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It was a Wednesday afternoon at then-named Minute Maid Park.

On July 20, 2011, Jose Altuve made his MLB debut with the Houston Astros. He went 1×5 in a 3-2 victory over the Washington Nationals in 11 innings.

He got his first major league hit with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th inning on a 1-2 pitch from Tyler Clippard in a 2-2 ballgame. He would be stranded.

He would then be double-switched for RP Wilton Lopez in the top of the 10th. Jason Michaels would pinch hit for Lopez in the bottom of the 11th (in Altuve’s spot) and hit the game-winning single to drive in Humberto Quintero. The Astros were 33-65.

What has followed for Jose Altuve is a future Hall of Fame career, 2 World Series Championships, an MVP, 3 batting titles, a Gold Glove, an ALCS MVP, 7 Silver Slugger Awards, and 9 All-Star games.

Here are some of our fondest memories of Jose Altuve over the years, from the staff at Crawfish Boxes and the team at Sportsradio 610 Houston:

Craig Larson Jr. – Crawfish Boxes

On June 8th, 2015, I happened to be in Chicago visiting family on a summer vacation.    On the bucket list with my parents was going to see the White Sox and Astros play.     Unbeknownst to me at the time – that day was Carlos Correa’s call up to the club.   I’d learn later upon lineups being revealed on the stadium scoreboard.   It marked Correa’s debut.   

In the 4th inning that night, Correa would drive in his first career RBI by beating out an infield grounder.     The sheer excitement that followed several moments later from teammate Jose Altuve was something that’s stayed with me for all of these years.    The hug, smile and jubilation served as a mini prelude of things to come for the Astros.    Jose was prouder of Carlos than if he had accomplished the feat himself.     It reminded me of Jerry Rice’s excitement for John Taylor’s TD to beat the Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII.      That’s what being a leader is all about. 

Sean Pendergast – SportsRadio 610

My favorite Altuve moments probably mirror what many Astros fans would cite — the numerous postseason home runs, particularly the walk off series ended in the 2019 ALCS against the Yankees, every hit count milestone he’s touched, and perhaps the most likable demeanor of an athlete in Houston history. However, I think the thing I’m most impressed by Altuve is his remarkable evolution as a hitter, going from a guy who arrived in MLB immediately winning multiple batting titles to an overall force as someone who could hit for average AND power. When you add in that he packages it all in a 5-foot-6 frame, it makes him one of the most intriguing unicorns in baseball history.

Jimmy Price (Astros Future) – Crawfish Boxes:

I have so many memories of Jose Altuve. Watching him come through the Astros system as an undersized infielder and develop into an MVP was something special.

While this isn’t one specific memory, I just want to highlight everything he has done in the postseason. The Astros have had some really good teams over the years, but they’ve never had a player who consistently delivered on the biggest stage quite like Altuve.

The three-home run game against Boston to open the 2017 playoffs, his massive performance in Game 5 of the World Series in Houston, the walk-off home run in 2019, the list goes on. When the moments were the biggest, the best player stepped up. That was Jose Altuve.

Scott Barzilla – Crawfish Boxes

My memory is the obvious one but it is the most vivid one. When Roberto Osuna gave up the home run in Game Six of the ALCS in 2019 I actually threw my remote at the TV. Altuve obviously saved the day and cemented his place as the best Astro of all-Time. He doesn’t have the numbers of Bagwell or Biggio yet, but he has the postseason chops.

Adam Spolane – Crawfish Boxes

Altuve’s first taste of postseason baseball in 2015 was underwhelming. He was 4 for 22 without an extra base hit in six games against the Yankees and Royals, so he had some pressure to perform when the Astros returned in 2017. The Astros had won 101 games in the regular season and Altuve was the MVP front runner. He had to perform, and boy did he ever.

After Alex Bregman homered to put the Astros up 1-0 in the first inning of game one of the ALDS against the Red Sox, Altuve sent an 0-2 fastball from Chris Sale over the left-center field wall. Two at bats later he sent a first pitch fastball from Sale to the exact location. In his final at bat of the afternoon, Altuve launched a 1-1 breaking ball from Austin Maddox over the Crawford Boxes.

