Jul 18, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) makes a diving stop during the third inning against the San Diego Padres at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Good morning everyone!
The Mariners fell to the Reds in heartbreaking fashion yesterday, with a 5-3 score putting them below .500 more than 100 games into the season. The Mariners — and fans — take the day off today before heading to Texas for a critical four-game series.
Let’s check in on everything happening around baseball.
The Tigers have muddled their deadline picture with a strong couple of weeks. Ryan Blake’s latest piece at Fangraphs evaluates what the team may do next.
In Hollywood baseball news, A-lister Glen Powell has been cast as Lou Gehrig in an untitled upcoming movie coming from Universal, with Richard Linklater set to direct.
In an effort to help curb expensive equipment costs for youth sports leagues, the Oakland Parks, Recreation and Youth Development department debuted a new program that allows kids to borrow equipment via the Park Play Lending Library.
Jeff Passan at ESPN did some important investigative journalism on the limits of AI capacity.
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 07: A detail shot of a hat, sunglasses and glove in the dugout prior to Game 1 of the Division Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, October 7, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
With all four affiliates on the road, three wins represent quite the collective effort.
Player of the day
Stealing home plate in a double steal is quite the achievement. Stealing it when you only have two SB on the season is all the more impressive. This was just one of the accomplishments from Logan Wagner to lead the way in a 4-2 win for the Loons over the Lugnuts.
Wagner is now up to 41 BBI in 2026 as the only Loons player to score and drive in at least one run in this game, finishing it 2 for 4 with a walk. Wagner’s .901 OPS is the best by any hitter who started the game yesterday on either side.
Triple-A Oklahoma City
When all of your production boils down to a single plate appearance in a sac fly from your ninth hitter, things aren’t headed in a promising direction, with the Comets losing 7-1, hitless in 10 at-bats with runners in scoring position. It was Miller’s 51st RBI on the season in a game in which no Comet recorded multiple hits.
Christian Romero, who came into this game with an 8-2 record, suffered his third loss, allowing four earned runs in just as many innings. Getting in on the action at the team’s earliest convenience, Edwin Díaz earned two outs on 19 pitches, removed before completing a full inning with a run allowed and a closely monitored pitch count.
Double-A Tulsa
A rally in the first that led to four runs, starting off with a Mike Sirota RBI single—one of his three hits in the game—was enough for the Drillers to beat the Ytabelers 5-3.
Mike Sirota singles to send Kendall George home and the Drillers are on the board‼️ pic.twitter.com/r52yrNMEqK
Even though they only scored one run in the following eight innings, the top three in the order, with Kendall George, Josue De Paula, and the aforementioned Sirota, all recorded multiple hits.
While the Drillers were able to put the ball in play consistently, only striking out twice, their pitching staff had a far easier time securing strikeouts. Patrick Copen and Christian Suarez, the latter of whom earned the win with three scoreless innings, led a 13-K effort.
High-A Great Lakes
Isaac Ayon’s quality start, tossing 6.2 innings of two-run ball, bought enough time for the Loons offense to deliver with two runs in the seventh, beating the Lugnuts 4-2 on the road. Dilan Figueredo finished the game off with a save, completing 2.1 scoreless innings—it was Figueredo’s fifth save on the season.
Will Wagner hit the game’s only home run and was responsible for half of the Loons’ four RBI. Working together with Emil Morales who was on first, Wagner stole home plate to score the Loons’ third run of the game.
Single-A Ontario
Leaving most of their scoring until the late innings, the Tower Buzzers managed to come from behind on the road and beat the Giants 6-5. Making it happen with the bat and on the basepaths, leadoff hitter Jaron Elkins scored a couple of runs in a 2-for-4 performance with multiple stolen bases, making it 32 on the year, only caught six times.
Leading 6-4 in the ninth, the Tower Buzzers had a major scare with the Giants loading the bases with no outs. It took a timely double play induced by Jose Vasquez and one more out secured by Jecsua LIborius to strand the tying run at third base.
Transactions
The Tulsa Drillers activated shortstop Sam Mongelli and placed Kyle Nevin on the injured list. Edwin Díaz is now with the Comets, progressing on his rehab assignment. The Comets also activated righty Ryder Ryan.
Wednesday’s scores
Sacramento 7, Oklahoma City 1
Arkansas 3, Tulsa 5
Lansing 2, Great Lakes 4
San Jose 5, Ontario 6
Thursday’s schedule
4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Tyler Gough) at Lansing (Jorge Marcheco)
4:35 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Payton Martin) at Arkansas (Nico Tellache)
6:30 p.m. PT: Ontario (TBD) at San Jose (TBD)
6:45 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (TBD) at Sacramento (Cesar Perdomo)
PHILADELPHIA — Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani threw a bullpen session prior to the game at Philadelphia.
Ohtani had been scheduled to start against the Phillies in the finale of the three-game series. But left knee irritation that kept him out of the All-Star Game scrapped those plans.
