
St. Louis Cardinals
Miami Marlins
Arizona Diamondbacks
Texas Rangers
Houston Astros
Cincinnati Reds
Cleveland Guardians
Boston Red Sox
San Diego Padres
Detroit Tigers
Chicago Cubs
Seattle Mariners
Milwaukee Brewers
Prospect Promotion Incentive Picks
Atlanta Braves (Drake Baldwin – 2025 NL Rookie of the Year)
New York Mets
Houston Astros (Hunter Brown – Top-3 finish in 2025 AL Cy Young Award voting)
The 2026 MLB Draft starts on Saturday, with the first 135 picks and four rounds of the 20-round, two-day affair. The Dodgers have two picks on Saturday, their selections thinned by free agent spending in the winter.
The Dodgers picking 40th overall is familiar in recent years, as that’s the selection they used to draft catcher Dalton Rushing in 2022 and pitcher Zach Root in 2025. In both cases, the Dodgers’ first pick dropped 10 spots due to the competitive balance tax the previous year.
Three other times the Dodgers have drafted 40th overall, including shortstop Thomas Harris in 1967 and outfielder Don Carroll in 1987, neither of whom reached the majors. With respect to Rushing, perhaps the most consequential No. 40 pick in Dodgers history was pitcher Luke Hochevar in 2005. Hochevar did not sign with the Dodgers, but was drafted first overall the next year by the Kansas City Royals, which caused a cascading effect that led to Clayton Kershaw being available at seventh overall in 2006.
Dodgers Day 1 picks
1st round, 40th overall
4th round, 132nd overall
Draft coverage begins at 10 a.m. PT on NBC and Peacock, then shifts to MLB Network for picks 11-40. MLB Network’s coverage is tentatively scheduled to run through 1:30 p.m. PT, so expect the Dodgers’ first selection to come right around then.
After the first 40 picks, it’s all streaming the rest of the way, covered by MLB.com and MLB.tv. Draft coverage is tentatively scheduled to run through 4:45 p.m. PT and there are 135 picks, so expect the Dodgers’ fourth-rounder at No. 132 some time near 4 p.m.
