18 Apr 1998: Right wing Claude Lemieux of the Colorado Avalanche in action during a game against the Detroit Red Wings at McNichols Arena in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche defeated the Red Wings 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr /Allsport | Getty Images
Colorado Avalanche News
After acquiring the pick in the Valeri Nichushkin trade, the Avalanche selected Egor Shilov at No. 43 overall — a dynamic offensive talent with all the skill in the world. [The Hockey News]
Predicting Cale Makar’s next mega contract for the Colorado Avalanche. [SI]
Colorado Avalanche name Jussi Ahokas as Head Coach of their AHL affiliate Colorado Eagles. [CHL]
News Around the League
Tragic new details of Claude Lemieux’s final hours now revealed. [Toronto Sun]
Another Canucks management lesson: the failure of Steve Yzerman. [Ottawa Citizen]
Vancouver ordered to clear salary cap space amid their ongoing rebuild. [Pro Hockey Rumors]
Celebrini is open to taking discount on his next contract to help San Jose. [The Score]
Five NHL stars who could soon demand max contracts. [Sportsnet]
Blackhawks sign star Bedard to a five-year, $75M contract. [TSN]
Hurricanes’ Assistant GM Tyler Dellow celebrates his day with the Stanley Cup [NHL.com]
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 25: Devin Booker looks on after being selected 13th overall by the Phoenix Suns in the First Round of the 2015 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 25, 2015 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. 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. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
I began watching the NBA in 1988, nearly 40 years ago now. Granted, I experienced it through the eyes of a child who was captivated by the game, but I was fortunate enough to grow up watching not only an entertaining brand of basketball but one built on consistency.
Free agency truly arrived the season after I became a fan, and trades have always been part of the league. Even so, continuity was still the norm. Players moved when relationships fractured, organizations believed they had reached their ceiling, or age dictated a different direction. It wasn’t common to see players traded simply because a team was trying to be fiscally responsible.
Today’s NBA is different. The modern collective bargaining agreement has made maintaining continuity increasingly difficult. Add the player empowerment era to that, and loyalty has become increasingly rare.
In Phoenix, we’ve experienced every version of that over the past few years. I now have a deep hatred of aprons, and I now possess many shirts with stains upon them as a result. At the same time, we’re one of the few organizations that still has a player entering his 12th season with the franchise. We know what loyalty looks like because we’ve watched Devin Booker embody it. He’s one of only four players who have remained with the same organization since 2015, joining Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Nikola Jokic.
But in an era defined by escalating salaries, annual cap growth, and restrictive tax aprons, loyalty has become a dying breed for both players and organizations. It’s simply become too difficult to afford it.
We see this in the conversations surrounding Devin Booker, whose salary will account for 35.1% of the cap this upcoming season. Unless he’s producing at an All-NBA level, people begin viewing that contract as a negative. That’s simply the reality of today’s NBA.
We’ve watched that same reality play out in Boston. The primary reason general manager Brad Stevens ultimately moved on from Jaylen Brown was his contract. Boston was scheduled to pay him $57.1 million this season and another $185 million over the following three years. That salary created an inflection point, forcing the organization to ask whether keeping one of its most beloved and respected players was still financially responsible.
Sure, the Celtics didn’t have to offer Brown the supermax extension. But he earned it. You can’t fault an organization for trying to stay loyal to a player who helped deliver a championship. At the same time, that loyalty eventually forced a decision, one that ultimately resulted in Brown being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.
“The reality in this era and in this day of age of the NBA,” Steven stated in his presser explaining why the decsions was made, “and you can see it obviously with the last couple of champions and some of teams that were at the very top of the league, when it was all said and done at the end of this year, you have to do a great job, and you have to have the optionality to do a great job of building out depth, that hopefully replace the irreplaceable individual. And that’s not an easy thing to do.”
One thing I appreciated about what Brad Stevens said in his press conference was that he openly acknowledged the issue. He pointed directly to the way the current collective bargaining agreement is structured and how it discourages organizations from keeping together the players they drafted and developed. That’s something that has to be addressed when the next CBA is negotiated. I’m glad Stevens said those words publicly because it gives the players’ association something tangible to build from as both sides begin preparing for the next round of negotiations in 2029.
The league has to find a better balance. It shouldn’t penalize organizations or players for loyalty. The longer a player stays with one franchise and the better he performs, the larger his contract naturally becomes, and it should. Players deserve to be rewarded for their success. At the same time, the organization that drafted, developed, and retained that player should receive some benefit as well.
At the end of the day, this is sports entertainment, and part of what makes it entertaining is loyalty. And it is for the fans. It’s identifying a player you enjoy rooting for, watching him grow, and knowing there’s a good chance he’ll still be wearing your team’s jersey for years to come.
So how do you fix this? Let’s call it the “loyalty tax.”
I’ll use the Phoenix Suns as a practical example. Devin Booker is slated to make $57.1 million this season, which accounts for 35.1% of the salary cap. Now imagine a world where a loyalty tax is built into escalating contracts.