Altuve became the ninth player in Major League Baseball history to homer three times in a single postseason game, and it was the breakthrough performance from one era’s great postseason players. Altuve hit seven home runs during the 2017 postseason, and his 27 career postseason home runs trail only Manny Ramirez. 

Patrick Creighton – Crawfish Boxes/SportsRadio 610

Altuve has had so many moments throughout his career, but the one that stands out to me the most is his 3 HR game vs. the Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of the 2017 ALDS.

Altuve had just put together a monster season, winning his 3rd batting title in 4 years, leading the league in hits for the 4th straight season, and leading the league in WAR. He was going to win MVP over Aaron Judge, who also had a monstrous season leading the league in HR, runs, and walks.

While the postseason doesn’t count to voters, it certainly does in the minds of baseball fans across the nation. Altuve opened the postseason in the most incredible fashion possible.

A 3-HR game, including 2 HRs of Red Sox ace (and future HOFer) Chris Sale (who led the league with 308K), announced to all of MLB who the MVP of the 2017 season was. It was an incredibly powerful moment that gave Astros fans the belief that this was really their year, and their MVP was going to make sure of it.

After so many past playoff failures, especially offensively, Altuve shattered that notion in a single game as he became just the 9th player in MLB history with a 3 HR game in the postseason.

With the trade deadline only a couple weeks away, I wanted to take a look at some teams the Nats could be doing business with. There are four teams that stand out to me right now. Three of them would be if the Nats sell and one would be a team the Nats could buy from. The four teams are the Angels, the Red Sox, the Guardians and the Cubs.

Let’s start things on a happy note and talk about a team we could target if the Nats decide to buy. As every Nats fan knows, this team needs pitching. One place they could look for that is the Angels. Even though the Angels are in the midst of a miserable season, they have plenty of interesting pitchers they could make available.

If the Nats truly wanted to go big game hunting, they could go after Jose Soriano or Reid Detmers. A report came out that the Angels are expected to make both available at this year’s deadline. That is a big change of tune from the past, where they shot down trade interest. Both Soriano and Detmers have two years of control after this, lining up perfectly with CJ Abrams.

Should the Nats decide to keep Abrams long term, they will need to get serious about building a team around him and the rest of this young offensive core. Soriano is a hard throwing righty who has tailed off since a phenomenal start to the season. However, he still has a 3.49 ERA in 111 innings with 115 strikeouts. I also think there is still plenty of untapped potential with the 27 year old.

While Detmers has an ERA of 4.16, his FIP is almost a full run lower than that. The southpaw has swing and miss stuff, and would be highly coveted as well. Either of those guys would cost the Nats at least one of their top 100 prospects plus additional capital.

The starters are not the only intriguing pieces from the Angels though. There are four relievers I could see as fits for the Nats. If Paul Toboni wanted a cheap, short term fix, Kirby Yates could be a good option. The 39 year old has a 3.74 ERA and a 3.24 FIP this season thanks to his elite fastball, splitter combination. He also has plenty of closing experience with over 100 career saves. Yates would be a good option if Toboni just wanted to show the clubhouse he is invested without actually giving up a ton.

Sam Bachman, Chase Silseth and Ryan Zeferjahn are younger, controllable arms who the Nats could also go after. All three have electric stuff, but pretty shaky command. However, they would all be upgrades to the Nats pen and bring much needed swing and miss stuff. You would have to give up some prospect capital for those guys, but it would not need to be any of the Nats top 5-7 prospects.

Now that we have gone over a buying option, I am going to shift my attention to the selling side of things. Over the past few days, a lot of rumors have been swirling around Luis Garcia. One team that has been brought up a lot is Paul Toboni’s old club, the Red Sox. 

Toboni has already made one trade with his old team, the Luis Perales for Jake Bennett swap, which has not aged well so far. Maybe that would scare him off, but I wouldn’t think so. Our guy Paul Cubbage made a mock trade that sent Garcia to the Red Sox and two young arms to the Nats.

