Category: Sports News

Inductees into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by definition have plenty of marvelous memories when reflecting on the career accomplishments that led them to Cooperstown.

Bumps in the road were inevitable as well.

One big bump for Jeff Kent and Andruw Jones came with the Dodgers in 2008, Kent’s last of 17 MLB seasons and Jones’ first following 12 years with the Atlanta Braves.

Suffice to say neither will enter the Hall of Fame wearing a Dodgers cap.

Kent signed with the Dodgers ahead of the 2005 season fresh off a National League Championship Series Game 7 loss with the Houston Astros. Already recognized as perhaps the top power-hitting second baseman of all time, he yearned for a championship ring to make his career complete.

Jones, a center fielder from the Caribbean island of Curaçao, signed a two-year, $36-million contract with the Dodgers at age 31 only three years removed from leading the league with 51 home runs and 128 runs batted in. A winner of 10 Gold Gloves, he also was chasing a title after losing twice in the World Series.

Read more:Plaschke: Who says they don’t need him? Dodgers need to trade for Tarik Skubal

“It’s one of those things where we didn’t sign to make the Hall of Fame, we played this game because we love it and because we wanted to win championships,” Jones said Friday.

The Dodgers had high expectations in 2008. Joe Torre, with four championships as manager of the New York Yankees on his résumé, was in his first year in L.A. The roster was a blend of accomplished veterans (Nomar Garciaparra, Greg Maddux, Derek Lowe and midseason pickup Manny Ramirez) and budding stars (Matt Kemp, Russell Martin, Andre Ethier, James Loney and midseason call-up Clayton Kershaw).

Kent was the resident no-nonsense, old-school veteran whose bat remained potent at age 40. Near the end of the previous season he had gone public with his frustrations about the approach of some young players.

“A lot of kids in here, they don’t understand that ... you hate to waste an opportunity, even if it’s one and even if it’s your first time,” he said at the time. “It’s hard to get them to understand that because they haven’t been there.”

By spring training in what he acknowledged was his final season, Kent had gotten over it and was ready for a last try.

Read more:Most pressing question for Dodgers in the second half: Can Shohei Ohtani stay healthy?

“So much is made of the idea that we should be hugging, that we should all go out to dinner, but more important is the translation of talent and knowledge, with the older guys showing what they know and the younger ones asking for it,” he said.

Jones was expected to lock down center field and provide leadership. But a poor start and a midseason knee injury torpedoed his performance. He batted .158 with three home runs and 14 RBIs in 75 games and suffered torn cartilage in his right knee that required surgery and landed him on the disabled list for the first time in his career.

Kent, as always, was consistent at the plate, batting .280, but he also sustained a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery and sidelined him for almost all of September.

In what could have been a legit postseason opportunity, Jones did not play and Kent came off the bench to go 0 for 9 during a division series sweep of the Chicago Cubs and five-game loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Championship Series.

Kent will wear a San Francisco Giants cap into Cooperstown. His six seasons playing alongside Barry Bonds vaulted him into the conversation on as best-hitting second baseman of all time. Kent drove in more than 100 runs eight times, was NL most valuable player in 2000 and finished his career with 55.4 wins above replacement (WAR).

In a video call with reporters Wednesday, Kent made it clear that his heart belongs not to San Francisco or L.A., but to Austin, Texas, where he lives on a ranch.

Read more:Dodgers' Mookie Betts has six Gold Gloves. And now a baseball glove company

“I’m a boring guy,” he said. “I chase grandkids and chase cows and ride motorcycles. When I retired I kind of went into my hole in Austin and I like living in my hole.”

Jones will don a Braves cap. He made his debut at 19 in 1996 and hit 25 or more home runs in 10 consecutive seasons beginning in 1998, finishing his career with 434 homers and a 62.7 WAR.

“When I came [to Atlanta] at the young age of 19, they welcomed me in,” he said. “I never moved from here. I made Atlanta my home.”

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place Sunday, July 26 at 10:30 a.m. PDT. Outfielder Carlos Beltrán also will be inducted.

“It’s a bigger emotional deal than I ever thought it would be, absolutely,” Kent said. “I still tear up talking about it.”

Added Jones: “Thinking that this kid from Curaçao who came here chasing a dream, gets a chance to play a sport he loves and ends up in Cooperstown, is wild.”

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Cleveland Guardians, July 17, 2026, 7:10 p.m. ET

The Pittsburgh Pirates are back after the All-Star break with a series against the AL Central’s Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. It’s the first time the Pirates are in Cleveland since 2024, and they will need to use this weekend as a launching pad to keep them in the NL Wild Card race.

Pirates will hand the ball off to Jared Jones, who is 1-1 with a 4.37 ERA and eight starts so far this season. His last appearance came back on July 8 against the Atlanta Braves at home. It was his longest start of the season, pitching six innings with no hits and no runs, but the offense failed to support him in a 3-0 loss. Hopefully the bats will be turned on for tonight’s game.

