Category: Sports News

The Houston Astros offseason checklist had at the very top: Starting Pitcher, Lefthanded OF Power Bat, Righty Leverage Reliever.

As we approach the trade deadline, those have not changed.

Further adding to this, in his latest Sunday Notebook, longtime MLB reporter and insider Bob Nightengale mentioned the following about the Astros:

The Houston Astros, badly needing an outfielder, are showing strong interest in Mickey Moniak and Jake McCarthy of the Colorado Rockies. They also plan to be in the Tarik Skubal and Sonny Gray sweepstakes.

Nightengale has proven to be very clued in on the Astros throughout their Golden Age, so his reporting on them should be considered very in tune with the club’s thinking and processes.

Moniak, 28, is a former 1st round pick in 2016 drafted out of high school by the Philadelphia Phillies. He was brought up at age 22 the first time, and again at age 23 for a brief time as well, and struggled badly. He was traded to the Los Angeles Angels at the deadline in 2022 for Noah Syndergaard.

2023 finally led to a breakthrough season for Moniak, who hit .280 with 14 HR and 45 RBI after being called up May 12. He posted an .802 OPS, but only a .307 OBP because he walked just 9 times in 323 PA.

In 2024 he would regress, batting just .214 with a .266 OBP and .686 OPS. The Angels released him March 25, 2025.

The next day, he signed a 1 year, $1.25M deal with the Colorado Rockies. His first year in Denver, Moniak hit .270 with a career-best 24 HR and 68 RBI. He again posted a strong OPS (.824) despite a weak OBP (.306).

So far this season, Moniak is batting .282 with a .333 OBP and .945 OPS with 15 HR and 37 RBI in 55 games.

Moniak is not known as a strong defender, with limited range and a weaker arm. He would likely be a left fielder on the Astros.

Moniak is signed to a 1 year, $4M contract and still has one more season of arbitration eligibility.

McCarthy, 28, is another former 1st round pick, chosen 39th overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2018 out of University of Virginia. McCarthy is a name that has previously been connected with the Astros, a lefthanded hitter with terrific speed.

McCarthy is in his first season in Colorado, having been acquired from the DBacks in trade on January 10 this year. He’s responded with arguably his best season, batting .307 with a .344 OBP and .862 OPS with 9 HR and 47 RBI. He also has 16 doubles, 5 triples, and 14 stolen bases.

McCarthy first broke through in 2022 in Arizona when he finished 4th in NL ROY voting after batting .283 with a .342 OBP and .769 OPS. In 99 games (354 PA), McCarthy finished with 8 HR, 43 RBI, and 23 SB. His 30.1 ft/sec sprint speed was clocked as the fastest in the majors among right fielders for that season.

His career has been up and down, as the following year his batting regressed to .243 AVG, .318 OBP, .644 OPS, but then he rebounded in 2024 to .285 AVG, .349 OBP, .749 OPS.

He began 2025 in a terrible slump, starting 3×41 before being optioned to Triple-A Reno on April 19. He hit .314 in 49 games for Reno, and was recalled by the big league team again on June 24. He would appear in just 67 games last season, hitting a career-worst .204, leading to his offseason trade to the Rockies.

McCarthy is signed to a 1 year, $1.525M contract, and has 2 more years of arbitration eligibility.

Most Astros fans probably believe that Tarik Skubal will be out of the Astros price range, and that may be true, but the team is still keeping tabs on him. It should be noted that once upon a time, Justin Verlander was considered to be out of the Astros price range, but team owner Jim Crane led the charge for the deal (in fact, he’s led the charge for a Verlander trade twice). So while it would seem unlikely, it shouldn’t be considered impossible.

Skubal, 29, is the 2x reigning AL Cy Young Award winner. He has led the AL in WAR (among pitchers), ERA, ERA+ and FIP each of the past 2 years. He was a Triple Crown winner in 2024.

Skubal underwent surgery May 4 to remove loose bodies from his elbow with a new procedure called the NanoNeedle Scope 2.0. Whereas the nromal return to play time for arthroscopic surgery is 2-3 months, Skubal was able to return in under 6 weeks. He made his final start before surgery on April 29, and returned to the rotation on June 13. In his most recent start against the New York Yankees, he went 6 innings, allowing only 1 ER on 1 hit, struck out 9 and did not walk a batter.

