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Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below. Check out the previous day’s recap here.

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (54-50) won 8-2 (BOX SCORE)

Sugar Land got on the board in the first inning on a Whitcomb RBI single. Alexander started for Sugar Land and went 4 innings allowing 1 run. Sugar Land took the lead in the 6th inning on an Alexander 2 run home run. They got 2 more runs in the 7th on a Delgado RBI groundout and Loperfido RBI single. In the 8th inning, Brooks added 3 runs on a 3 run home run to extend the lead. The pen was solid as they closed out the 8-2 win.

Note: Loperfido is hitting .284 in Triple-A.

• Joey Loperfido, RF: 2-for-3, 2 R, 2B, RBI, BB, SB
• Shay Whitcomb, LF: 1-for-4, RBI, SB
• CJ Alexander, DH: 1-for-3, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, BB
• Jake Meyers, CF: 1-for-4, R
• Trenton Brooks, 1B: 2-for-4, R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI
• Edwin Diaz, SS: 0-for-1, R, 3 BB
• Matt Thaiss, C: 1-for-3, R, BB

• Jason Alexander, RHP: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB,  K
• Michael Knorr, RHP: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K (WIN)
• Logan VanWey, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
• Miguel Ullola, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Sam Carlson, RHP: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (46-53) won 16-4 (BOX SCORE)

The Hooks got on the board in the first inning on an error. In the third inning, Janek connected on a solo home run. Gillis got the start and went 4 innings allowing 1 run with 4 strikeouts. The Hooks extended the lead in the 5th inning on a Schiavone RBI double and Encarnacion walk. They blew things open in the 6th scoring 7 runs on a Schiavone RBI single, Encarnacion 2 run single and Call grand slam. They continued to score runs in the 7th on a Janek 2 run home run and a run on an error. Janek capped off an incredible night with a 2 run double in the 8th. The pen allowed a couple of runs but the offense did more than enough as the Hooks won 16-4.

Note: Gillis has a 3.59 ERA this season.

• Walker Janek, DH: 4-for-5, 4 R, 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, BB, SB
• Jason Schiavone, C: 3-for-5, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB
• Trevor Austin, 1B: 1-for-4, R, 2 BB
• Yamal Encarnacion, 2B: 1-for-5, R, 3 RBI, BB
• Tyler Whitaker, RF: 1-for-5, R
• Chase Call, LF: 2-for-5, R, HR, 4 RBI
• Max Holy, SS: 1-for-5, R
• Kenni Gomez, CF: 3-for-4, 4 R, 2B, BB, SB
• Alberto Hernandez, 3B: 1-for-5, R

• Brett Gillis, RHP: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
• Railin Perez, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (WIN)
• Nic Swanson, RHP: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Hudson Leach, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Alejandro Torres, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

A+: Asheville Tourists (33-65)

Game One – lost 16-12 (BOX SCORE)

Asheville got on the board on a Moss walk in the first. In the second inning they scored 4 runs on a Frey 2 run single, Huezo RBI double and Moss RBI double. They got 2 more in the third inning on a Nunez solo home run and Neyens solo home run. Cruz got the start and allowed 5 runs before being relieved by Carr who allowed another 6 runs. Wells pitched in relief and allowed 5 runs. The offense got a few runs back including a 2 run double from Huezo in the 7th but the comeback fell short as Asheville fell 16-12.

Note: Neyens has a .829 OPS in High-A.

• Caden Powell, LF: 1-for-3, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 SB
• Xavier Neyens, 3B: 1-for-2, 2 R, HR, RBI, 2 BB
• Ethan Frey, CF: 2-for-3, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, SB
• Anthony Huezo, RF: 3-for-5, 2 R, 2 2B, 4 RBI
• Jack Moss, 1B: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB
• Kyle Walker, SS: 1-for-4, BB
• Freuddy Batista, C: 1-for-5, R, HR, RBI
• Alejandro Nunez, 2B: 1-for-3, 2 R, HR, RBI, BB, SB

• Anthony Cruz, RHP: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
• Jordan Carr, LHP: 1.2 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Jackson Wells, RHP: 2.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

Game Two – lost 6-1 (BOX SCORE)

Oakes got the start for Asheville but struggled allowing 6 runs, 3 earned, over 3 innings of work. The offense got on the board in the third inning on a Huezo RBI groundout. The bullpen tossed 4 scoreless innings but the offense was quiet the rest of the way as Asheville fell 6-1.