The Guardians are countering with Gavin Williams, who has arguably been their best starter so far this season. Williams notched 10 victories during the first half of the season, including one in his last start on July 9 against the Minnesota Twins. He pitched seven innings, giving up three hits and two earned runs in a 5-2 victory at Target Field.

The Pirates find themselves two games back in the NL Wild Card standings, so every game from here on out is crucial.

Location: Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh

Pitching Matchup: Jared Jones (1-1, 4.37 ERA) vs. Gavin Williams (10-4, 3.81 ERA)

BD community, chime off in the comments section below.

Friday notes…

• HOME AND AWAY: The Cubs have won the same number of games, 27, at home and on the road. They have lost 19 at home and 23 on the road. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• WINNING SERIES: The Cubs have won their last two series and gone 7-1-1 in their last nine, making their record 15-14-2 for the season. They began the year 2-3 through April, then went 6-1 through May 7, followed by 0-9-1 through June 11. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• LEADS AND DEFICITS: The Cubs have erased 42 deficits, 10 of them in the half inning after falling behind, in 39 different games. They are 27-12 in those games, and have won two in a row and 10 of 12. The first of those was June 11, when their current 20-8 surge began. They have blown 51 leads, 15 in the next half inning, in 33 different games. They are 17-16 in those games, and have won two in a row, five of six and seven of nine starting June 24. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: The Cubs’ five-run seventh overcame a 4-1 deficit to the Royals and they went on to win 7-4 to remain in first place in the NL Central. It happened 15 years ago today, Tuesday, July 17, 2001.

Cubs lineup:

Twins lineup:

Colin Rea, RHP vs. Bailey Ober, RHP

After a rough stretch, Colin Rea has posted a 2.61 ERA and 1.403 WHIP in his last four starts. In general he’s done a decent job filling in for injured Cubs starters.

Last year against the Twins, July 10, 2025 at Target Field, Rea held them to three hits and one run in seven innings. That’d work tonight. For whatever it’s worth, Rea has been much better at Wrigley Field (2.72 ERA in 43 innings) than on the road (6.45 ERA in 51.2 innings).

Bailey Ober missed all of June due to right elbow inflammation, which is never good for a pitcher.

He returned to throw five innings against Cleveland July 9, allowing three hits and one run, with five strikeouts. So he’s had seven days’ rest.

This will be Ober’s first-ever start against the Cubs, thus he has faced only three current members of the Cubs roster. One of them, Michael Conforto, is 1-for-2 with a home run off Ober, for whatever that’s worth.

As you can see from the chart below, Ober doesn’t throw very hard, relying mostly on offspeed stuff.

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

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network.

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

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

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

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

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

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

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

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

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Right as the Yankees return to play following the All-Star break, there is news on the Aaron Judge front. The Yankees’ captain underwent a re-imaging procedure on his fractured rib on Wednesday, and the results could seemingly be described as cautiously optimistic. There has been some healing, but not enough for Judge to resume baseball activities.

While baseball activities are off the board until a new exam shows the healing process further along than it currently is, according to a Yankees spokesperson, there will be a consult with Dr. Gregory Pearl to see exactly what exercises and activities Judge can progress to at this time. Some healing feels like a natural result given the amount of time since he suffered the injury, but what’s really positive is that, according to Judge, he is feeling a lot better. Assessing the big picture, the Yankees are probably just restraining him to prevent any setback that may jeopardize his return this season. When he comes back, they want to ensure that he’s back for good in 2026, especially for any playoff run

We’re now nearing two months since Judge has last played a baseball game, sidelined since the end of May. What could be considered vastly underwhelming numbers for his standards until that injury for Judge still represented a staple piece any offense would be more than happy to have. When he went down, Judge had 17 homers in 59 games and a .907 OPS, enough to earn his eighth career All-Star appearance.

While it’s difficult to ever be certain with these things, not just Judge but all parties feel confident of a return in 2026. The Yankees have played 47 games without their star player this season and have only won 18 of them, sweeping a series over the Nationals to end the first half but still looking a little shaky on offense. We’ll have to see if this update changes their strategy at all in advance of the August 3rd Trade Deadline.

Given that Nick Lodolo excelled on such a high level last season, the spotlight has been aimed almost solely at the frustrating blister issues that he has dealt with all season. Most everyone will point to those as the reason why his numbers this year are pretty poor compared to what we know he can do, and that makes sense on the surface.

Right?

For whatever reason, it’s been buried a bit that Brady Singer dealt with blister issues at the tail end of spring training, too. And, if you look at how he started the 2026 season, you’ll notice that he was pretty, pretty awful for a time. Blisters don’t just happen and heal, they get into your head in terms of what types of pitches you feel comfortable throwing, and that can completely alter the way you approach batters of all ilks from both sides of the plate.

If you can’t throw the pitch you want in the big spot, well, things can go awry in a hurry.