For the season, Skubal is 4-4 with a 3.15 ERA and 0.91 WHIP. He has maintained his usual elite command, with a 75/8 K/BB ratio in 65.2 IP.

Skubal is signed to a 1 year, $32M contract, and is a free agent at the end of the season.

Gray, 36, was an offseason target of the Astros that they were unable to acquire when the Boston Red Sox offered top starting pitching prospects Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke to secure the deal from the St. Louis Cardinals.

Gray is having a tremendous season for the underachieving Red Sox, leading the AL with 10 wins against only 1 loss. His .909 win percentage is also tops in the AL. Sporting a 2.61 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over 89.2 IP, Gray’s command continues to be excellent with an 82/23 K/BB rate.

Gray’s contract situation is a little more complicated than the others, but not necessarily in a bad way. As part of the trade to Boston, the Cardinals agreed to pick up $20M of the $31M Gray was owed for this season, making Gray’s effective cost for this season only $11M. He also has a mutual option for next season for $30M. As part of that mutual option, the team can opt out with a $10M buyout. If the player opts out, he gets no buyout.

Texas Rangers lineup for July 5, 2026 against the Detroit Tigers: starting pitchers are Kumar Rocker for the Rangers and Casey Mize for the Tigers.

Texas is looking to win their third straight series and stay above .500. The offense is looking to rebound from yesterday’s unpleasantness. Alejandro Osuna is getting the day off.

The lineup:

Pederson — DH

Jung — 3B

Nimmo — RF

Burger — 1B

Duran — SS

Carter — CF

Smith — LF

Diaz — C

Lopez — 2B

2:30 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are +105 underdogs.

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Ranger Suarez has pitched lights out over the past month, looking like the high-impact starter Boston signed him to be.

With a massive starting pitching advantage, my Red Sox vs. Angels predictions and MLB picks see value in backing the road team — even as -160 favorites.

Who will win Red Sox vs Angels tonight: Boston Red Sox (-160)

Ranger Suarez is in great form. He has posted a 3.58 xERA or better in five consecutive starts, allowing just seven total runs. Suarez has shown more strikeout prowess, recording an impressive 28.8 K% along the way.

He is primed to continue that success against the Los Angeles Angels. They rank 22nd in wOBA and have struck out at the third-highest rate vs. lefties since June 1.

The Boston Red Sox should give Suarez run support against Ryan Johnson, who owns a 7.40 ERA and has allowed 2.22 homers per nine innings.

Playable to -180.

COVERS INTEL: Ranger Suarez ranks in the 96th percentile in Pitcher Run Value, including boasting an average exit velocity that sits in the 90th percentile.

Red Sox vs Angels Over/Under pick: Under 8 (-105)

Suarez has given up only seven earned runs over seven away starts since April 1, and he also possesses a 1.95 ERA over six starts against Bottom-10 teams in batting average against left-handed pitching.

The southpaw is likely to carve up this Angels team, forcing the Red Sox to score in bulk to push this total Over.

While Johnson has been underwhelming overall, he’s allowed just one run over his last 11 innings of work.

Play to -115.

Red Sox vs Angels weather

Temperatures are expected in the low 80s with a slight wind blowing out, giving a small boost to the offenses.

Red Sox vs Angels odds

• Moneyline: Red Sox -160 | Angels +140
• Run line: Red Sox -1.5 (+105) | Angels +1.5 (-125)
• Over/Under: Over 8 (-115) | Under 8 (-105)

Red Sox vs Angels trend

Los Angeles has hit the game total Under in 29 of its last 50 home games (+7.50 units, 14% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Red Sox vs. Angels.

How to watch Red Sox vs Angels and game info

Red Sox vs Angels latest injuries

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The Los Angeles Dodgers are heavy favorites against the San Diego Padres, but this spread price is too aggressive.

JP Sears has real contact-risk issues, but Emmet Sheehan is not safe enough to justify laying a run and a half at this number.

Here are my Padres vs. Dodgers predictions and MLB picks for July 5.

Who will win Padres vs Dodgers tonight: Padres +1.5 (-114)

COVERS INTEL: JP Sears' expected ERA is currently three runs higher than it's been during the completion of a season in his MLB career.

Padres vs Dodgers Over/Under pick: Under 9.5 (-105)

I made this total 9.1 and see value on the Under down to -135. The reasoning is a continued echo of the sentiment above. 

Sears can do enough to keep the Dodgers from putting up a big number, and the Padres offense won't explode against Sheehan. An Under bet with the best offense in baseball is always a risk, but I project L.A. for 4.5 runs.