The four-time MVP last pitched on July 3. He received a lubricant injection in his balky knee, which does not bother him while batting.
Ohtani was in the lineup batting leadoff as the designated hitter. The two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers are scheduled to visit the White House on an off day. They then begin a three-game series at the New York Mets.
Ohtani threw about 30 pitches in the bullpen.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called that “a big sign.”
“The grass, the flat ground, all that stuff is good,” Roberts said before the game. “The arm’s fine. It’s kind of just going down the slope, getting over your front side. That’s the big test.”
Roberts said the Dodgers still did not have a timetable for Ohtani’s return to the mound.
Jul 22, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers third baseman Ezequiel Duran (20) fields a ground ball during the ninth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images | Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images
Morning, all!
Corey Seager is expected to begin a rehab assignment next week, which would mean he would return to the lineup against Houston July 31.
Rookie Cam Cauley was one of the few bright spots in last night’s loss to the White Sox.
As has often been the case this season, Texas failed to capitalize on opportunities to put runs on the board.
It seems likely that the Rangers will need to try to find a catcher before the trade deadline, seeing as how both of their catchers are on the IL with elbow issues.
A mixed night for the Phillies’ affiliates on Wednesday. The IronPigs and Fightin’ Phils fell, but the three lower-level teams were swinging the bats well and came away with wins.
Indianapolis 2, Lehigh Valley 1
Despite a home run by Otto Kemp and six strong innings by starting pitcher Kolby Allard, the IronPigs fell to the Indians on Wednesday night.
Kemp’s first inning home run was the lone offensive highlight in a four-hit showing by the ‘Pigs, and for a while it looked like it might hold up. But the Indians tied it up against Allard in the sixth and then scored the go-ahead run in the eighth against reliever Kyle Backhus.
Harrisburg 12, Reading 2
It was a bad night for the Reading pitching staff, giving up 15 hits – including two home runs – as the Senators racked up 12 runs. Starting pitcher Kyle Brnovich got through the first inning unscathed, but then proceeded to allow seven runs over the next four innings.
The Fightin’ Phils’ offense didn’t do much better. The lone highlight came in the fifth when Raylin Heredia singled home a run and Aroon Escobar followed with an RBI groundout.
Jersey Shore 5, Brooklyn 3
Nick Biddison’s two run homer in the ninth inning gave the BlueClaws a walkoff victory over the Cyclones.
The ‘Claws fell behind 2-0 in the first inning, but starting pitcher Cody Bowker steadied himself, pitching four scoreless innings after that, while striking out a total of eight batters. Reliever Gabe Craig blew the save in the ninth, thanks in part to his own fielding error.
In addition to Biddison’s heroics, the Claws’ offensive leaders were Tyler Pettorini (two hits, three runs) and Brandon Lewis (two hits, one RBI)
Clearwater 11, Daytona 1
A five run third inning put the Threshers on top and they didn’t look back, bashing the Tortugas’ pitching staff for 11 runs. Alirio Ferrebus was the biggest producer, going 4-5 with four RBI, including a three-run home run. Jonathan Hogart also chipped in a three-run home run.
Alirio Ferrebus is back! He roped this opposite-field double 101.4 mph to bring in a first inning run for the @Thresherspic.twitter.com/DsQwFHGIwF
Pitching-wise, starter Matthew Fisher allowed just one run in his four innings, and Luis Avila pitched three scoreless innings to earn the save.
DSL Phillies 10, DSL Yankees 2
The Phillies scored six runs in the first two innings to cruise past the Yankees. Juan Parra had a triple and a home run to lead the offensive outburst, while Edwin Ramirez, Sebastian Saenz, and Jose Tovar each had multi-hit games.
DENVER, CO - JULY 21: CJ Abrams #5 of the Washington Nationals rounds the bases after hitting a two run home run in the first inning during the game between the Washington Nationals and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Tuesday, July 21, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Casey Paul/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Right now, CJ Abrams is a man on a mission. That mission is to prove he can maintain his performance levels over a full 162 game season. Over the past couple seasons, Abrams has had excellent first half numbers before falling off in the second half. Since the All-Star Break, Abrams is doing everything he can to crush that narrative.
While this tweet has four years of data, the problem has really only been in the last two seasons. Back in 2022, Abrams was just getting his feet wet in the league and in 2023 he was actually better in the second half. It was actually that run towards the end of the 2023 season where Abrams truly burst on to the scene.
However, the past couple years have been rough. 2024 was especially disastrous with the whole casino disaster ending his season early. The 2025 fall off was not pretty, but the whole team outside of Daylen Lile was lifeless that second half. It was just a difficult season where the vibes were not high.
Entering this year though, Abrams’ second half was going to be what everyone was watching. If he did not put things together down the stretch this year, he would be in the dreaded MacKenzie Gore territory.