Whether or not Singer would pin his poor early form on that blister (and the time he took off to let it heal) we may never know. What we do know, though, is that he turned things around in a major way once June rolled around, and across his last 7 starts (38.2 IP) he’s pitched to a 2.79 ERA, 3.93 FIP, and struck out more than a batter per IP (40 K). That’s the Brady Singer the Reds traded Jonathan India for, that’s the Brady Singer who showed up down the stretch in 2025.

For the last place 2026 Reds, though, that Brady Singer might end up getting traded away sooner than later. That’s just what happens when you’re 9 games under .500 and he’s a pitcher who’ll be a free agent at season’s end.

It’s with that context that we get to watch Singer pitch tonight in Coors Field as the Reds open the second half of their season on the road against the Colorado Rockies. It’s about 94 degrees with humidity at a higher level than usual out here in Denver as monsoon season swells up from the south, and that’s the perfect scenario for some serious offense to erupt. So, it’s interesting that the Reds, who’d obviously like to showcase Singer as much as possible in pitcher-friendly environs in the event they end up having to be sellers, chose to roll with Singer at Coors as they stack their rotation out of the gate.

Nothing like sending out a guy who’d turned the corner to get blasted for 8 ER in 3 IP in the land where balls fly (in the precise circumstances where that will likely happen).

Anyway, if he spins a gem, it may actually expedite his departure from the Reds barring them turning this 9-game road trip into a miracle success story. As teams gear up for the trade deadline in just two and a half weeks, each additional start they can get out of an acquired starting pitcher stacks that much value on their shoulders, and another brilliant one from Singer might just be the catalyst the Reds need to make that call.

We’ll see what Brady can do on the field, first. Obviously, the Reds are still crossing their fingers, toes, eyes, etc. that they can somehow make a run at this thing, and the first step towards that happening falls on the right shoulder of their soon-to-be free agent. Maybe, just maybe, that makes him their soon-to-be traded righty if things don’t go perfect in a hurry.

Here’s how the Reds will line up behind Singer on Friday, with first pitch set for 8:40 PM ET.

Baseball is back again. After a four-day reprieve with the All-Star break, the Milwaukee Brewers have a game to play. They begin a nine-game homestand with a three-game series against the Miami Marlins.

The Brewers made a couple of moves during the break to shuffle the roster a little. Lance McCullers Jr. was acquired from the Houston Astros, and he has been activated off the IL. McCullers will initially pitch out of the bullpen, according to manager Pat Murphy. Lefty Jared Koenig was optioned to the minors as the corresponding move. Murphy said Koenig will head to Arizona first to try to work on some things before he reports to Nashville.

Despite the poor air quality in Milwaukee due to Canadian and Minnesota wild fires, the Brewers will be playing this game and the roof is open.

On the mound, Logan Henderson will start the second half for the Crew. He was solid in his return from the IL earlier this month, going 5 1/3 IP with just three runs allowed in the Brewers 8-4 win over the Cardinals. Henderson has a 3.18 ERA on the season.

For the Marlins, they will have their ace, Sandy Alcantara on the bump. Alcantara has not quite been the same as he was prior to his Tommy John surgery but is turning in a solid season with a 3.99 ERA with 20 starts and 130 2/3 IP. He leads the league in innings pitched and has been a reliable option for the Fish. Alcantara has historically done well against the Brewers with a 3.14 ERA in eight games.

The Brewers lineup will have all the regulars in there. Yelich, Chourio, and Turang will make up the top of the order, followed by Contreras, Bauers, and Mitchell. Rounding out the bottom of the lineup will be Pratt, Frelick, and Ortiz.

The Marlins offense is led by Liam Hicks, Otto Lopez, and Xavier Edwards. Kyle Stowers, Heriberto Hernandez, and Griffin Conine make up the middle of their order. Then Jakob Marsee, Joe Mack, and Javier Sanoja round out the bottom of the starting nine. That makes five lefties and a switch hitter in the lineup against the right-handed Henderson.

It’s Cerveceros Night at the ballpark and the Brewers will be wearing their City Connect uniforms. The final push to the postseason begins as the second half gets underway at 6:40 p.m.

The Cleveland Guardians postponed their Friday, July 17 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates as dangerous air quality due to smoke from Canadian wildfires rendered conditions unhealthy for players and fans.

It marked the third time in seven seasons that a game was postponed due to extreme wildfire smoke. It delayed the start of the second half for the Pirates and Guardians coming off the four-day All-Star break. They will play a split doubleheader Saturday, with games at 1:10 and 7:10 ET.

In Cleveland, the air quality index remained in the "dangerous" zone as determined by the Environmental Protection Agency well into the midday hours Friday, registering 272 early in the day still at 242 90 minutes before the scheduled first pitch. Readings between 201 and 300 are deemed "very unhealthy," and a health alert is issued. Readings above 300 are classified as "hazardous."

It was a similar scenario in Chicago, where Major League Soccer's Fire postponed their game Thursday when the AQI reached 597. The late-morning AQI remained above 300 and was forecast to stay near 250 by 7 p.m. CT, when the Cubs were scheduled to play host to the Minnesota Twins. No announcement has been made regarding that game.