I could certainly see the Nats targeting former first rounder Kyson Witherspoon. He has not had a great first year in pro ball, but his stuff is loud and he was Toboni’s last first round pick in Boston. Witherspoon has a fastball in the mid to upper 90’s with the ability to throw a lot of different pitches. Rivera is also very intriguing as a relief arm.

A CJ Abrams trade at this deadline would surprise me, but Boston is a team that would make a lot of sense for him as well. The Red Sox have a need in the middle infield, and Abrams would be a good fit for them either at shortstop or at second base. That is something to watch more in the offseason though. The Red Sox farm system is stacked and they have several young major league pitchers they could offer the Nats.

Speaking of pitching, that seems to be what the Cubs will be after this deadline. If the Nats decide to move Foster Griffin, the Cubs would be a great fit. The last time the Nats traded a rental starting pitcher to the Cubs, it worked out pretty well for them.

Of course, the trade I am referring to is the Michael Soroka deal, where the Nats landed Ronny Cruz, who has really made a name for himself this year. Griffin is a much more valuable asset than Soroka, so the asking price will be high. Some prospects I could see the Nats targeting are pitchers Jaxon Wiggins, Kaleb Wing, Brooks Caple and Mason McGuire, as well as catcher Owen Ayers. Some combination of those guys could make for a compelling package.

I could also see the Cubs having some interest in Luis Garcia Jr. to fill the DH spot. Right now they have a rotating cast of characters in that position after Moises Ballesteros did not lock down that position. There is a chance they stick with the likes of veteran Michael Conforto and promising youngster Pedro Ramirez. However, that is a fit that could make some sense.

However, an even better fit for Garcia would be the Cleveland Guardians. The Guardians have gotten next to nothing from the first base and DH spots. Kyle Manzardo and Rhys Hoskins both have negative WAR. Hoskins walks a lot, but is hitting just .177. Meanwhile, Manzardo is hitting just .208 with an OPS below .650.

That is just not going to cut it for a team with playoff ambitions. Enter Luis Garcia Jr., who would solve their first base woes. As always, the Guardians have a stockpile of pitching they could give to the Nats. A starting pitching prospect like Braylon Doughty could make sense as a headliner. The Guardians also have a plethora of interesting young relievers such as Daniel Espino, Franco Aleman and Andrew Walters.

The Guardians are my ideal trade partner for Garcia, given their need and what they have to provide. Overall, this should be an exciting deadline. Keep an eye on those four teams though. I have a feeling the Nats will make a move with at least one of the Guardians, Red Sox, Cubs or Angels.

Jake McCarthy readily admits that he enjoys being part of the Colorado Rockies ‘fun’ offense.

“I just think it looks different every day,” the team’s leadoff hitter said prior to the Rockies’ season finale July 19 against Cincinnati. “I think we’re capable of putting the ball in play and, maybe, in a certain situation doing a job. Also, there are times when you slug a little more and we hit home runs. I just think we’ve done a pretty good job. 

“We could always do a better job of doing what the game kind of asks of us. But it’s just been fun. I feel like, 1-9 in the lineup, you never know who’s going to make an impact.”

McCarthy, acquired by Colorado in a trade with Arizona for pitcher Josh Grosz in January 2026, has certainly made his impact known in his inaugural season with the Rockies.

Through July 18, McCarthy was tied with Esmeryln Valdez of Pittsburgh for the National League league in RBI with 18 for July—a month in which is slashing .321/.400/.842 with three doubles, one triple and four home runs. 

For the season, the left-handed outfielder was batting .303 (fifth in the NL), with 10 home runs, 55 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 21 attempts through action of July 18. 

His .392 average with runners in scoring position tops the National League and is third in the Majors.

Those numbers have helped fuel a Rockies offense which, since June 1, has scored 227 runs—second only to Milwaukee’s 231 tallied in that span.

McCarthy recalls that this year’s Colorado offense is similar to that of the 2024 Diamondbacks squad.