Abrams’ first half went according to plan, with the 25 year old having his best first half yet. He hit .275 with 20 homers, 67 RBI and an .862 OPS, being named the starting shortstop for the National League. Abrams was not quite as electric in June, but he still hit 6 homers and posted a .708 OPS. That is not an amazing month, but it was just a regular down month rather than a collapse. Even the best players usually are not elite every single month.
To say Abrams has been back to his best in July would be an understatement. He is having his best month of the season, with a .350 average and 1.099 OPS. In the last two seasons, Abrams has had a wRC+ below 100 in July, but right now it is sitting at 187.
He took things to another level on this road trip. The 25 year old set a career high when he hit his 21st home run of the season in Sacramento. Abrams took a 99 MPH heater to straight away center field on one of his most impressive swings of the season. Seeing the usually pull happy Abrams take a ball to center like that was great to see.
— Nationals Communications (@NationalsComms) July 19, 2026
That swing seemed to really lock him in because Abrams was an absolute menace in Colorado. He had 7 hits, including three home runs in the series, absolutely carrying the Nats offense. In the first two games of the series, Abrams hit home runs in both, including a two homer game in the Nats loss the other night. That meant Abrams homered for three straight games, the second time he has done that this year.
He did not make it four straight yesterday, but that was arguably his most impressive performance. Abrams had four hits in the Nationals 8-0 win, which brought the team back over .500. He was using the whole field and just smoking tough pitches. We saw a very complete version of Abrams in this series. The two time All-Star got his OPS back over .900 and raised his batting average to .286.
CJ Abrams just went over a .900 OPS on a 4-hit day. Batting average just under .290. This is incredible.
If you want to go into some more advanced numbers, Abrams now has a 144 wRC+ and a .384 wOBA. His career highs before this season were 107 and .324, which he did last season. He has also set career bests in more traditional stats like home runs, RBI’s and WAR. It is not even August yet, and Abrams is having a career year.
We still need to see Abrams keep up the good work in August and September. However, his second half is off to a smashing start. Right now, he is 11 for 26 with four home runs since the All-Star Break.
One thing that will loom over Abrams for the next couple weeks are the trade rumors ahead of the deadline. Personally, I find an Abrams trade this deadline to be quite unlikely. However, there will be persistent rumors, and a trade is not out of the picture. Right now, Abrams is doing a great job drowning out the noise and the Nats just keep winning.
Heading into the season, Abrams was open about his goal of finishing strong. He talked about how he improved his work habits and diet in an attempt to sustain for the whole 162. Abrams really does seem like he has matured a lot since that incident a couple years ago. He has developed into a team leader and a guy that the younger players look up to.
Abrams is always talking in the dugout, usually about what the pitcher is doing and spreading wisdom to his teammates. Maturity is not my only reason for confidence though. It is clear that this coaching staff, especially on the hitting side, is a lot better. If Abrams does go on a mini slump, like he did in June, it will be corrected.
In the past, slumping hitters often spiraled out of control for months at a time. However, under Matt Borgschulte, those adjustments are being made. There are times where James Wood struggles to make contact, but they do not last as long as they did last season.
Between the coaching staff, Abrams’ maturity and the overall competitiveness of the team, I am confident that this is the year where Abrams finishes strong. The early returns are excellent, but we still have a couple more months to go. CJ Abrams is having a career year, and hopefully this is the first of many elite seasons that Abrams has with the Nationals.
Patrick Kane will officially not be joining the Buffalo Sabres.
The Chicago Blackhawks have announced that they have signed Kane to a two-year contract with an $8 million average annual value.
The Sabres were heavily linked to Kane this off-season. However, instead of playing for his hometown team in Buffalo, Kane will instead be returning to the Blackhawks.
This is certainly tough news for the Sabres, as Kane would have had the potential to be a strong addition to their top six. Furthermore, with the Sabres moving on from Alex Tuch this off-season, Kane would have had the potential to be a nice replacement for him.
The Sabres will now need to explore their options elsewhere if they want to improve their forward group before the start of the season.
In 67 games last season with the Detroit Red Wings, Kane posted 16 goals, 41 assists, and 57 points. With numbers like these, the Blackhawks should benefit from having him back in their lineup. It will be interesting to see what he can do on a line with young star Connor Bedard.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JULY 22: Luis Rengifo #21 of the San Diego Padres reacts after a two-run home run during the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on July 22, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Michael King deserved better than what he got. The San Diego Padres starter completed six innings and scattered five hits while allowing just one run to the Atlanta Braves. The Padres did nothing to support him on offense and his night ended with Atlanta holding onto a 1-0 lead. Jackson Merrill helped out in the top of the seventh inning with a solo home run to tie the game, but that was all the offense could muster in support of King.
San Diego and Atlanta entered the eighth inning with the teams still tied at 1-1. The Padres went down in order in the top of the eighth inning. Wandy Peralta took the mound in the bottom half of the frame and had a complete meltdown that saw the Braves score four runs on three hits with a walk in just 1/3 of an inning pitched. He was replaced on the mound by Randy Vasquez who had his own struggles over 2/3 of an inning as he allowed two more runs on four hits with a strikeout.