On the other side, Sheehan is imperfect with a 10.4% barrel rate allowed, but his 26.1% strikeout rate can keep the Padres from carrying their half.

Padres vs Dodgers weather

Padres vs Dodgers odds

• Moneyline: Padres +184 | Dodgers -210
• Run line: Padres +1.5 | Dodgers -1.5
• Over/Under: Over 9.5 | Under 9.5

How to watch Padres vs Dodgers and game info

Padres vs Dodgers latest injuries

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The MLB draft is creeping ever closer, taking place exactly one week from today. This is our latest version of what the prognosticators believe will be happening. You can find each of the earlier roundups by clicking on the different links before you see how much things have changed.

Mock draft roundup, 1.0

Mock draft roundup, 2.0

As a reminder, the Phillies will not be choosing their first player until #36 because of passing the second luxury tax threshold too many years in a row, which is a good thing.

MLB Pipeline – Jack Radel, RHP – Notre Dame

Radel’s riding fastball now sits at 93-95 mph and touches 98 while holding velocity deep into games. He’s doing a better job of locating a mid-80s slider with depth that has become a solid offering, while his new upper-80s cutter elicits plenty of chases. He lands his 78-82 mph curveball for strikes and mixes in an upper-80s changeup with fade and sink against left-handers.

Though Radel doesn’t have a true plus offering and his pitch shapes are fairly ordinary, he succeeds because of his pitchability and competitiveness. Combining a high release point with good extension gives batters a different look and he pounds the strike zone. He’s a high-floor starter who could fit into the middle of a rotation.

Baseball America – Caden Sorrell, OF – Texas A&M

Sorrell has better physical tools and athleticism than a handful of the hitters who are likely to go in front of him. His 23.9% career strikeout rate means he is probably going in the back of the first round or shortly after it, and the Phillies sound like one of the teams who could take a shot on his power/speed combo and center field profile.

SI – Caden Sorrell, OF – Texas A&M

ESPN – Will Brick, C – Christian Brother HS (Tennessee)

The Phillies love prep athletic-testing standouts at premium positions and Brick fits that profile while being young for the class after reclassifying from 2027. He’s a catcher/shortstop tweener with 25-plus homer upside and feel to get to it in games.

Mets lineup

Francisco Lindor – SS
Juan Soto – DH
Bo Bichette – 3B
Mark Vientos – 1B
Carson Benge – RF
Tyrone Taylor – LF
A.J. Ewing – CF
Luis Torrens – C
Brett Baty – 2B

SP: Nolan McLean – RHP

Braves lineup

Drake Baldwin – C
Ozzie Albies – 2B
Matt Olson – 1B
Michael Harris – CF
Mauricio Dubon – LF
Dominic Smith – DH
Austin Riley – 3B
Mike Yastrzemski – RF
Jim Jarvis – SS

SP: Martin Perez – LHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 12:30 PM ET
TV: NBC, Peacock
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

Across the last century of baseball, few players fit their era quite as well as Rich “Goose” Gossage. With a high-octane fastball and an intimidating, occasionally hirsute look on the mound, he rose to prominence in the game as the concept of a capable bullpen was undergoing a revolution, and in those days of firemen and multi-inning relief aces, Goose stood out as one of the best. Among the first big-ticket names in free agency as well, Gossage signed with the Yankees as they were coming off a championship in 1977 and then helped them win another in ’78.

Richard Michael “Goose” Gossage
Born: July 5, 1951 (Colorado Springs, CO)
Yankees Tenure: 1978-83, 1989

Before he was Goose, he was simply Rick to his family. Growing up as the fifth of six children, Gossage formed a close relationship with his father, Jack, who worked as a landscaper by trade and spent much of his free time prospecting for gold after catching a case of gold fever.

Gossage attended Wasson High School in Colorado Springs, where he starred in both baseball and basketball. During his junior year, tragedy struck when his father passed away. A firm believer in his son’s powerful right arm, Jack Gossage allegedly insisted from an early age that Rick would someday pitch in the major leagues. If true, it was a prediction that proved prophetic or, at the very least, one spoken into existence.

Gossage’s path to the majors began right out of high school when the White Sox selected him in the ninth round of the 1970 MLB Draft. He impressed enough that summer to finish the season in Class A. Gossage soaked up advice and formed close bonds with his coaches as he adjusted to professional baseball and dedicated himself to the game.