Booker is on his third contract with the Suns and has already signed his fourth. Imagine if cap relief became available beginning with a player’s third contract with the organization that drafted him. The player would still earn a salary based on the percentage of the cap he negotiated. In Booker’s case, that’s $57.1 million, or 35.1% of the cap. The difference is that the organization would receive a 5% loyalty tax break.
So while Booker still earns 35.1% of the cap, only 30.1% would count against the Suns’ cap sheet. That immediately creates $8.25 million in additional cap room, because 5% of this season’s $165 million salary cap equals $8.25 million.
What does that 5% accomplish? It gives the organization greater flexibility to remain competitive while rewarding it for drafting, developing, and retaining a homegrown player. It creates enough room to add an $8.25 million player to the roster. More importantly, it helps preserve continuity and competitiveness without forcing organizations into a financial inflection point that eventually leads to tearing everything down and starting over.
It sounds like a win win, but there are certainly byproducts to a system like this that could ultimately prevent it from ever becoming reality. If there’s a 5% loyalty tax break, that means the owners, if they choose to use it, are effectively paying for another $8.25 million player. Some owners wouldn’t have an issue with that. Others certainly would.
Then there’s the business side of the NBA. Maybe the league likes constant player movement. Every blockbuster trade creates another wave of merchandise sales. As I write this, there are probably brand-new Jaylen Brown jerseys being pressed in Philadelphia, waiting to hit the team store shelves. That doesn’t happen if players stay with one franchise their entire careers.
Perhaps the best strategy is to let them remain loyal for 11 years, then have them change their jersey number before Year 12. That seems to work pretty well for Devin Booker.
Overall, though, I believe the current system is broken. It’s forcing organizations to abandon long-term continuity in an effort to balance the cap sheet and avoid restrictive aprons. In turn, it hurts the customer base. It hurts the fans. Teams aren’t moving on from players because the chemistry disappeared, the locker room fractured, or age finally caught up to them. More often than not, they’re moving on because those players have become numbers on a cap sheet, pixels in an Excel spreadsheet that can no longer fit within the league’s financial restrictions. That feels like a problem worth solving.
Maybe a loyalty tax isn’t the answer. Maybe there are unintended consequences I haven’t considered. But the problem is real. The current system increasingly encourages organizations to move on from the very players they drafted, developed, and celebrated simply because the math stops working. That’s not a basketball problem. That’s an accounting problem. Fans invest in players, not cap sheets. They invest in relationships that take years to build.
If the next collective bargaining agreement can’t find a way to better reward loyalty, both sides risk losing one of the things that has always made the NBA worth following in the first place.
MIAMI, FL - APRIL 12: Zaccharie Risacher #10 of the Atlanta Hawks dribbles the ball during the game against the Miami Heat on April 12, 2026 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. 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 Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks were part of a three-team trade Sunday that landed them Zaccharie Risacher from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Ryan Nembhard and a second round pick. With the move, Dallas swaps a part-time starter for the No. 1 pick of the 2024 NBA Draft.
This is a very low-risk, potentially high-reward move for Dallas. The undrafted Nembhard was a part-time starter who brought stability to the team last season when guard play was in high demand. He showed flashes of brilliance when it came to ball handling, often producing absurd assist-to-turnover ratios for a solid stretch. Yet, Nembhard is a relatively undersized player who was all but certainly going to lose minutes to the returning Kyrie Irving and newly acquired Marcus Sasser.
Risacher on the other hand, is former first overall pick who has not quite lived up to the status that comes with such a selection, yet nonetheless finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2024-25 and who fits well with the Cooper Flagg timeline; he is two years younger than Nembhard and will play most of next season as a 21-year old. His contract is more robust than Nembhard’s, but the Mavericks hold virtually all the cards.
The nuances of the contract
Risacher comes to Dallas with two years remaining on his contract. The Hawks exercised a club option on him to lock him in for the 2026-27 season, which he will now play in Dallas, getting paid $13.8 million. 2027-28 is the final year of his current contract, but that too remains a team option, leaving the Mavericks with great control of the situation. However, that control comes with a caveat.
On the surface, it appears Dallas could simply walk after this coming season if they don’t like what they see, but there is more to the story. If the Mavericks plan on locking down Risacher and his $17.4 million for the 2027-28 season, they will need to do so just a few games into his Mavericks’ tenure. The Mavericks have until October 31, 2026 to exercise the team option for 2027-28 season. If they choose to exercise the option and Risacher does not work out, Dallas is stuck with him and a $17.4 million bill. If they choose not to exercise the option and Risacher has a breakout season, Dallas will have market competition to retain him. Risacher will no longer be an unrestricted free agent in this scenario, but Dallas will retain his Bird Rights.
What to expect
While we don’t know the philosophical approach the Mavs’ front office will follow, for my hypothetical money, Dallas is going to exercise their option on Risacher and commit to him for the remaining two years on his contract. To me, this is a no-brainer.