Note: Huezo has a .884 OPS in High-A.

• Justin Thomas, LF: 0-for-2, R, 2 BB
• Anthony Huezo, RF: 0-for-3, RBI
• Jack Moss, 1B: 1-for-3

• Kellan Oakes, RHP: 3.0 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
• Raimy Rodriguez, RHP: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
• Garrett Apker, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• Max Martin, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (50-47) won 11-2 (BOX SCORE)

The Woodpeckers got the offense going early scoring 5 runs in the first inning on a Flores walk, Sierra 2 run double and Newman 2 run single. They got another run in the 2nd inning on a Ramirez sac fly. Beck got the start and was solid allowing 2 runs over 5 innings of work. In the 6th, Ramirez added another sac fly. The offense scored 2 runs in the 7th on an error and Newman RBI double and in the 8th, Sierra connected on a 2 run home run. Shoemaker closed it out tossing 4 scoreless innings.

Note: Flores has a .821 OPS this season.

• Waner Luciano, DH: 0-for-1, R, 3 BB, SB
• German Ramirez, SS: 0-for-3, 2 RBI
• Kevin Alvarez, LF: 2-for-3, R, 2B, BB, SB
• Carlos Cauro, C: 1-for-4, 2 R, 2B
• Arturo Flores, 1B: 2-for-3, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB
• Juan Sierra, RF: 3-for-5, 3 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI
• DJ Newman, CF: 2-for-3, R, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 BB, SB
• Brandon Nigh, 3B: 1-for-5, R, 2B

• Jagger Beck, RHP: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K (WIN)
• Adam Shoemaker, LHP: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K (SAVE)

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: Ryan Weiss – 7:05 CT

CC: Nolan DeVos – 7:05 CT

AV: Andrew Taylor – 5:35 CT

FV: TBD – 6:05 CT

If you’re a baseball history buff, you probably recognize the name Hank Bauer. While he was never the team’s main star, he had a very good career on some very good Yankees teams, winning seven World Series titles. However, so much about him gets overlooked if you just know that about him. Hank Bauer had quite the life in baseball.

Henry Albert “Hank” Bauer
Born: July 31, 1922 (East St. Louis, IL)
Died: February 9, 2007 (Lenexa, KS)
Yankees Tenure: 1948-59

Bauer was born in 1922 to immigrants from Austria-Hungary. It’s theoretically possible that the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand had some sort of butterfly effect that led to Bauer eventually playing for the Yankees. Hank was the youngest of nine children and had a bit of a hard scrabble life growing up. His father lost a leg in an accident, requiring the children to help bring in some income.

As for baseball, Hank followed his older brother Herman into the sport. Herman was signed by the White Sox and was a well-rated prospect, who got Hank a minor league tryout. The Oshkosh Giants signed Bauer out of that tryout, and he had a brief run with them in 1941.

However, Bauer’s run with Oshkosh was cut short, for reasons you might be able to deduce from the date. The United States entered World War II in December 1941, and Bauer enlisted in the Marine Corps soon after. In his time in the military, Bauer suffered a shrapnel injury and also battled malaria while serving in the Pacific Theater. However, his brother Herman suffered an even worse fate, as he was killed in action during the Normandy Landing in 1944.

Due to his wounds and injuries, Bauer had assumed his baseball career was over, but Yankee scout Danny Menendez remembered Bauer from before the war, signed him and got him a tryout with the Quincy Gems. There in 1946, five years after his last minor league game, Bauer returned to pro baseball. From there, he quickly made his way through the Yankees’ minor league system. By the end of 1948, the Yankees called him up for a September cup of coffee. The next year, the Yankees had some injury problems in the outfield, leading new manager Casey Stengel to give some chances to young players, including Bauer. He made the most of his opportunity with a solid season, locking down a place in the Yankees’ lineup for years to come.