“I think we had a really good offense in Arizona, just a similar concept,” he said. “1-9 having some guys who—if they’re not necessarily crushing home runs but they are seeing a lot of pitches—are maybe working a walk or something to start an inning to give us the lead or chip away and get a starting pitcher out of the game early. Maybe it’s stuff that necessarily does not show up in the box score but it’s important to the team.”

A perfect example of that situation occurred in Colorado’s game July 18 against the Reds.

With two out and a runner on third base in the second inning, McCarthy saw an opportunity to lay a bunt down the third base line that not only drove in the runner from a third but ended up as a base hit.

McCarthy’s teammates followed with four consecutive hits to plate three more runs as Colorado bolted to a 6-0 lead against Reds starting pitcher Rhett Lowder. Two more runs an inning later ended Lowder’s day after just 2.2 innings in an eventual 10-3 Rockies win.

McCarthy’s performance this season has impressed rookie teammate TJ Rumfield.

“I can’t say enough about Jake McCarthy,” said Rumfield, who finished with career highs of four hits and four RBI with a career-long 456-foot, two-run homer in the contest.

“First of all, just a constant professional hitter. He’ll do what it takes. He doesn’t care if it’s a bunt, if it’s moving a guy over, whatever the situation dictates. He’s going to get it done and you believe he’s going to get it done.”

Whether it’s a a key bunt or a big home run—he has two leadoff inside-the-park home runs this season (July 12 at San Francisco, June 20 vs. Pittsburgh) to become the first player with multiple leadoff inside-the-park homers since the New York Giants’ Ed Roush in 1929—McCarthy is enjoying his leadoff role.

“It’s been awesome,” he said. “I feel like every time I come up (to the plate), there’s someone on base, there’s someone in scoring position.

“I just think we’re always applying pressure to the (opposing) pitcher. I think we have done a nice job of taking pressure off each other because it I don’t come through, I trust that Mickey (Moniak) or whoever’s hitting behind me will come through.

“So, again, it’s just been very fun.”

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The 2026 MLB Draft is in the rearview mirror, and it was a very exciting one for the San Francisco Giants. They had their highest pick since 2018, a pair of top-30 selections, and 21 total draftees in the 20-round spectacle.

Of course, drafting is only half of the battle. Once players are drafted, they also have to be signed, and that’s not always easy. The Giants did very well with that assignment last year, signing everyone except their 20th-round pick, prep shortstop Elijah McNeal. The last time they signed all of their selections was 2023. Pitcher Ryan O’Sullivan, a 10th-round selection in 2008, was the time the Giants were unable to sign a player selected in the first 10 rounds.

It’s even harder to sign everyone now that NIL money impacts things so much. But the Giants are surely optimistic that they can get most of their players inked.

What follows is a tracker of all 21 drafted players, and their signing status. I’ll update it as news comes in. As a reminder, the Giants had a bonus pool of $17,350,600 this year. Teams are allowed to spend up to 5% on top of their bonus, albeit with a 75% tax. Anything beyond 5% means sacrificing future first-round draft picks.

There are assigned slot values for the first 10 rounds, and all money spent in those rounds counts against the pool, even if players are signed below their slot value. In rounds 11-20, players can be signed for up to $150,000 without it counting against the pool. Anything beyond $150,000 starts to impact the team’s signing pool.

As always, a thanks to all the great people who cover the Giants on social media for reporting so much of this information. A special shoutout to Twitter user Coast to Coast Baseball, and reporter Jeff Young.