Risacher was drafted two years ago, but is of an age that he could easily have been in the Draft this past June. He is just shy of two years older than Flagg, so he is well aligned with the timeline of the face of the franchise. Ultimately, it’s difficult to determine any reason not to take the chance here. Risacher may benefit from a scenery change, and the tutelage of Dusty May, Joe Boylan and the player-friendly coaching staff forming in Dallas could yet bring the best out of him. For what relatively little they gave up to get him, it makes sense for Dallas to commit in the short term to see what Risacher can yet become. This is especially true if the forward-heavy team is trimmed down a bit if and when a veteran or two is moved. In a worst-case scenario, they will have a $17 million expiring contract to dangle as trade bait in 2027-28.
Whatever the case, we have just over three months (or less) until we find out. For now, Dallas continues to put together a young, long and rangy team of athletes around Cooper Flagg, with most of the summer yet to play out.
I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.
Finding a candidate to lead the red-ball side is no easy task, with Ben Stokes gone and Brendon McCullum still around
As England’s men scatter for the Hundred, ready to pull on new colours, ingratiate themselves with their new paymasters and use the word “exciting” repeatedly, the management above them could be forgiven for letting out a sigh of relief.
Not that everything is shipshape going into their month-long recess. Far from it. Test cricket is king in this country, No 1 across all age groups and demographics – as per Richard Gould, chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, in his Ashes review in March – and in that regard the first half of the season still goes down as a bit of a shambles.
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 19: Cameron Boozer #27 of the Memphis Grizzlies drives to the basket during the game against the Golden State Warriors during the 2026 NBA Summer League Championship on July 19, 2026 at the Thomas & Mack Center 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 Candice Ward/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
At its heart, NBA Summer League basketball is a chance for teams to see their draftees and other young players in action, and how they respond, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and so on.
Players being competitive though, they want to do two things: make an impression as a potential NBA player, and, not incidentally, to win.
And while Cameron Boozer has a habit of winning, it didn’t work out this time, as Golden State got the championship Sunday night, in a 94-90 victory.
Boozer took a three-pointer with Memphis down 92-90 with about 0:08 to play, but missed.
Still, he made his point in Las Vegas. Boozer still has some doubters, but his new teammate, Cedric Coward, is very happy with what he’s seen from Boozer, saying this: “He’s special, man. I mean there’s no other words I can describe it. Like I told people before, I can’t believe he’s 18, but he’s a special, special player.”
The questions about Boozer always suggest that he’s not that athletic, but he actually outperformed former UNC star Caleb Wilson in the pre-draft agility drills. His vertical is not that great, but otherwise?
He’s better than people think.
Where he just kills people is with his overall grasp of the game, and his fundamentals. As Coward suggested, Boozer is way ahead of the curve for a teenager (he just turned 19 on Saturday, incidentally). And if you have a solid grasp of the fundamentals, and you’re fairly rugged, you’re going to be able to make an impact.
We’d love to be a fly on the wall with the Grizzlies to get a better idea of what they learned about Boozer and how they plan to use him this upcoming season.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JULY 19: Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves hits a solo home run during the second inning against the Texas Rangers at Truist Park on July 19, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Colin Hubbard/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Drake Baldwin and Austin Riley both delivered in big ways as the Braves once again beat the Rangers in a big series and Sunday win. While there were a few pitching concerns, the bats showed they are more than capable of producing wins. That is certainly a great sign for Atlanta, especially with the return of Ronald Acuna Jr. drawing near. If the offense is ready to be among the best in the game again, that will certainly make winning a bit easier.
There was some clarification on the plan for Spencer Schwellenbach. He currently is in Florida throwing bullpen sessions and working his way toward live BP.
The salary cap proposal was coming anyway. The Dodgers did play through wildfire smoke at Yankee Stadium last Friday. No locusts, at least not yet.
But no one foretold that the star to whom the Dodgers agreed last winter to pay an average of $60 million each year would be, well, average.
Over the first half of the season, Tucker’s OPS+ was 100, making him a player defined by that metric as “league average.”
He is batting .240, 30 points below his career average. He is on pace for full-season career lows in home runs (11) and OPS (.702).
His WAR is 0.9, below the 1.3 of Tyler Glasnow. By that metric, Tucker has contributed less to the Dodgers’ success this season than Glasnow, who has pitched in seven of the team’s first 100 games.
Hardly anyone outside Los Angeles has noticed, and hardly anyone in Los Angeles has gotten all worked up about it.
“I appreciate that our fan base, compared to some others, gives a lot more grace to players,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “And I know he sees that as well.”
Here is what Tucker’s trials have cost the Dodgers: Absolutely nothing.
He had two hits, both singles, in 13 at-bats as his team won the weekend series against the New York Yankees. The Dodgers remain the owners of the best record in the major leagues.
Tucker’s four-year contract, lucrative as it is, was not accompanied by a withering spotlight. He does not need to lift his team into the postseason, a burden often borne by marquee free agents signed to put their team over the top.