In 1949, Bauer became a reliable bat for a Yankees team that won five World Series titles in a row starting that season. Over those years, Bauer steadily got better, posting his best career hitting seasons in the final years of that five-peat: a 132 OPS+ in 1952, and a 131 in ‘53. He also emerged as a favorite of Stengel as well as a leader in the clubhouse.

Throughout all that, Bauer also had some big moments. In 1951, his three-run triple in the sixth inning of Game 6 gave the Yankees the lead for good, as they won that game to clinch the series. Later that game, he made a sliding catch for the final out of the series, as the Giants threatened a comeback.

Later in his career, Bauer recorded a hit in 17-straight World Series games over the course of the 1956-58 series. In the ‘58 Series, he put up a 1.032 OPS with four home runs in a seven-game victory over the Braves. Were it not for Bob Turley’s heroics on the mound, Bauer could’ve been named MVP of that series.

Bauer was also known as someone who didn’t take much crap. Whitey Ford described one incident where after he came in worse for wear after a night out, Bauer pinned him against the wall and said that Ford was “messing with (Bauer’s) money.” Bauer was also one of the notable participants of the “Copacabana Incident.” While the outfielder always said he played no part in the brawl that happened that night, one person sued him claiming that Bauer had punched him. The charges didn’t stick, and Bauer was later proven correct decades after the fact.

Despite his World Series hit streak, Bauer had begun to fall off by the end of the 1950s. In 1959, he rated as a below average hitter for the first time since his 1948 big league cameo. The Yankees decided to move on, and Bauer was included in a trade with the Kansas City Athletics that brought a certain Roger Maris to the Bronx.

Bauer spent two seasons as a player in KC. In the second of those, the, uh, “eccentric” Charlie Finley named Bauer the team’s manager partway through the season. He led the team through the 1962 season before being let go, but the A’s were a mess at that time, as the Maris trade was hardly the only one they made that massively benefitted the Yankees.

After his departure from the A’s, Bauer joined the Baltimore Orioles coaching staff. Following a disappointing 1963 season, Baltimore elevated Bauer to the manager. In his first two years, Bauer led the O’s to 90+ win seasons, but third place finishes in the AL. Following the addition of Frank Robinson in 1966, Baltimore won the pennant and then swept the Dodgers in the World Series.

Injuries hampered the Orioles over the next couple seasons and Bauer was eventually let go in favor of Earl Weaver in 1968. Bauer took up the helm of the A’s again next year — with the team now in Oakland — but Finley fired him after a late season slump. Although Bauer managed in the Mets’ minor league system after that, he eventually gave that up after no other big league team was willing to give him a shot.

Bauer eventually rejoined the Yankees as a scout, but otherwise left baseball and settled down back in Kansas. He occasionally returned for Old-Timers’ Days at Yankee Stadium and lived in The Sunflower State until he passed away from lung cancer in 2007.

While he was a very good player for a long time, Hank Bauer wasn’t on a Hall of Fame level. However, he still had quite the life in baseball regardless.

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

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The New York Mets have become the first Major League Baseball club to partner with a prediction market operator.

Key Takeaways

• The Mets named Novig their exclusive prediction market partner in the club's first deal of its kind.
  
  
• The partnership includes in-stadium branding at Citi Field, broadcast integrations, and social media activations.
  
  
• The agreement follows Novig's designation as an MLB authorized prediction market and reflects the growing presence of prediction markets in professional sports.

The Mets announced on Thursday a multi-year partnership with Novig, making the operator the club's exclusive official prediction market partner.

"Our mission is to build the home for sports trading," Jacob Fortinsky, CEO and cofounder of Novig, said. "Partnering with one of baseball's most iconic franchises allows us to bring that vision directly to fans in one of the greatest sports markets in the world.”

The partnership, which comes amid a Mets season of mixed results, will see Novig integrated across the ballclub’s home park in Flushing through Citi Field signage and branded in-game activations, as well as via the club’s broadcast and social media channels.

MLB previously made prediction market news thanks to a partnership with Polymarket announced back in March, following the National Hockey League and Major League Soccer’s similar deals within the prediction market space.