In 1971, at just 19 years old, Gossage found himself in the starting rotation at the Class A level. It was the season that put Gossage on the map as he was named the Topps Midwest League Player of the Year. He earned the honor by winning 18 games while posting a 1.83 ERA with 149 strikeouts across 187 innings.

Chicago was impressed enough to invite Gossage to spring training before the 1972 season. It was there that the legendary nickname was born when teammate Tom Bradley told Gossage he looked like a goose while peering in for the catcher’s signs. The nickname stuck. Before ever throwing a major league pitch, the legend of Goose Gossage was born, and it would become the name baseball fans knew him by for the rest of his life.

Gossage was so impressive with an upper-90s fastball that could touch triple digits that he broke camp with the big league club. In his rookie season, Gossage went 7-1 with a 4.28 ERA, but he was still learning to harness his electric arm. That lack of command resulted in him averaging nearly five walks per nine innings. In many ways, he looked like the real-life version of Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn. Those command issues led to Gossage bouncing between the major and minor leagues over his first few professional seasons.

Then, in 1975, everything clicked. Coincidentally, it was also the same season Major League Baseball adopted the modern save rule, forever linking one of the game’s most intimidating relievers with the birth of the statistic that would help define his Hall of Fame career and later become one of his most frequent subjects of criticism.

At 23 years old, Gossage made his first All-Star team. He finished the season with a 1.84 ERA, 26 saves, and 141.2 innings pitched while striking out 151 batters. Following that breakout campaign, the White Sox hoped to maximize Gossage’s value by converting him into a starting pitcher for the 1976 season. In the rotation, Gossage made his second straight All-Star team despite pitching for a club that lost 97 games. Across 29 starts, he went 9-17 with a 3.94 ERA over 224.0 innings.

Prior to the start of the 1977 season, Gossage was traded alongside Terry Forster to the Pittsburgh Pirates for outfielder Richie Zisk and pitcher Silvio Martínez. Gossage never enjoyed the rhythm of being a starting pitcher and gladly welcomed a return to the bullpen.

The move paid immediate dividends. The 1977 season proved to be one of Gossage’s best, and it came during his walk year. He recorded 26 saves with a 1.62 ERA while striking out 151 batters in 133 innings. After the season, the Pirates were unable to reach an agreement with Gossage, making him the crown jewel of the free-agent market.

The Yankees were fresh off a World Series championship and already had the reigning Cy Young Award winner, Sparky Lyle, anchoring the bullpen. However, never one to sit on his wallet, George Steinbrenner wanted another splash, and he decided Gossage was the ticket. As teammate Graig Nettles said, Sparky “went from Cy Young to Sayonara.” The two sides agreed to a six-year contract on November 22, 1977.

After a rocky start in pinstripes, much like the rest of the club, Gossage and the Yankees turned the summer of 1978 into one for the ages. At their lowest point, the Yankees trailed the Red Sox by 14.5 games. New York completed one of baseball’s greatest comebacks, and it was Gossage who induced Carl Yastrzemski to pop up to Graig Nettles for the final out of the legendary one-game playoff, completing one of the greatest collapses and comebacks in baseball history.

The Yankees went on to claim the World Series title, the only World Series championship Gossage would win as a player. The following season was one Yankees fans would rather forget. Still reeling from the untimely death of Thurman Munson, the club also lost Gossage for nearly three months after he tore ligaments in his thumb during a clubhouse fight with teammate Cliff Johnson. The Yankees missed the postseason in what became the definition of a lost season.

The Yankees and a healthy Gossage rebounded in 1980. Gossage recorded a career-high 33 saves and was selected to his fifth All-Star team. Everything appeared to be going according to plan until George Brett sent the Yankees home with a home run off Gossage in the American League Championship Series.

That defeat proved to be a turning point in Gossage’s relationship with the organization. As a way to needle Steinbrenner, Gossage grew his now infamous Fu Manchu mustache in protest of the Yankees’ facial hair policy.

Gossage continued to be a force while sporting the new look. Over the final three years of his contract, he recorded 72 more saves and earned All-Star selections in both 1981 and 1982. Despite the success, the relationship with Steinbrenner continued to deteriorate. Gossage famously referred to the owner as “the fat man upstairs,” and he also maintained a strained relationship with manager Billy Martin.