With the Dodgers?
Shohei Ohtani is the face of baseball. Freddie Freeman’s son walked around the All-Star Game in a T-shirt that read “My Dad Has 2,500 Hits.”
Mookie Betts last played here as a World Series-winning, Gold Glove-winning right fielder; he returned as a World Series-winning, Gold Glove-caliber shortstop.
“I think it certainly helps being around a lot of other guys who have high expectations,” Roberts said.
Neither rain nor smoke nor heat can keep the Dodgers from their appointed October rounds. They need Tucker to prosper then.
Dodgers outfielder Kyle Tucker singles during the second inning against the New York Yankees on Friday. (Caleb Bowlin / Getty Images)
“Obviously, we all want to play well all year,” Betts said. “It’s not like we’re kicking the can and nobody cares. Even then, we’d love to be ready in October.
“It’s really just about playing. You never know. You could have a great October and get one hit, and it could be the biggest hit.”
Said Tucker: “Everyone here is very talented. Everyone is here to help each other out. Everyone here just wants to get back to another World Series, and win it. So I’m trying to do my part and just play baseball.”
He insists he is not weighted down by the external expectations that accompany his contract.
“I think that’s the beauty of it, the thing that’s refreshing,” Betts said. “I don’t think he cares about any of that. He just wants to play well and do his thing and help the boys.
“I don’t think he really cares about the expectations.”
You may think “$60 million” when he comes to the plate. He does not.
“I try, regardless of what my situation is,” Tucker said. “Sometimes it works out. Sometimes it doesn’t. I’ve just got to try and do better.”
His strikeouts are up significantly this season. His bat speed is down slightly. His hard contact rate is down significantly.
He’s working on fixing his swing. He’s been working on it. He’ll keep working on it.
Roberts said the quality of Tucker’s at-bats have looked better over the past couple weeks, even if the results may not show it.
“The thing that I’ve appreciated since Day 1 is, he hasn’t run from his struggles,” Roberts said. “He’s owned it.”
Tucker made the All-Star Game in each of the four years preceding this one. The Dodgers are betting his level of performance will at least approach that in the second half.
Betts said he does not see anything specific to worry about with Tucker.
“I don’t see anything at all,” Betts said. “He’s a competitor. He’s already come through a bunch during the year. It’s not like he’s not doing anything.
“He’s not hitting .330 with 30 [home runs], like we all would dream we were doing, right? But, as a team, we’re doing OK.”
For now, the Dodgers are. Their true season starts in a little more than two months.
From Tucker, the accountability is appreciated. Production would be better.
In the latest episode of his Habscast podcast, former professional scout Grant McCagg covered a lot of topics, but one particularly caught my eye: his segment on Florian Xhekaj. Arber’s younger brother is seen by many as a future member of a Montreal Canadiens’ energy line, and there are even those who hope he can make the roster out of training camp. While it would certainly be a good story to see the brothers line up together for the Habs regularly, McCagg considers the forward a long shot to make the team out of camp.
At the 31-minute mark, he starts breaking up Xhekaj’s play with the Laval Rocket in a couple of games in the Calder Cup playoffs against the Toronto Marlies. McCagg’s main concern with the Hamilton, Ontario native’s game is his skating. He considers Xhekaj to be an average skater in the AHL and therefore a below-average skater at the NHL level. According to McCagg, he hasn’t improved his skating at all this season, and the former scout believes that might be down to putting on too much weight and his quest to become bigger and stronger.
At 6-foot-4 and 204 pounds, Xhekaj does have a big body; however, a big body becomes much more efficient when it brings speed and velocity to hits. That’s quite important in the NHL; how often has Martin St-Louis spoken about the importance of a player moving his feet to be efficient on the forecheck?
McCagg does, however, mention that Xhekaj is doing well as a penalty killer and that this might be key to his eventual bid to make the NHL. Because of his lack of pace, he doesn’t believe he’ll be able to play as a center in the big league unless there’s a significant improvement in that department.
McCagg even goes as far as saying that he believes that Owen Beck is more likely to make the Canadiens’ roster this season than Xhekaj. As things stand right now, the Canadiens’ 12 forward spots are pretty much spoken for. Brendan Gallagher and Joe Veleno left, but that means the Habs no longer have a 13th forward. Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Alex Newhook, Oliver Kapanen, Ivan Demidov, Alexandre Texier, Phillip Danault, Josh Anderson, Zach Bolduc, Kirby Dach and Jake Evans all have a chair. However, it’s not exactly clear which chair is whose outside the top line, with Demidov being a fixture on the second line.
Beck and Xhekaj are both 22, entering the final year of their ELC contracts, and whichever way you look at it, being the 13th forward in the NHL wouldn’t be optimal for their development, but it may be all that the Canadiens have to offer for now, at least. That being said, there will be injuries; there always are, or there could even be a trade that comes before training camp and changes things, but at this stage, it doesn’t look very likely.