"We're proud to be the first Major League Baseball club to partner with a prediction market company, giving our fans a new and engaging way to connect with the game," said Lew Sherr, president of business operations for the Mets. "Innovation is a defining characteristic of our business, and this partnership is another example of our commitment to staying at the forefront of the evolving sports landscape. It reflects our broader goal of delivering unique experiences for our fans and continuing to attract industry-leading partners who want to grow alongside the Mets."

Teams embrace prediction markets

While the Mets have become the first ballclub to join in on the prediction market frenzy, they’re far from the first team across the major North American sports to form partnerships across a rapidly evolving landscape.

The NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers previously announced partnerships with Kalshi and Polymarket, respectively. The NBA, meanwhile, has strayed from entering the marketplace, though Miami Heat superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo announced he would join Kalshi as a shareholder in February.

As for the Mets partnership, the news follows Novig's recent designation as an MLB authorized prediction market, per the release, thus establishing “participation in MLB's integrity program, which includes collaboration on comprehensive market monitoring, reporting protocols, and restricting markets that present an integrity risk to MLB.”

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

We made it everyone. Happy Friday!

The club wrapped up its series with the Boston Red Sox last night with another close loss. It was a competitive series and if some things had gone a bit differently they could have been the ones to take three of four instead of being the ones losing three of four. The club now sits at 45-64 and are getting dangerously close to the Angels at the bottom of the division. If there should be one goal the rest of the year it should be to finish in fourth place.

Now that Boston’s left town the club will bring in an AL Central foe as the Detroit Tigers arrive in Sacramento for a three-game weekend series, the final one before the trade deadline. While Detroit started the year poorly they fought back and got into the playoff race briefly, thanks in part to sweeping our A’s right before the All-Star break. Alas, a tough week has dropped them to seven games under .500 and quashed any notion they had they could leapfrog half a dozen teams for a playoff spot, so they’ll enter Monday’s deadline as sellers.

With that development comes the addition of one of the best arms on the market in Tarik Skubal. The reigning back-to-back AL Cy Young winner is now officially on the table in trade talks with many in the business convinced that the left-hander is all but certain to be traded. He wasn’t lined up to pitch against the A’s either way during this series in Sacramento but monitoring the situation all weekend should cause some off-field drama in the other dugout. Skubal isn’t the only one likely to be traded but the entire baseball world is holding their breath to see where he ends up.

As for our weekend series, we have our starting pitching matchups all set. Tonight’s series opener features lefty Jeffrey Springs making possibly his last appearance for the A’s before Monday’s trade deadline. He’s had a tough season and his most recent start was cut short thanks to a tight hip but that seemed to be a precaution and he’s healthy enough for tonight’s start. Would a big outing make it more likely he finds himself on the move, or nothing will affect that equation now? Springs will be opposed by former #1 overall pick Casey Mize, who is himself having a fantastic year and will come into this one with a 2.70 ERA. Like Skubal he could find himself on the move over the next couple of days.

Saturday we’ll see a rematch from a couple weeks ago as rookie right-hander Jack Perkins goes up against the veteran Framber Valdez. Perkins made a “bulk” outing against the Tigers and it delivered mixed results. He’s gotten two traditional starts since then and looked much better so the hope is he can continue this mini roll he’s on right now. The A’s meanwhile will be looking for some revenge against Valdez after he quieted A’s bats for three hits and one run in a loss.

And then we wrap up the series on Sunday afternoon with Gage Jump getting the ball for the Athletics while the Tigers will send their own young arm to the bump in Keider Montero. Jump has had a solid start to his career overall but July has not been kind to the lefty. He seemingly righted the ship his last time out when he fired six shutout innings against the Red Sox on Monday and the A’s would gladly take more of the same. Montero meanwhile got a bit roughed up in his last start, allowing nine hits and four runs against the Orioles. This should be a good contest and a glimpse into the future for both clubs.

First pitch is at 6:40. Have a great weekend A’s fans.