The six-run inning by the Braves set the stage for the Padres in the top of the ninth. The game appeared all but over before the San Diego offense suddenly came to life. Pinch-hitter Sung-Mun Song flied out to start the frame, but Xander Bogarts walked and Jake Cronenworth doubled to put runners at second and third. Gavin Sheets followed with an RBI-single to make the score, 7-2. Sheets advanced to second base on a wild-pitch and the Padres had runners at second and third with one out. Fernando Tatis Jr. stepped to the plate and hit a triple that got under the glove of Atlanta center fielder Michael Harris II and rolled all the way to the wall. The hit by Tatis made the score, 7-4.
San Diego tacked on its final two runs when Luis Rengifo connected on a two-run home run off Atlanta closer Raisel Iglesias to make the score 7-6 before he struck out Manny Machado and Ty France to end the game. Based on the recent success and only being down a run, those were the two batters the Padres would have wanted at the plate, neither of them were able to come through in a big moment.
San Diego will try to win Game 4 in Atlanta to force a split this morning at 9:15 a.m.
Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune believes the newfound power of Fernando Tatis Jr. could have an effect on how the Padres approach the trade deadline.
Mar 29, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers mens basketball head coach Will Wade looks on against the Houston Rockets during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
LSU Tigers men’s basketball head coach Will Wade has a clear vision for what he wants the program to look like as they continue rebuilding the roster.
Speaking about the roster overhaul with Brendon Fairbairn of Louisiana First News, Wade said the emphasis was on bringing in players with the size, athleticism and skill needed to compete in one of college basketball’s toughest conferences.
“Long, athletic guys that can compete in the SEC,” Wade said. “You need some skill and shooting at the guard spot, and we feel like we’ve accomplished a lot of that.”
The comments highlight the philosophy driving LSU’s roster construction throughout the beginning of this new era. In today’s SEC, where teams regularly feature elite athletes and NBA-caliber talent, Wade believes length and versatility are essential. At the same time, adding guards who can stretch the floor with consistent outside shooting was another major priority during the rebuilding process.
While the Tigers will feature several new faces this season, Wade’s confidence suggests LSU has assembled a roster capable of fitting the style of play he wants to implement.
Boston, MA - July 20: Boston Red Sox shortstop Tsung-Che Cheng celebrates scoring a run. The Boston Red Sox played the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park on July 20, 2026. (Photo by Christian Kantosky/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
Before we close the book on the Red Sox historic 15-game winning streak and move on to the rest of the regular season tomorrow, I want to take a step back and marvel at what we just witnessed — because, folks, it really was nothing short of extraordinary.
If you told me at the beginning of the year that the 2026 Red Sox were going to tie the franchise record for consecutive wins at 15 straight games, I would have been delighted and surprised, but not shocked. On paper, they had some really good pieces on this roster, and theoretically, any streak of this magnitude would have been powered by some version of the following:
Garrett Crochet leading the charge from the top of the rotation.
Ranger Suarez slotting in nicely and making his three turns during the streak.
Roman Anthony becoming a superstar.
Jarren Duran recapturing the magic of his 2024 season.
Trevor Story finding a way to repeat 2025.
Connelly Early or Johan Oviedo making a leap and contributing to the wins through the stretch.
Marcelo Mayer blossoming into an everyday player and making an impact.
The best hitter on the team all year by nearly 200 OPS points not being suspended for five games in the middle of the streak.
In reality, exactly none of those things happened. It’s crazy enough the Red Sox did this without Crochet, Anthony, Story, and Oviedo, who they’ve been missing virtually all year, but for the streak to come exactly as things got even worse is a borderline miracle. Remember, Connelly Early made his last start in that Nationals series on the final day of June and went on the IL just before all this started. Ranger Suarez did make one start early in the streak against the Angels, but he left in the third inning, which basically turned that game into an unexpected bullpen night.
In other words, as ridiculous as this Red Sox team going on a heater would have sounded in late June, the one way you kind of sort of could have seen it happening would have been on the back of their excellent rotation. And while numbers wise that’s mostly what happened, doing it with right as Early and Suarez went on the shelf is truly next level stuff, venturing into uncharred waters in bizzarro world.
(Random side note here: Ranger Suarez getting sick and not being able to come off the IL last night probably did cost the Sox win No. 16. By all accounts, his groin injury was healed and he was ready to come back, but an illness delayed his return until this weekend. If he doesn’t get sick, there’s a 99.9% chance he delivers a much more competitive outing than Eduardo Rivera gave us last night, And given the buzz in the crowd and the fact that it was also Venezuela Celebration night at Fenway Park, there’s a decent chance the Red Sox find a way to pull that one out with a starter from Venezuela making a comeback and rocking a strong outing on the mound.)