Former Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Jack Campbell took to Instragam on Sunday to open up about the next chapter of his life after more than a decade in professional hockey, a message that effectively served as his retirement announcement from the NHL.
In the post, Campbell reflected on the journey that took him from a highly touted first-round pick to an NHL All-Star and, eventually, to a place where stepping away from the crease felt like the right decision. The tone was measured and grateful rather than dramatic. He spoke about closing one book and beginning another, emphasizing growth, perspective, and a desire to move forward with purpose beyond the ice as a life coach.
Campbell’s path was never linear. Long before the bright lights of Toronto or the pressure of a big free-agent contract in Edmonton, he publicly discussed the challenges of the pressure he had put on himself early career. As a high draft selection by the Dallas Stars in 2010, the expectations weighed heavily. He has spoken in the past about periods of deep self-doubt, anxiety, and the sense that he was failing not just as a player but as a person.
Those struggles resurfaced later, most notably when he entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in the fall of 2024 while under contract with the Detroit Red Wings organization. The program, which supports players dealing with mental health issues among other challenges, marked a clear prioritization of his well-being over continued on-ice performance. Campbell has since referenced therapy, yoga, meditation, and other personal work as part of rebuilding himself away from the daily grind of professional hockey.
His highest points as a player came in Toronto. Acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in February 2020, Campbell arrived as a backup and quickly earned the trust of the coaching staff and the fan base. The 2020-21 season produced one of the more memorable stretches in recent Maple Leafs goaltending history. Campbell opened the year with an 11-0-0 record, setting a franchise mark for the most consecutive wins by a goaltender to start a season. That run helped stabilize the team during a condensed schedule and announced him as a legitimate starter. The following year he appeared in the NHL All-Star Game and posted 31 wins in 49 appearances, solidifying his status as a fan favourite affectionately known as “Soupy.” The connection with Leafs Nation was genuine. Campbell’s openness, competitiveness, and personality made him more than just a reliable netminder during a period when the team was searching for consistency in goal.
Those two seasons represented the peak. In the summer of 2022, Campbell signed a five-year, $25-million contract with the Edmonton Oilers, a deal that reflected both his performance in Toronto and the market’s belief that he could be a long-term No. 1. The transition proved difficult. Campbell struggled with consistency and the elevated expectations that came with a contending roster and a significant financial commitment. After a rough first season and limited NHL action the next year, the Oilers bought out the remaining three years of the contract in June 2024. He signed a one-year deal with Detroit shortly afterward and spent the majority of his time with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League before focusing fully on his personal health.
Now, with the Instagram message serving as a quiet but clear bookend, Campbell is stepping into his new life as an executive and identity coach, drawing on the same experiences that once threatened to derail him. For a player who spent so much of his career battling the mental side of the game as hard as the physical one, the next chapter appears focused on helping others navigate similar pressures.
Leafs fans who watched him during those standout seasons will remember the smile, the compete level, and the way he seemed to embrace the city. Campbell’s story was never only about stops and starts. It was about resilience, honesty, and the long process of figuring out who he was beyond the crease. That process, it seems, is still ongoing.
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1907 – Chicago’sCarl Lundgren and New York’sChristy Mathewson are stingy today with the Cubs twirler allowing just four hits while the Cubs scratch three off Matty as the Giants win, 1-0. Joe Tinker is hitless against Matty, the only time this year that Mathewson shuts down his nemesis.
1938 – Johnny Mize of the Cardinals has three home runs in a game for the second time this season, in a game against the Giants.
1958 – Jim Bunning of the Tigers pitches a 3-0 no-hitter over the Red Sox and fans 12. Only two walks and a hit batsman mar Bunning’s performance as he wins his sixth game in seven decisions.
1962 – Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Co. overpower Roberto Clemente‘s Pirates with a devastating aerial assault. Bob Stevens of the San Francisco Chronicle writes: “Chuck Hiller led off with a single. Mays then hit a line drive, 420-foot home run for 2-0. With two down in the third, McCovey belted a memorable shot over the left-field scoreboard. It was one of the few ever ripped into that area by a lefthander in the more than half a century existence of ivy-cloaked Forbes Field. The McCovey smash stood up for the victory. The Bucs started to move in the fourth, when Bill Mazeroski singled home Clemente, who also contributed a dazzling throw from right field to cut down the sliding McCovey at the plate in the sixth.”
1969 – San Francisco’sGaylord Perry connects for his first hit of the year, and his first major league homer, to beat the Dodgers, 7-3. Last year, Alvin Dark had remarked to sportswriter Harry Jupiter about Perry’s hitting, “They’ll put a man on the moon before he hits a home run.” Perry’s homer comes about 20 minutes after the clubhouse receives word that Neil Armstrong has set foot on the moon.
2004 – At Wrigley Field, Albert Pujols goes 5 for 5, including three home runs and five RBIs, as the Cardinals beat Central Division rivals the Cubs, 11-8. The Redbird first baseman’s first career three-homer game helps St. Louis to erase a six-run deficit.