Round 1: RHP Jackson Flora — SIGNED

Slot value: $8,988,400
Signing bonus: $7,997,500 ($990,900 underslot)

CBR-A: LHP Carson Bolemon — Unsigned

Slot value: $3,270,200

Round 2: RHP Kaden Waechter — Unsigned

Slot value: $1,763,000

Round 3: OF Peyton Bonds — SIGNED

Slot value: $887,000
Signing bonus: $887,000

Round 4: RHP Carlos Martinez— SIGNED

Slot value: $658,100
Signing bonus: $600,000 ($58,100 underslot)

Round 5: 2B Luke Nixon— SIGNED

Slot value: $481,800
Signing bonus: Unreported

Round 6: RHP Eric Nachtsheim— SIGNED

Slot value: $370,600
Signing bonus: Unreported

Round 7: LHP Beau Bryans— SIGNED

Slot value: $292,300
Signing bonus: Unreported

Round 8: RHP Cody Brasch— SIGNED

Slot value: $234,700
Signing bonus: Unreported

Round 9: 2B Mike Mancini— SIGNED

Slot value: $208,500
Signing bonus: Unreported

Round 10: RHP Ian Korn— SIGNED

Slot value: $196,000
Signing bonus: Unreported

Round 11: 1B Charlie Bussey III— SIGNED

Signing bonus: Unreported

Round 12: OF Josiah Kemp— SIGNED

Signing bonus: $450,000 ($300,000 out of bonus pool)

Round 13: LHP Colin Fisher— SIGNED

Signing bonus: $300,000 ($150,000 out of bonus pool)

Round 14: RHP Alex Solis— Unsigned

Round 15: 3B Drew Smith— SIGNED

Signing bonus: Unreported

Round 16: 3B Dalton Wentz— Unsigned

Round 17: OF Tanner Mally— SIGNED

Signing bonus: Unreported

Round 18: LHP Ryder Brooks— SIGNED

Signing bonus: Unreported

Round 19: 3B Mikey Bell — Unsigned

Round 20: RHP JP Robertson— Unsigned

List of reported undrafted free agent signings

SS Brody Acres (Walsh University)
C Scott Gell (Stony Brook)
RHP Toran O’Harran (Stanford)

To hear it from some readers, Shea Langeliers is a top catcher in MLB worthy of the All-Star starting gig afforded him by a landslide of fan votes. To hear it from other readers, Langeliers is highly overrated and only reducing his value every month he takes the field and has his shortcomings further exposed.

As usual, the truth is somewhere in between two extremes. We don’t know if the A’s intend for Shea to be their primary catcher through 2028 (when his contract expires), if they will try to deal him this off-season or next, or even as soon as this August 3rd deadline. Internet rumors around Langeliers’ possible available in the next 2 weeks have ramped up but are, at this point, mostly based in opinion and conjecture and not actual inside scoop.

Here is an honest look at the complex statistical landscape that informs Langeliers’ many strengths and many weaknesses both as a hitter and as a defensive catcher — what it all adds up to becomes highly subjective because you will get the good with the bad and you will get the bad with the good, and it’s always anybody’s guess how all these stats will evolve moving forward.

Langeliers’ Batting/Offense: Pros

• No one questions that Langeliers is a legitimate power threat. With 29 HR in 2024 and another 31 in 2025, Shea is at it again with 22 HR in 89 games and a great shot at surpassing 30 again in 2026.

• wRC+, which comes league and park adjusted, shows Langeliers to be a solidly above average hitter, with a 132 wRC+ last season and 124 wRC+ so far this season. That’s good for anyone, and especially impressive for a catcher.

• The past two seasons, Langeliers has brought down his K rate substantially from its previous 34.6%, 29.2%, and 27.2% marks. Not only did they decline each season to a low of 19.7% in 2025, this season’s 22.6% is still very good.

• Despite being a catcher, Langeliers provides the lineup with a fast runner. His sprint speed is in the 81st percentile.

Langeliers’ Batting/Offense: Cons

• A lot of Langeliers’ 2026 stats are buoyed by an incredible April in which he batted .328/.382/.592, 167 wRC+ with 8 HR in 30 games. He cooled off considerably when the calendar turned to May, and has batted only .225 with a .302 OBP since.

• Like so many of the A’s hitters, Langeliers gets a big boost from hitting in West Sacramento (with a Summerlin chaser) half the time. The reality is that on the road, Shea’s numbers begin to look much more pedestrian: .237/.302/.446, 107 wRC+. If that’s closer to “the real Langeliers” it will give other teams pause as to what they should expect if they trade for him.