Getting great pitching with a depleted rotation is one thing, but it only gets more amazing when you step back and realize the Red Sox managed to win 15 games in a row with Willson Contreras suspended for five games in the middle of it.
Do you know where the Red Sox rank as a team in home runs this year in the American League? That would be dead last. So when you take Contreras, who has been by far the best bat throughout the 2026 season, out of the lineup, it should’ve resulted in disaster. Instead, the Sox averaged five runs per game through that stretch and got random contributions from guys all over the lineup.
You’d also think that maybe Jarren Duran, who has been productive in the past and shown brief power explosions within his dreadful 2026 season would’ve covered some of that gap. Instead, he batted .170 with a .569 OPS during the 15-game streak, and .125 with a .336 OPS during the five games Contreras was out. Seriously, how the hell did the Sox win all this games?!?
Even once Contreras did come back, they were still winning in highly improbable fashion. This includes their biggest comeback of the entire season Saturday against the Rays, and the fact that during each of the last four games of the streak, the Sox got outhit by their opponent. In order to make this work, they had to go from a team that was getting none of the hits in high leverage situations early in the season, to a team getting seemingly all of the hits in high leverage situations. No one guy stood out, and that’s probably why it worked so well.
Whoever you want to credit most, this team deserves an immense amount praise for finding a way to work as a cohesive unit while shorthanded with the season teetering on a the cliff’s edge. Regardless of how things play out from here, these guys earned a spot in a storied history book.
For the rest of our lives, whenever any Red Sox team goes on a double digit winning streak, a graphic will pop up on the screen showing the longest Red Sox winning streaks of all time, and sitting there right next to an absolutely loaded 1946 team will be this group of “dawgs that just want to win” as Anthony Seigler put it. It will be another magnificent reminder that every once in a while, baseball produces the seemingly impossible.
This Red Sox team — and I emphasize THIS Red Sox team — tied the franchise record for most consecutive wins. This is the same group that couldn’t muster a winning streak longer than three games as of a month ago and was setting daily records of futility not seen since the Depression-era Red Sox of the 1930s. Somehow it was THIS group that pulled off the inconceivable.
Not the 2004, 2007, 2013, or even 2018 powerhouses. Not one of those 1970s teams that always got off to hot starts before letting glory slip through their fingers, and not one of those 1910s squads that won four World Series in seven years that we know only from black and white photographs. No, it was this 2026 group who basically ended up together by accident after huge pieces of the roster either didn’t perform or ended up on the IL.
Now what could be more absurd and wonderful than that?
Over the last couple of weeks, the report was that Patrick Kane was deciding between the Buffalo Sabres and the Chicago Blackhawks. Each market has significance to Kane for different reasons.
On Thursday, the Blackhawks announced that Kane had chose them. He is coming back to Chicago, where he became a hockey legend, on a two-year deal with an average annual value of $8 million.
During the 2022-23 season, the Blackhawks traded Kane to the New York Rangers for a playoff run. Every year since has been spent with the Detroit Red Wings, and now he's back with Chicago, where he spent the first 16 years of his NHL career.
With Kane comes a lot of experience that few players ever have. He has won the Stanley Cup, the Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoff MVP, the Hart Trophy as League MVP, and a scoring title (Art Ross Trophy). With that experience comes wisdom, which can help all of the younger players on the team.
The Blackhawks will be without Connor Bedard for the first month of the season, but he is sure to get some ice time with Kane at even strength and on the power play when he returns. Until then, it will be Anton Frondell and Frank Nazar's chance to play with the Chicago legend.
Kane was a productive playmaker in 2025-26 with 16 goals and 41 assists for 57 points in 67 games played. That's not his career point-per-game pace, but it is a solid total for a player of his age. In 1369 games played, Kane has 508 goals, 892 points, and 1400 points. Now, at 37, he hopes to continue finding the fountain of youth with his new (and old) team.
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PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 24: Pittsburgh Penguins center Ben Kindel (81) skates during the second period in the NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Colorado Avalanche on March 24, 2026, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
We might still be a couple of months away from the start of the 2026-27 NHL season, but it is not too early to start taking a look at some projected performances for the Pittsburgh Penguins this season. So let’s start our yearly look at some over/unders.
We start today with Ben Kindel and some of the potential young players that could make an impact or see significant playing time for the Penguins this season.
Ben Kindel: Over/under 18.5 goals
The play of Ben Kindel was one of the biggest (and most surprising) developments for the 2025-26 Penguins. After being initially viewed as a potential reach and overdraft at no. 11 overall, Kindel arrived in Pittsburgh in training camp and kept checking every box along the way to eventually earn a spot on the opening night roster.
Then he stuck around beyond the opening nine games.
Then he ended up becoming one of their best all-around players at only 18 years old and scored 17 goals in 77 games.
His ceiling remains a bit of an unknown, but there is no reason why he can not be an outstanding No. 2 center for the next decade. And potentially more.
So what is a reasonable expectation for him going into year two?