2012 – Chipper Jones becomes the all-time leader for RBIs by a player who was primarily a third baseman with a two-run single in the 8th inning; he was tied with George Brett at 1,598; Mike Schmidt continues to hold the record for RBI collected when actually playing at the hot corner.
1749 – Earl of Chesterfield says “Idleness is only refuge of weak minds.”
1793 – Scottish explorer Alexander Mackenzie completes the first European east-to-west crossing of America north of Mexico.
1801 – Elisha Brown Jr presses a 1,235-pound cheese ball at his farm.
1921 – Congresswoman Alice Mary Robertson becomes the first woman to preside over the floor of US House of Representatives.
1964 – First surfin’ record to go to No.1-Jan & Dean’s “Surf City.”
1965 – Columbia records releases the Bob Dylan single “Like a Rolling Stone.”
1968 – Iron Butterfly’s “In-a-gadda-da-vida” becomes first heavy metal song to hit charts; it comes in at No. 117.
1968 – Judy Garland headlines concert also featuring Count Basie and Jackie Wilson at JFK Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; her last US concert
1969 – NASA’s Apollo 11 lunar module, carrying Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, lands on the surface of the Moon. Seven hours later, Armstrong becomes the first person to step on the moon at 10:56 pm EDT, and Aldrin joins him shortly after. Michael Collins remains in orbit in the command module.
1975 – Bruce Springteen and the E Street Band kick off the Born to Run Tour at the Palace Theatre in Providence, Rhode Island; Steven Van Zandt debuts as a full-fledged member of the group.
The Syracuse Mets slipped back to .500 in the second half, falling short in a sloppy slobbernocker that saw both teams log 9 hits and slug 2 home runs apiece. Coming into the ninth, Syracuse was still losing, but the score was a much more palatable 4-3. In the ninth, Ben Simon and Guillo Zuniga combined to allow 4 runs on 3 hits and a pair of walks. Not what you want to see, especially in the ninth.
Jonathan Santucci pitched a lot better than his final line suggests. He gave up 6 hits and a pair of walks over 5.2 innings, allowing just one extra base hit, but every hit seemed to come at a bad time, hence the four earned runs. On the bright side, the left-hander struck out a career-high 13 batters, the second time in three July starts that he reached double-digit strikeouts (he struck out 10 Baysox batters on July 5th). Nick Lorusso added two more hits to a very quiet solid season and Jose Ramos hit a double, but the Binghamton offense continues to not get it done.
Early on, things didn’t look too bleak for Brooklyn. Frank Camarillo had allowed three runs over three innings, yes, but the offense had kept pace, with Daiverson Gutierrez driving a run in with an RBI double in the second and Corey Collins doing the same with a single in the third. Calvin Ziegler came in to pitch the fourth, and all hell broke loose from thereon in. His inning began with a runner reaching base via catcher’s interference and that really set the tone for things. The former top prospect then walked a batter, threw a wild pitch, walked another batter, threw another wild pitch, walked the next two batters, and then allowed a triple, allowing four runs to score all without recording a single out. By and large, the relievers following him weren’t any better, with Tanner Witt and his 1.1 innings of scoreless relief being the only stretch of success for the Brooklyn bullpen.
St. Lucie jumped out to an early lead, scoring three runs in the top of the first, and continued adding on. The pitching, meanwhile, was cooking, with Ethan Lanthier, Tyler McLoughlin, and Jonathan Jimenez combining to throw five scoreless innings. The bullpen finally gave in in the later innings, with Luis Alvarez allowing a run in the sixth and him and Ernesto Mercedes combining to allow five more in the seventh, but Mercedes threw a clean eighth and Miguel Mejias locked down the ninth, preventing further damage. Trey Snyder had himself an exceptional game, going 4-5 with a triple and a homer, and may be working himself back into top prospect consideration.
· REHAB ALERT SS Marco Vargas: 0-2, R, 2 BB, 2 K, SB (1)
Jul 19, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Baltimore Orioles left fielder Dylan Beavers (12) and center fielder Colton Cowser (17) and right fielder Leody Taveras (30) celebrate after the game against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
Three weeks ago, if you had told me that the Orioles/Red Sox series in mid-July would be a crucially important one for both teams, I’d have looked at you like you had three heads. “Important for what, draft positioning?” I’d have replied derisively, then laughed at my own joke. I’d have said you were crazy, and that you clearly weren’t paying attention to baseball, and that maybe you should find another hobby, like canasta. Oh man, would I have been obnoxious.
The point here is that I’m kind of a jerk. But the bigger point here is that the Orioles and Red Sox have both pulled off incredible turnarounds for seasons that once appeared to be dead and buried. At the start of July, the O’s were nine games under .500. The Red Sox were 10 under. Both teams were getting lambasted by their home fans, who had nothing to look forward to but the inevitable trade deadline sell-off. It was a shambling footrace to the bottom of the AL East for the two massively disappointing clubs.