Langeliers’ Catching: Pros

• Langeliers’ ability to control the running game actually remains strong despite the caught stealing data itself. The A’s pitchers routinely fail to keep runners close, a flaw that was vividly on display Sunday as the Nationals took liberties and swiped 6 bases in which Jonah Heim really had little to no chance each time. Statcast rates Langeliers as being in the 84th percentile for “CS above average” because when given a fair shot Shea comes through often.

• Langeliers has emerged as one of the better catchers with regard to a new key skill: ABS challenges. Shea ranks 5th in MLB with 51 successful challenges behind the dish and he has been successful on 61% of his tries (not elite, but above average).

Langeliers’ Catching: Cons

• While he has improved since his early years, Langeliers is still a liability overall when it comes to blocking errant pitches. He ranks in the 19th percentile in “blocks above average” and his 7 passed balls tie Francisco Alvarez for the most in MLB.

• The need for elite framing has been muted some by ABS but it is still an important skill. For one it can force more ABS challenge decisions from the other team and also at times one team or the other (or both) are out of challenges. Langeliers still languishes in the 7th percentile this season in framing.

• These flaws have helped keep Langeliers’ FRV (fielding run value) numbers negative each and every season of his career, including 2026 where it currently stands at -4.

• A purely subjective concern has been raised on AN and that is pitch calling. How much credit or blame goes to the catcher or to the coaching staff is an open question, as is whether a given catcher’s game calling is excellent, decent, poor, or terrible. There’s no way to measure this, but it has been noted as a source of possible concern. Specifically, Shea seems prone to predictable patterns and to encouraging his pitchers to throw a lot of off speed pitches to open at bats. But this may or may not be a legitimate issue.

What Does It All Add Up To?

Offense: With regard to stats bolstered by a sizzling April, that April did happen and can’t be dismissed. Neither can the reality that May-July has been lukewarm. Langeliers’ uninspiring road stats can’t be ignored but also come in the context that generally players hit better at home and worse on the road. And wRC+ is park adjusted so Shea’s excellent overall stats can’t be waved off as purely a SHP-induced phenomenon.

Conclusion: Langeliers is, in fact, an above average hitter but not an elite one. I would describe him as a “legitimate power threat and a dangerous hitter — but not a great hitter overall, just a good one.”

Defense: Even though you often see poor rushed throws and an uninspiring CS percentage, Langeliers brings strength to controlling the running game and is as good as his pitchers allow him to be. However, he has established over several seasons now that he brings more weaknesses than strengths to the party so as to finish each season in negative FRV territory.

Conclusion: What you get with Langeliers is a “bat first” catcher who is below average defensively overall, but at least brings a couple key skills to recommend him.

Is this a fair assessment, or am I being too harsh, too forgiving? Most to the point of the next 2 weeks or perhaps this off-season, how is Langeliers viewed by the industry and what would teams be willing to offer in order to call him theirs. He’s under contract 2 more years after this one, and service time certainly highly informs value. Discuss.

Immediately after the Cubs dedicated their newest addition to Gallagher Way, the Champions Gate that commemorates the franchises three World Series wins in 1907, 1908 and 2016, Anthony Rizzo described the special character of the 2016 team, how hard it is to win in baseball, and honestly, what seemed like a bit of luck in how everything came together for that World Series Champion team. Those comments were echoed by his teammates throughout the day, as pitchers reflected on how rare it is for five guys to make 29+ starts a piece, as players reflected on how Joe Maddon really was the perfect manager for this particular crew, you got a sense that yes the 2016 team was the best in baseball that season, and honestly, they also just had a bit of magic around everything they did.

Late Friday afternoon the smoky haze that had been blanketing the area around Wrigley Field cleared out through Saturday evening. It seemed like even the smoke from the Canadian wildfires wasn’t going to interrupt the long-planned celebration of the 2016 team at the corner of Clark and Addison. But maybe that shouldn’t surprise us. This is the team who had a perfectly timed 17-minute rain delay give them a chance to regroup and summon the vibes that carried them all season during one of the greatest Game 7 victories in baseball history.