Let’s just look at some comparable seasons and performances.
Since the start of the 2005-06 season there have been 11 players, outside of Kindel, that scored between 10 and 20 goals in their age 18 season in the NHL. Enough goals to be a full-time player, but not quite enough to look like an immediate superstar.
It’s a list that includes Andrei Svechnikov, Sam Gagner, Valeri Nichushkin, Evander Kane, Zach Benson, Kaapo Kakko, Aaron Ekblad, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Cole Sillinger, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and David Pastrnak.
There are a lot of REALLY good players on that list. Pastrnak and Svechnikov are the best-case scenarios. Nugent-Hopkins, Benson, or Nichushkin would be outstanding.
There are also some that kind of stalled out and disappointed.
But the one thing that stands out about almost all of their year two performance is that there was not always a huge immediate progression, and sometimes there was even a little bit of a regression.
Nugent-Hopkins, for example, scored only four goals in year two. Pastrnak scored just 15. Svechnikov was the only one that topped 20 in his second season. As a group, they averaged a 17-goal pace over 82 games in year two of their careers. Sometimes the sophomore slump and a regression is a real thing. It doesn’t mean the career doesn’t pan out. It just means progress and development is not always steady and consistent, and does not always work the same way for people. It is not always a steady, consistent line.
It’s also entirely possible that the goal-scoring numbers do not take a big increase, but that the player becomes a better all-around player.
So with all of that in mind, I am saying over/under goals for Kindel in 2026-27 is 18.5. That might seem underwhelming given his rookie total, but I think it’s right in line with what should probably be reasonably expected.
Rutger McGroarty: Over/under 10.5 goals
I still believe in McGroarty, and I still think he has a chance to have a good NHL career and be a player that can make it. It might not be a first-line star, but I could still see him being a very good second-line or middle-six winger. You still need players like that. It can be beneficial if they come from within the organization.
The 2025-26 season was a struggle for him as injuries limited his start to the season, and he never really got going at the NHL level. Or got much of an opportunity given how deep the roster turned out to be. At the moment, there is still a big-time log-jam at forward, but I still have to think (or want to think) he can force his way into the lineup at some point and produce.
I liked what I saw from him this past season, even if it didn’t always translate into offense at the NHL level. But he was still a point-per-game player in the AHL, and still showed some goal-scoring touch. Let’s set the over/under here at 10.5 goals.
Harrison Brunicke: 40.5 NHL games
I am not even looking at goals or total points here. Just NHL games. Brunicke’s development is going to be enormous for the Penguins for a couple of reasons.
For one, he is one of the prospects in the organization that might actually have top-line (or top-pairing) potential. He also showed enormous improvement as the 2025-26 season went on as he played in multiple different levels of the sport. By the time the season ended, he was playing a big-time role in the AHL as a 19-year-old, and was one of Wilkes-Barre’s most trusted and best all-around defensemen.
All of that is encouraging.
But it is also important to keep in mind he is still only going to be 20 years old and has still only played 20 games of pro hockey. The Penguins have a lot of options on defense right now, and especially on the right side, and his proper development still has to take priority over everything else. He is too important long-term to mess this up.
I do not necessarily think it would be a bad thing or hurt him to get some time in the AHL. It’s where he should have been this past season if he were eligible for it. But will he force the Penguins’ hand and play well enough to be an NHL regular? Or will the Penguins try to push him no matter what?
Ville Koivunen: 5.5 goals
This is not really a question of Koivunen’s ability or potential, but perhaps more of a question of whether or not the Penguins still believe in him.
I am not sure of the latter.
He was perhaps the most underwhelming of the Penguins young players in 2025-26, scoring just two goals in 39 regular season games.
For his career, he is only at two goals in 47 games.
There are still some things to like in his game. His possession metrics are consistently strong. He seems to be a good playmaker. He has been outstanding in the AHL. But something is missing when he gets to the top level, especially when it comes to his ability to get pucks on net and score goals.
The Penguins reportedly told him this was a big offseason for him, and the pressure seems to be on. He is going to be 23 years old this season, and while that is not old in hockey player years, it is starting to get into danger territory for prospects.
Bill Zonnon: 10.5 points
I do not expect Zonnon to start the season in the NHL, but I do think there is a real chance we see him at some point. Either as a temporary call-up in an injury situation, to replace somebody that is traded, or because he simply forces the issue and plays his way into a spot. At the time of the 2025 NHL Draft, it almost felt like he was the one guy among the three first-rounders that was the best bet to be an NHL-ready player. The way he arrived in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton late in the season did not really do anything to hurt that reputation. He was outstanding from the moment he arrived.
The most likely outcome for this season is that he gets a full season in Wilkes-Barre and becomes a bigger factor in 2027-28, but I am not going to eliminate the possibility of him exceeding that expectation. Will he get enough games, and play well enough, to top 10.5 points?