New York tried to re-sign Gossage after his contract expired following the 1983 season, but the veteran decided his time in Yankees management had run its course and instead signed with the Padres. During his age-32 and age-33 seasons, Gossage made the All-Star team both years and helped San Diego reach the 1984 World Series, where the Padres fell to the Tigers.

Gossage spent four seasons on the West Coast before the Padres traded him, along with Ray Hayward, to the Chicago Cubs for Mike Brumley and Keith Moreland. He spent the 1988 season on the North Side, completing a tour of both sides of Chicago. Prior to the 1989 season, the 37-year-old Gossage signed with the San Francisco Giants. That August, he was placed on waivers, and the Yankees successfully claimed him.

His return gave Gossage seven seasons in pinstripes. During his final stint in New York, he appeared in 11 games and posted a 3.77 ERA.

It seemed to most that this would be it for Gossage, but he opted to pitch professionally in Japan in 1990 before returning to the majors for four more seasons. Those final years included one with the Rangers, two with the Athletics, and the final campaign of his career with the Mariners in 1994.

In 2008, Gossage received baseball’s highest honor when he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The voters made him wait eight ballots before finally enshrining him in Cooperstown.

Whether you hate his old-school, unfiltered vocabulary or love his tough-guy mentality, I’d bet he probably feels the same way about you. Like him or not, there is no denying Gossage remains one of the greatest relief pitchers ever to wear Yankee pinstripes and one of the original great closers in baseball history.

Happy birthday, Goose.

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

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There's value all across the board this afternoon, and I found three hitters I love to leave the yard.

I break down my favorite home run predictions and MLB player props below.

Best MLB home run props today

Player to hit a HR	Odds
Jac Caglianone	+377
Andrew Vaughn	+760
Carson Kelly	+860
💲Today's HR parlay	+37907

Home run pick: Jac Caglianone (+377)

A man who only seems to generate hard-hit balls is Kansas City Royals up and coming superstar Jac Caglianone. Over his last 60 plate appearances against right-handed pitching, he's produced a 68.6% hard-hit rate and a 23% barrel rate. Over his last 30 plate appearances, those numbers have climbed to a 73.68% hard-hit rate and a 26.32% barrel rate.

Caglianone draws Philadelphia Phillies veteran Aaron Nola, who owns a 6.23 ERA against the last 60 left-handed hitters he's faced. During that span, he has also allowed a 46% hard-hit rate, a 13.5% barrel rate, and a 70.2% elevation rate. Those lefties have generated a .583 xSLG and a .332 xwOBA.

The Royals slugger has excellent arsenal coverage against Nola's subpar pitch mix, making this a great spot for the young fella to take the veteran deep this afternoon.

• Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Peacock

Home run pick: Andrew Vaughn (+760)

Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Andrew Vaughn finds himself in a boom spot against Arizona Diamondbacks southpaw Eduardo Rodríguez. Vaughn enters Sunday with an elite Batters-Box rating while covering 80% of Rodríguez's subpar pitch mix.

The Brewers slugger has been tearing up left-handers all season. Over his last 60 plate appearances against southpaws, he owns a .408 batting average, .714 slugging percentage, and 1.231 OPS, while generating a 48.8% hard-hit rate.

On the other side, Rodríguez has been torched by right-handed hitters. On the road against them, he is allowing a staggering 77.3% elevation rate and nearly a 40% hard-hit rate. Across the last 90 batted balls he has allowed to righties, they own a .599 xSLG and .356 xwOBA.

We are offered some pretty brutal home run prices regularly, but if +760 does not get your mouth watering against a pitcher allowing the ball to be elevated nearly 80% of the time, while the hitter you are backing is consistently making loud contact, this market is probably not for you.

• Time: 4:00 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Peacock

Home run pick: Carson Kelly (+860)

Yet another price I could not ignore this afternoon, Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly to go bye-bye at nearly 9/1. Kelly carries an elite Batters-Box rating this evening, covering 80% of Cardinals left-hander Matthew Liberatore's below-average pitch mix.

Kelly has crushed left-handed pitching this season while consistently making hard contact. Over his last 60 plate appearances against southpaws, he owns a .364 batting average, .618 slugging percentage, and 1.045 OPS, while generating a 46% hard-hit rate and 10.6% barrel rate.

Liberatore has struggled against right-handed hitters all season. Away from home, he has allowed them to elevate the ball 67.1% of the time while giving up a 43.3% hard-hit rate. Over the last 60 right-handed batters he has faced, opponents are elevating the ball 72.7% of the time, producing a 41% hard-hit rate and a massive 20.4% barrel rate.