Well. Would you look at them now?
The O’s and Red Sox are now the hottest teams in baseball, carrying the league’s two longest winning streaks. The Orioles have ripped off seven victories in a row, a streak they extended yesterday by completing a three-game sweep of the Astros in Houston. The Birds are 10-3 in July and have been getting incredible performances in particular from their starting rotation, which has a 2.40 ERA during the streak. The O’s are even winning without meaningful contributions from their star hitters, as Pete Alonso and Gunnar Henderson were a combined 1-for-22 in the Astros series and Adley Rutschman is 2-for-15 during the winning streak. That’s arguably a cause for even more optimism, because if and when those star players heat up, the Orioles will have more weapons at their disposal.
And yet the Orioles’ hot stretch pales in comparison to that of the Red Sox, who have strung together an incomprehensible 13-game winning streak. The Sox swept three consecutive series on the road to end the first half, then opened the second half by sweeping the division-leading Rays in four games. It’s Boston’s longest winning streak since 1948! Interim manager Chad Tracy, who inherited a woeful club from the fired Alex Cora in April and initially did little to improve its fortunes, suddenly seems to have the magic touch. Absolutely everything is clicking right now for the Sox, who had come-from-behind wins in three of their games against Tampa Bay. The Sox, like the Orioles, have delivered some stellar pitching. Only twice during their 13-game streak have they allowed more than two runs.
The Red Sox surge has vaulted them into playoff position, currently holding the third and final AL wild card spot. The Orioles, now within two games of .500, are just two games back of Boston. The O’s leapfrogged the Astros in the wild card race, and also pulled into a tie with the Twins and a game back of the Mariners.
Which brings us to the, yes, crucially important series that begins tonight at Fenway Park. If the Orioles can manage to slow down the sizzling hot Sox and maybe even win the series, they’ll chip away further at their wild card deficit and make a big statement that maybe they’re for real after all. But if Boston’s surge continues and the Orioles lose the series — or worse, get swept — the O’s will again be left scrambling to stay relevant in the postseason chase as the clock ticks down toward the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Everything is on the line for the Orioles and Red Sox these next three nights, and I never thought it would come to this. Sorry for calling you crazy.
Brandon Young, a Texas native, just loves pitching in Houston. I’m already circling Aug. 10-12, 2027 on my calendar for his next masterpiece at Daikin Park.
Tough break for Cam Sanders, who was demoted despite retiring all five batters he faced and earning both a win and a save in his first two games as an Oriole. But I suppose it’s a good thing the O’s had Huff on hand yesterday, considering that both of their regular catchers ended up injured.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You share your day with five former Orioles: catchers Pedro Severino (33) and Charles Johnson (55), infielder Alexi Casilla (42), outfielder Jake Fox (44), and left-hander Mark Lee (62).
On this date in 1983, Orioles leadoff man “Disco” Dan Ford almost single-handedly defeated the Mariners, hitting three solo home runs to lead the Birds’ 4-2 victory in Seattle. It was a weird offensive performance for the Orioles, who had 10 hits that were split between just three hitters: four apiece by Ford and Cal Ripken Jr., and two for Rick Dempsey. The rest of the lineup was 0-for-21.
In 2021, the Orioles’ game against the Rays was broadcast entirely by women for the first time in baseball history. MASN’s own Melanie Newman was the play-by-play announcer, joined by analyst Sarah Langs, on-field reporter Alanna Rizzo, and pregame/postgame hosts Heidi Watney and Lauren Gardner. That was cool! What’s way less cool is that it’s never happened again since then.
And on this day in 2023, the Orioles took over sole possession of first place for the first time that season by defeating the Rays, 4-3, in 10 innings. Colton Cowser’s sac fly in the top of the 10th brought in the go-ahead run, and closer Félix Bautista worked both a scoreless ninth and 10th to seal the victory. The Rays had started the season 13-0 and at one point held a six-game lead over the Orioles, but the 2023 Orioles were simply too good to be contained. It marked the latest date in a season that the O’s had been in first place since 2016.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 19: Alan Rangel #57 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches during the game between the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday, July 19, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Phebe Grosser/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Dodgers are in town today, but Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch in the three game set. Seems like the Dodgers are playing coy with an injury here.
Jul 17, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell (5) celebrates after driving in the winning run during the tenth inning against the Miami Marlins at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Last Week’s Results
Monday: Off Day
Tuesday: Off Day (AL All-Stars 4, NL All-Stars 0)
Wednesday: Off Day
Thursday: Off Day
Friday: Brewers 2, Marlins 1
Saturday: Brewers 8, Marlins 6
Sunday: Brewers 3, Marlins 1
Division Standings
Brewers: 62-37
Cubs: 56-43 (6.0 GB)
Cardinals: 51-47 (10.5 GB)
Pirates: 52-48 (10.5 GB)
Reds: 45-53 (16.5 GB)
Last Week
Brewers: 3-0
Cubs: 2-1
Cardinals: 1-2
Pirates: 2-1
Reds: 2-1
Top Pitching Performance of the Week
There was a lot of solid pitching from the staff. Logan Henderson only allowed one run over five innings on Friday, striking out four. Shane Drohan allowed three runs in his start, but also recorded a career-high nine strikeouts. Robert Gasser also allowed just a single run in five innings on Sunday. Chad Patrick pitched three innings out of the bullpen, striking out four. Aaron Ashby, Trevor Megill, and Abner Uribe also had two scoreless innings each out of the bullpen. Craig Yoho also earned his first career win in Friday’s game with a scoreless inning.