Prior to Saturday’s game, the area around Gallagher Way was packed with fans. It was standing room only around a VIP area set up. There was a blue carpet where each member of the 2016 team entered to applause from fans. Marquee Sports Network’s Cole Wright served as the master of ceremonies, passing the mic to team owner Tom Ricketts, then Joe Maddon and finally Rizzo, speaking for the players:

The whole team ultimately dedicated the gate, which also honored the 1907 and 1908 teams, who were represented by the descendants of Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown. The gate has plenty of room for more plaques should the Cubs decide to win another championship (or five, as Rizzo himself requested).

But the remarks really kept returning to the unique moment of 2016, how hard it is to repeat as World Series Champions (including a great quip from David Ross about how what was really missing in 2017 was him), which Rizzo flawlessly segued to a note about how every team is different and winning is really hard.

Some of that magic is still clearly following this blessed team around. Given the elite vibes is it really all that surprising that for the second time in as many seasons Anthony Rizzo sat in the bleachers only to have a Cubs home run ball find him?

It was just that type of day at one of baseball’s greatest cathedrals. A ballpark that has seen so many historic moments. This is the ballpark where Babe Ruth called his shot. It’s the only remaining active MLB park where Jackie Robinson played a game. But one thing it had not seen, until 2017, was a victorious Cubs champion team returning with the Commissioner’s Trophy:

During the top of the fifth inning on Marquee Sports Network, one of the Cubs with multiple rings tried to put it into words. Jon Lester invoked winning “as a belief…obviously…“ However, in listening to him discuss that with Ryan Dempster it became clear, not all teams treat a championship as their destiny. Dempster, specifically described how revealing it was to him to have them just expect to win and how powerful that was in manifesting some good luck and good outcomes.

That luck was on display all afternoon at Wrigley Field, whether it was Michael Busch’s home run finding Rizzo, or the cheer that erupted all around the upper concourse as Dexter Fowler, Jason Heyward and Rizzo made their way around the concourse tossing fans baseballs and taking photos with them. And maybe, just maybe, a little bit of that expectation of winning and things going right rubbed off on the 2026 Cubs a decade later. It’s the best explanation I have for the penultimate play of the game being one of the wildest double plays you’ll ever see. You can see all of the highlights, including an 8-4-2-5-3 double play, below:

As of right now, both of the teams that the Atlanta Braves will be facing this week are under .500. You’d think that would mean that this could be an opportunity for the Braves to really kick their second-half start into high-gear with two series wins against teams with mediocre records. That definitely could still happen and if the Braves continue to hit like they have during the month of July, it’s certainly possible!

With that being said, this could end up being one of those weeks where things get sideways and that’s because they could be running into one team at exactly the wrong time while it’s seemingly always the wrong time to run into the other club that Atlanta’s facing this week. The Orioles will be hosting the Braves at Camden Yards this weekend and they’re hot at the moment. Starting today, however, the Braves will be facing a Padres team that has just been a nightmare for them to deal with over the past two seasons.

Can the Braves break their hex against San Diego? Will they be able to cool off the O’s? It’s time to take a look at the week ahead.

July 20-23: San Diego Padres

Current Record: 49-50 Projected Record (via FanGraphs): 80-82

The last time the Braves saw the Padres, it went disastrously for Atlanta. Petco Park confirmed itself as the latest house of horror for the Braves as the three-game sweep at the hands of San Diego provided plenty of nightmare fuel for fans across Braves Country. In fact, the Padres may as well be the boogeyman as far as the Braves are concerned since Atlanta has gone 7-19 against San Diego since the start of the 2023 season and including the 2024 NL Wild Card series.

Of course a lot of that is due to Atlanta’s abysmal record at Petco Park but at the same time, the Braves haven’t fared too well against the Padres in Cobb County, either! In fact, the last time these two teams played a four-game series at Truist Park, the Padres ended up taking three-out-of-four. For some reason or another, the Padres have just had Atlanta’s number as of late.