They also own an .855 expected slugging percentage and .433 expected wOBA during that stretch. Sure, Kelly only has four nukes on the season, but with the amount of hard contact he has generated, he probably should have more.

• Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Peacock

Today’s HR parlay

Jac Caglianone	Bet Now +37907
Andrew Vaughn
Carson Kelly

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The Yankees needed an emergency starter on Saturday in the wake of Carlos Rodón’s return to the IL—Brendan Beck was the man tapped to do it, and he struggled through 3.2 innings in an eventual 11-4 loss to the Twins. On Sunday morning, the Yankees made the expected move, optioning Beck back to Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre. Angel Chivilli has been recalled in a corresponding swap as the Yankees search for some extra bullpen help.

Chivilli, who debuted with the Rockies at just 21 years old in 2024, made a brief cameo with the Yankees this April, appearing in two games. Chivilli hit the 15-day IL on April 25th with right shoulder discomfort, returning on June 11th and remaining in Scranton. He has pitched to a 1.08 ERA across 12 appearances with the RailRiders this season.

It’s unlikely too many will remember this minor transaction from the offseason, but Chivilli was traded last winter for first baseman T.J. Rumfield, who has enjoyed a breakout rookie campaign in Colorado. The Yankees would certainly like the young right-hander to eventually emerge as a useful option for a bullpen—they’re big fans of his stuff, particularly his changeup, which has flashed elite swing-and-miss potential. But as far as the here-and-now, he’s probably going to be deployed in low-leverage spots—as he did when he popped up earlier in the season.

It doesn’t always feel like it, but Yankees relievers have pitched to a 3.15 ERA this season, which ranks second in MLB behind the Braves. In terms of fWAR, the core grades out seventh in the league. Some individual relievers have struggled, however—Camilo Doval has a 4.81 ERA on the season, and allowed four runs in the eighth inning on Saturday.

With a right-handed starter on the mound for the New York Mets in Sunday’s 12:30 p.m. ET game, the Atlanta Braves unsurprisingly are pivoting back to a righty-focused batting order.

Drake Baldwin is back in the leadoff spot after Mauricio Dubón led off Saturday night, dropping Dubón into the five-hole. Additionally, Dominic Smith gets the start at designated hitter (batting sixth) and Jim Jarvis is back at shortstop and hitting ninth against Mets starter Nolan McLean (5-5, 3.78 ERA).

Over his two career starts against the Braves, Atlanta’s current hitters are a combined 4-for-23 (.174) against McLean. No one has more than one hit and all of the hits are singles, along with a combined eight strikeouts and three walks.

Smith and Mike Yastrzemski have the lone two RBIs for Braves hitters off McLean.

The Mets are largely keeping the same lineup from Saturday, with Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto in the top two spots, albeit with Soto DHing this time. Luis Torrens replaces Francisco Alvarez behind the plate, and AJ Ewing is in center field, replacing Eric Wagaman, who DHed on Saturday.

Current Mets hitters are a combined 21-for-64 (.328) against Braves starter Martín Pérez (6-5, 3.27). The players you would probably expect are leading that charge. Bo Bichette is 5-for-10 with two doubles, Francisco Lindor is 8-for-19 (.421) with a double, five walks and one strikeout and Juan Soto is 4-for-10 with the only Mets homer off Pérez and three of the four RBIs.

While the Mets have had some success against Pérez, he’s 5-0 with a 2.94 ERA in 11 career appearances (seven starts) against the franchise.

Let’s see if he can keep that rolling and the Braves can inch closer to a Mets mop on a sweltering Sunday afternoon in Atlanta.

I’m going to start here again, there are still only five teams with more wins than the Cubs through July 4. On a pace to win 89 games. Go math. The Cubs played a game and lost. That lowered their overall win pace by an equivalent number. We’re getting to the point in the season where that pace doesn’t move a lot day to day and it takes streaks to move the number one way or the other.

Pete Crow-Armstrong was named an All-Star Saturday night. The Cubs are the fifth best team to date in the NL and they got a single player. Not that slots are apportioned relative to team strength, you could be a very bad team and have two superstars who make the team. Or a very good team that doesn’t get multiple players.