Top Hitting Performance of the Week
Garrett Mitchell remained hot coming out of the All-Star Break with another strong series, this one against the Marlins. He went 5-for-12 over the weekend with three RBI. The biggest hit came on Friday, when he hit the walk-off single in the 10th inning to end the Brewers’ three-game losing streak.
Honorable mentions go to Joey Ortiz, whose home run on Friday tied the game and sent it into extra innings. He went 2-for-8 in the series with three walks, two stolen bases, and two runs scored. Also, William Contreras only had one hit over the weekend, but it was a walk-off home run on Sunday afternoon.
Following his DFA last week, the Brewers traded Easton McGee to the Royals for cash on Tuesday.
The Brewers made another trade with the Astros on Wednesday as the trade deadline gets closer. They acquired RHP Lance McCullers Jr., LHP Colton Gordon, and cash from the Astros. They sent OF Jadyn Fielder to Astros for their side of the deal. Gordon was optioned to Triple-A Nashville, and McCullers Jr. joined the Brewers in the bullpen. McCullers Jr. has not made his Brewers debut yet. The Brewers also moved Rob Zastryzny to the 60-day IL to clear a 40-man roster space.
Greg Jones cleared waivers on Thursday following his DFA. He was outrighted to Nashville, but elected to become a free agent.
Jared Koenig was optioned to Triple-A Nashville when McCullers Jr. was activated Friday. Koenig has struggled since his return from the IL and will get some work down there.
On Saturday, the Brewers placed Sal Frelick on the 10-day IL with a shoulder strain. The severity is not known right now, and he will get an MRI to determine next steps. The only indication so far from manager Pat Murphy is he “won’t be able to go anytime soon”. Blake Perkins was recalled to fill Frelick’s roster spot.
Brandon Woodruff is officially done for the season after he decided to undergo another shoulder surgery to repair the capsule in his right shoulder. His last shoulder surgery kept him out 20 months, and the timeline on this one will be similar. Though 2027 is a possibility, he likely won’t be ready until 2028.
Kyle Harrison underwent a precautionary MRI during the All-Star Break, and the results were “all good”. He threw a bullpen session on Saturday and is on track to return shortly after the minimum IL stint on July 24.
DL Hall threw 15 pitches in a scoreless inning for High-A Wisconsin on Sunday. He allowed one hit and struck out one, and was pleased with his performance.
David Hamilton and Brandon Lockridge are both scheduled to begin rehab assignments on Tuesday at Triple-A Nashville.
The Detroit Tigers failed to complete the sweep of the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday afternoon, falling short by a run in a 3-2 defeat in Anaheim. Casey Mize was knocked out early after getting hit on the left wrist with a 108 mph comebacker and the offense wasted all of its gas the night before.
Next up on the schedule are the Chicago Cubs, who host the Motor City Kitties for a three-game series starting on Monday at Wrigley Field. Right-hander Jack Flaherty will get the start in the opener looking to continue his superb performance since the calendar flipped from May to June.
Over his last six starts, the 30-year-old veteran has posted an impressive 2.12 ERA along with a sterling 2.46 FIP over 29 2/3 innings of work, striking out 34 against 10 walks while allowing just one home run over that stretch. Flaherty has averaged just a hair under five frames per outing over that stretch, but despite his limited efficiency, he is still getting the job done as the Tigers have won in four of those appearances.
For the Cubbies, fellow righty Jameson Taillon takes the mound amidst what is turning out to be his worst season in the big leagues. The 34-year-old was shelved in early June with a left hamstring injury and will be making his first start off the injured list against Detroit.
Prior to his leg trouble, Taillon had thrown the third of his three quality starts in 2026 against the Athletics, allowing a pair of runs on six hits (one home run) and a walk while striking out six with a wild pitch over 6 1/3 innings, but still took the loss in a 2-1 defeat. He then lasted just one inning against the San Francisco Giants, allowing a run on two hits and two walks while striking out two before being removed from the game with his injury.
Take a look at how the two matchup for the series opener on Monday night.
Detroit Tigers (46-53) vs. Chicago Cubs (56-43)
Time (ET): 8:05 p.m. Place: Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois SB Nation Site:Bleed Cubbie Blue Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 100: RHP Jack Flaherty (3-8, 4.48 ERA) vs. RHP Jameson Taillon (2-5, 5.19 ERA)