Before the Braves ran into the brick wall that is the Padres, Manny Machado had been having a very underwhelming season at the plate as he had been hitting .179/.259/.366 with a wOBA of .273 and a wRC+ of 73. Then he ran into his good pals from Atlanta and it was as if that walk-off hit he delivered in the series opener reminded him of who he was and how good he can be. Ever since the Braves left town, Machado has hit .258/.383/.530 with a wOBA of .384 and a wRC+ of 147. Considering how well he’s done against the Braves historically and this run that he’s currently on, you can expect him to be a problem yet again.

San Diego will also be starting Michael King on Wednesday and he’s been a problem for the Braves to deal with since donning the brown-and-yellow. Counting the Postseason, two of King’s past three starts against the Braves have seen him go seven scoreless innings. Heading into this start, he’s only given up four runs across 17 innings over his past three starts, so that could be tough sledding for the Braves once again if King continues on his current run of form and his usual sense of comfort when pitching against the Braves.

Guys like Fernando Tatis Jr., Ty France, Sung-Mun Song, Luis Campusano and Miguel Andujar have been swinging the bat well for the Padres lately and you never want to meet Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon in the dark alley that is “trailing the Padres heading into the eighth inning” so there’s still plenty to worry about with this crew. With that being said, they’ve only won one series since sweeping the Braves (a home series against the Blue Jays) and they’ll be coming into Atlanta after having dropped a series against the woeful Royals. With that being said, the Padres did absolutely paddle Kansas City for nineteen runs on their way out so maybe they could be heating up just in time to face a foe that they appear to be really comfortable with as of late.

Monday, July 20, 7:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Tuesday, July 21, 7:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision, Gray TV)
Wednesday, July 22, 7:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Thursday, July 23, 12:15 p.m. ET (BravesVision)

July 24-26: Baltimore Orioles

Current Record: 49-51 Projected Record: 80-82

Everybody knows that the Red Sox are currently on a serious heater, as they’ve won 13-straight games and have vaulted themselves back into the thick of the Postseason conversation. Did you know that coming into this week’s action, the Orioles have won seven straight? Indeed, the Orioles are pretty hot as well and they’re also probably cursing their luck that they started to heat up at exactly the same time as the Red Sox. As a result, the Orioles are still in fourth place and far behind both the Yankees and Rays in the AL East but at the same time, they’re also only two games out of a Wild Card spot. That’s all it takes in this current era of baseball to get into Postseason contention, folks.

Anyways, one of the two streaks will have to end soon as O’s will be facing the Red Sox this week. While the Red Sox have won 13 straight, the O’s have won 10 of their past 13 so it’s not like this’ll just be chalk for the Red Sox since they’re the hotter team. Tyler O’Neill has been swinging a red-hot bat during this stretch (which started on July 1), as he’s mashing at a .316/.381/.947 clip with a .540 wOBA and 258 wRC+ since July 1. Coby Mayo, Blaze Alexander and Taylor Ward have also been tearing it up at the plate during this stretch and then you have players like Jackson Holliday and Dylan Beavers providing plenty of production as well. Our “old friend” Pete Alonso has also been swinging the bat very nicely as of late, so that just adds to the list of concerns heading into this series.

As you can imagine for a team that’s been as hot as Baltimore has been, their pitching has also been excellent in recent times. The O’s will likely be starting Brandon Young, Trevor Rogers and Shane Baz during this series and that’s going to be a challenge since all three of those guys have been doing very well on the mound during this month. The top of Baltimore’s rotation has been keyed in and as I mentioned earlier, the pitching staff has really been locked in to the point where the O’s have had the third-best ERA- (66) and the fifth-best FIP- (89) since the start of July. The O’s could come into this weekend’s series having been humbled by the Red Sox or they could be the new hottest team in baseball — either way, the Braves will have to be on their toes and ready.

Friday, July 24 at 7:05 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Saturday, July 25 at 7:05 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Sunday, July 26 at 1:35 p.m. ET (BravesVision)