Sergei Murashov: .900 save percentage
If there is a prospect in the organization that has “franchise player” upside, it is most definitely Murashov.
The talent is there.
The ceiling is high.
His time in North America so far has been highlighted by dominant play and dominant numbers.
It is all very, very encouraging.
But he is a goalie, and still a young goalie with almost no NHL resume at this point. There is not a more volatile, more random, and more unpredictable type of player in the NHL than this. The ceiling is high. The floor is low. The Penguins seem ready to commit to him and Arturs Silovs as their goaltending duo for the season, and it will be the biggest X-factor in how their season goes.
Murashov might eventually end up reaching his ceiling at some point in the future. I do not expect it right away as a rookie. I would be happy with anything that is league average or above, and a .900 save percentage would be decently above the league average. Can he get there this season? It would be a nice step and a nice debut as a full-time NHL goalie if he can.
ATLANTA, GA - JULY 17: Chris Sale #51 of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the second inning during the game against the Texas Rangers at Truist Park on July 17, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jack Casey/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Braves brunch baseball is back on the menu, folks.
The things to like about last night’s game? Runs on the board for the good guys (albeit late), ultimately not snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, and guaranteeing a series split.
No need to relive the bad or discuss the ninth inning other than the totally normal Iggy save.
The Braves have a golden opportunity to win a series against the Padres at home for the first time since 2018 (!) with their ace on the mound.
At this point in the season with our rollercoaster rotation, it almost brings tears to the eyes to see Chris Sale set to start. Sale (10-6, 2.06 ERA) twirled a gem in his last time out with seven shutout innings against the Texas Rangers. He threw 89 pitches, only surrendered two hits, and struck out six in a rare occasion for Braves starters this season: pitching 6+ innings. He also recorded career strikeout #2,700.
Other than that, July’s been a mixed bag for Chris with the frustrating rain-shortened outing in St. Louis and the five innings of three-run ball versus the Mets in the July 4th laugher.
The Padres did not face Sale when the Braves were in San Diego, but Manny Machado leads the team in ABs against him (11-for-35, .355 AVG, and .993 OPS). Xander Bogaerts is next-highest, 7-for-22. They have a homer apiece. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Gavin Sheets also have a homer off Sale in a smaller sample size. We’re hoping for more of what Jake Cronenworth has going on: he’s 0-for-10 with 6 K’s.
For the finale, the Padres will call upon starter Griffin Canning (1-8, 6.67 ERA). The former Angel/Met struggled mightily against the Braves when he faced them on June 23. Wandy Peralta served as an effective opener, but Canning only recorded two outs in the second inning. He gave up three earned runs before departing, and a fourth one scored after Kyle Hart walked in an inherited runner. Canning’s career versus the Braves: 7.2 IP, one loss, and a 12.91 ERA.
Since that game in San Diego, Canning hasn’t fared much better. The longest he’s lasted in his last four starts is 4.2 innings. His best outing in that bunch is when he held the Dodgers to one run in four innings of work.
With Sale pitching and the reemergence of the Braves offense in July, this one has the makings of a decisive win #60 to take the series and end the homestand on a high note. We’ll see what the lunchtime baseball has in store.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - JANUARY 03: Yegor Chinakhov #59 of the Pittsburgh Penguins scores a goal between the legs of John Gibson #36 of the Detroit Red Wings during the first period at Little Caesars Arena on January 3, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan.Pittsburgh defeated Detroit 4-1. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
A friend of mine offered an interesting question, mostly just to chat about for a little and move on but it’s been sticking in my mind for a while now. The question was who will be in last place in the Eastern Conference next season?
It’s been an interesting point to ponder on in the dead of summer. Not all the teams are particularly good, but no one is currently trying to be bad by punting the season through a long-term rebuilding strategy these days that has made themselves a poor team either. There are no Chicago’s or Calgary’s in the East these days that will drop far behind the pack and await what they hope will be a brighter future. All 16 teams in the East, to varying degrees, have the goal, desire and something of an expectation to make the playoffs next season.
That shapes up to mean chaos and fun. Take a look at last season – the three worst teams in the Eastern Conference ended up being Florida (the 2x defending Stanley Cup champions), Toronto (the team that finished second in points for the conference the year prior in 2024-25) and the New York Rangers (who were first in the East as recently as 2023-24).
That’s probably three teams that this time 12 months ago almost no one would have guessed would be at the bottom of the conference, although there were some warning signs with NYR and Aleksander Barkov’s preseason injury did impact the Panthers in a predictable way before the year started. If anything in the modern NHL, you might as well throw out the results of the prior year when attempting to forecast the future. The base of what has happened isn’t going to be a roadmap for what is to come, by and large for many teams.
Going off my preseason predictions, I would have had Philadelphia, Boston and Pittsburgh as the bottom-three teams in 2025-26, all of which you might notice made the playoffs. That’s pretty humbling to undertake the projection of who could be the worst in 2026-27.