Ben Brown was the only other Cub who I felt flashed star level performance for any significant length of time. I didn’t think he’d done enough and then he got hurt. So this felt correct. I didn’t look over the rest of the roster or any of the usual noise out there that so and so didn’t belong there and so and so got snubbed. There are more good players than All-Star spots and typically the every team should be represented ruled leads to one or two guys who maybe otherwise wouldn’t be there. The most I’ve ever done is feel a guy was good enough to deserve consideration. I’d always rather they just got the days off. But I recognize it’s cool for the players to get to go at least once or twice in a career.

On the field in Chicago Saturday night, there wasn’t a lot of positive going on. Hat tip to Cubs pitchers, three runs over nine is a fine performance. They ended up using five pitchers to do it. But they didn’t really use many pitchers Friday in the lopsided loss, so not a huge deal. They were able to keep it close in case the offense ever came to life. This is exactly how you want to use your pen to try to steal a game. It just wasn’t to be on this day.

The Cub offense was limited to five singles, four walks and a hit batter. 10 baserunners, no slug. That’s a tough way to mount any offense. To make matters worse, Pete Crow-Armstrong was on four times with a single, two walks and a hit by pitch. That means the whole rest of the team reached base six times over nine innings. This is the same old story, the Cubs are one superstar player and a bunch of average to good players.

I don’t follow other teams with any high level awareness. So I don’t know how this compares to anyone else. The Cubs don’t have much chance against a team that is executing on either or both sides of the plate. On Friday, the Cardinals offense was locked in and on Saturday their pitchers shut the Cub offense down. The Cubs didn’t mount any real resistance either day. Not great. Not a lot of fun. Breathing some life into a Cardinals team that has been reeling a bit over the last few weeks. They certainly needed these games more and they’ve gotten them.

Three Stars:

• Pete Crow-Armstrong. Single, two walks, hit by pitch. He did get caught stealing once.
• Michael Conforto had a pair of singles and a walk. Two players were seven of the 10 runners.
• Caleb Thielbar retired all four batters he faced, striking out one.

Game 89, July 4: Cardinals 3, Cubs 0 (49-40)

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Pete Crow-Armstrong (.097). 1-1, 2 BB, HBP, CS
• Hero: Michael Conforto (.063). 2-3, BB
• Sidekick: Tyler Ferguson (.038). IP, 5 BF, H, 2 K, HBP

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Seiya Suzuki (-.158). 0-4
• Goat: Miguel Amaya (-.138). 0-3
• Kid: Dansby Swanson (-.111). 0-3

WPA Notes: Michael Busch (-.108) was just behind Dansby Swanson for the last spot here.

WPA Play of the Game: This whole exercise never feels quite as useless as when the play of the game is the very first play of the game. JJ Wetherholt started the game with a homer and that held up as the top play. (.100)

Cubs Play of the Game: Shōta Imanaga faced Jordan Walker with runners on first and second with no outs in the third, the Cubs down two. He got a double play ball for the first two outs. (.076)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 88 Winner: Other was the winner with 46 percent of the vote and the suggestions were Alex Bregman or none of the above. It was definitely that kind of game.

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.

• Pete Crow-Armstrong +21
• Carson Kelly +14.5
• Ben Brown +13.5
• Trent Thornton +12.5
• Michael Busch/Michael Conforto +12
• Edward Cabrera -9.5
• Phil Maton/Dansby Swanson -10
• Seiya Suzuki -12.5
• Caleb Thielbar -13

Up Next: Game three of the weekend series Sunday afternoon. Javier Assad (6-1, 4.53) gets another start. Last time out he was used as a reliever after he’d had three straight starts. The Padres scored four runs against him in 2.2 innings of work, but the Cubs had a good sized lead when he came in. I’m not sure Assad has a ton of experience working in that situation where you have a big lead and you are just trying to finish the string. We all know the old don’t walk anyone and go after hitters, but that’s not really the Javy style.

Lefty Matthew Liberatore (4-5, 5.33) starts for the Cardinals. He’s coming off of a good start, against the Braves of all teams. He allowed just one run in five innings of work. Back on May 31, the Cubs were maybe his best start of the year. He held them scoreless over 5.1 innings, allowing three hits and one walk.

Javy’s whole style reads as “find a way.” He seems to always work into and out of trouble. This whole weekend series with the Cardinals feels like that for the team as a whole. Try to get out of the trouble, limit damage. That hasn’t worked for two days. Maybe, hopefully, the third time will be the charm.