So who is going to end up 16th out of 16 teams? Let’s see how it could happen with some candidates, in no specific order.
Detroit Red Wings – There are a lot of pieces of strife here: the captain wants a trade, the franchise legend GM got kicked upstairs, one of their best players in Alex Debrincat is an impending free agent with an uncertain future, their defense is mostly a collection of trash besides one great player and their goaltending is borderline shaky. Maybe the Red Wings pull the nose up on this thing, but isn’t a challenge to imagine that things get worse before they get better.
New York Rangers – We liked their offseason in terms of immediate upgrades to the team, but last year’s last place team still has a lot consternation hanging over it like a black fog. This team looks like they’re one Igor Shesterkin injury away from disaster. Of course, that could be said of many if their best player was out, but I think the Rangers this year have a low ceiling and an even lower floor that puts them in the conversation of being a low-end team.
Pittsburgh Penguins – The top five returning scorers range in age of 33-40, eventually the core that was strong enough to power the Pens to the playoffs last season is going to lose strength. Several supporting players all had career seasons last year and could be difficult to duplicate. The top-three goaltenders in the organization have combined for 78 career NHL games entering the season, the defensive numbers were among the worst in the league without much in the way of upgrades.
New York Islanders – The Islanders strategy seems to be ‘let’s hope Peter DeBoer can make some magic’, because they’ve done almost nothing this off-season to improve. They’ve lost multiple captain-type of players recently (first Brock Nelson in 2025, then Anders Lee this summer). Matthew Schaefer and Ilya Sorokin (plus Bo Horvat and Mat Barzal) might given them enough talent to escape last place, but this also looks like a situation where a new GM needs some burdensome contracts to tick away while replenishing the system with young talent, a process that sometimes means enduring pain along the way.
Columbus Blue Jackets – Their top six players from last season: Zach Werenski (might not sign with them again, was almost traded before situation smoothed out), Kirill Marchenko (reportedly doesn’t want to re-sign), Adam Fantilli (RFA, still unsigned), Charlie Coyle (re-signed as an overpayment), Boone Jenner and Mason Marchment (both left as free agents). Looks very unsettled right now for an organization known to take one step forward followed by shuffling towards the back.
Buffalo Sabres – They lost their second-highest scoring forward (Alex Tuch) and second-highest scoring defenseman (Bowen Byram) with no replacement, save Olen Zellweger. The highest paid forward (Josh Norris) has missed more time with injury than he’s played in the last four seasons. Their current goalies (Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen) don’t inspire a lot of confidence, though rumors of a Connor Hellebuyck trade would surely elevate Buffalo into a strong position – if it materializes. It would be shocking if the Sabres ended up all the way at the bottom, and they showed they have a very high ceiling if their young core takes another step, but I don’t know, can’t shake the feeling that they have elements of coming back to the pack after a tremendous season.
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We just blurbed on six teams, not far off from half the conference. The options added up quickly, even though the cases for all could be stretches and dependent on worst case scenarios happening. Maybe one of these teams finish last, but then again it wouldn’t be a shocker if several of them end up making the playoffs next season either. That’s the NHL these days, filled with parity and unexpected outcomes. About all we can know for sure is that some team out there is going to finish at the bottom, and much like last season’s lower-end teams, they probably will be wondering just how it ended up that way.
Alex Mcfarlane of the Reading Fightin' Phils is on the mound during a Minor League Baseball game at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, United States, on July 11, 2026. (Photo by Dan Squicciarini/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images
It’s no secret that the Phillies bullpen needs help. That was true even before they lost Brad Keller for the season, as every reliever not named Jhoan Duran has been at best inconsistent or at worst downright brutal. They’ve already churned through many of their options on the 40-man roster, hoping to find some stability somewhere before looking to address the issue at the trade deadline.
Curiously however, one name they haven’t really tried is Alex McFarlane. The 25-year-old has been called up to the Majors twice this season but has only appeared in one game, pitching the ninth of a 9-5 game lass night. In the minors, he has yet to even pitch above Double-A despite logging a 2.06 ERA in 32 appearances this season with 47 strikeouts in 35 innings for Reading. However, those gaudy strikeout numbers also come with an extremely high walk rate, as McFarlane has issued 18 free passes in his 35 innings of work. For his minor league career, McFarlane has posted a walk rate of at least 12% every year since his first full season in professional ball in 2023. That walk rate is at least part of the reason why the team still hasn’t promoted him to Triple-A or used him more in the majors.
Yet they’ve elected to carry him on the major league roster twice, thus starting his service clock. The team is running out of viable internal options to try in their bullpen to see if they can alleviate some of the pressure before the trade deadline arrives. The time may be approaching where the Phillies will have to give McFarlane a bigger role either with a promotion to Triple-A or by actually seeing what he has with extended use in the Majors.
So, should the Phillies give Alex McFarlane a real chance in the bullpen? Should they send him to Triple-A first or see what he does against MLB hitters right now?