A’s Coverage:

• Signs Of Hope And Signs Of Hopeless
• Late Collapse Costs A’s Chance at Series Split
• Red Sox Edge A’s 4-2 in Extra-inning Heartbreaker
• A’s Squeak by Red Sox 4-3
• Grand Slam Sinks A’s Against Red Sox
• Parity (Mediocrity) Could Make For An Interesting Trade Deadline
• Sources: A’s star Langeliers may miss rest of ‘26
• A’s Lose Finale (And Series) To Twins 11-8
• A’s Prevail 2-0 in Tightly Contested Pitching Duel
• Athletics prospect Ryan Lasko says feeling in his legs returning
• Cuban’s investment group purchases minority stake in Athletics
• Chan Ho Park joins A’s group; 1st Korean to buy stake in MLB club
• A’s place rookie Joshua Kuroda-Grauer on injured list with ruptured testicle
• Another ‘step in the right direction’ for Lopez in hunt to regain rookie form
• Blogfather Saves The Day With Pearls Of Most Excellent Advice
• What will the Athletics do leading up to Trade Deadline after cold streak?
• A’s Add Next Wave of Prospects in 2026 Draft
• Athletics Get Hitting Help by Claiming Hot Bat off Waivers

MLB News and Interest:

• Latest Chatter On Tarik Skubal
• Mets trade Minter to Twins, bringing son of fan favorite to Queens in return (source)
• Rays starter Shane McClanahan exits game due to back tightness
• Reds Getting Significant Interest In Hunter Greene
• Trade rumors: Skubal, Peralta, Greene, Goodman, Angels, more
• Padres, Diamondbacks Scouting Freddy Peralta
• Injury-hampered Orioles trade for Tigers catcher Jake Rogers
• They may not headline the Deadline, but these are 6 sneaky good trade options
• Florida collector pulls 1-of-1 Ohtani card, sells it for $11M
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Any chance he’ll get a quick cup of coffee with the big league team in September?

Good news, sounds like no tear down is imminent:

Oof:

Oof:

Unlike so many contenders, including the Miami Marlin team they beat Thursday night, the Mets had known the gist of their trade deadline plans for weeks. They had been sellers for as long as almost anyone, with plenty of time to evaluate exactly what they might want in exchange for the many players they made clear they'd be willing to trade.

But with less than 72 hours remaining until the deadline, they had not traded any of them -- in large part because no one else was trading anyone yet, either. A few minutes after A.J. Minter tossed his towel in the laundry bin and left the Mets’ clubhouse in street clothes late Thursday night, though, he became the first domino to tumble.

The Mets traded Minter to the Minnesota Twins for minor league infielders Billy Amick and Bruin Agbayani -- son of Benny -- in a ceremonious start to what should be a busy few days.

Despite knowing his team’s fate for weeks, and a stated willingness to make deals earlier, the market offered no reason for David Stearns to hurry. The only deals that preceded Minter’s were the Angels’ surprising trade of catcher Logan O’Hoppe and Chase Silseth to the Rangers and the Tigers’ less surprising trade of catcher Jake Rogers to the Orioles. 

The relief market, like the market at large, should start to move now.

Whether the Mets’ deadline pace accelerates will likely depend on how willing they are to budge on their early standards for returns: Multiple members of contending front offices said the Mets have established noticeably high asking prices for their pitchers, particularly Freddy Peralta.

Selling teams often set prices high early and move them to fit the market as the deadline nears. Buying teams accusing those sellers of asking for the world is effectively a trade deadline tradition -- so in some ways, everyone is running the usual plays.

As of Friday morning, members of the Mets and front offices in touch with them believed the Mets will eventually trade all their other players on expiring contracts -- Peralta, Clay Holmes, Brooks Raley, and Tyrone Taylor. Of their players still under contract beyond this year, Luke Weaver seemed the likeliest to go. No one asked expected a deal to include Francisco Lindor.

Scouts from the White Sox, Padres, and others spent Thursday evening at Citi Field. Those teams have starting pitching needs, though the man who started for the Mets Thursday night, Nolan McLean, is one of the few players they have said is not for sale. 

Peralta is scheduled to start here Friday night, and manager Andy Green said the Mets still plan for him to do so. While starting him could risk injury, or waste bullets he might prefer to save for his next team, a person familiar with the right-hander's thinking said he is preparing to pitch Friday, in accordance with the Mets’ plans.

But the chances of Peralta actually taking the mound for the Mets then are not exactly 100 percent: A trade could materialize before then, and if it doesn’t, the Mets could still decide to hold him out to avoid injury or out of respect for suitors who would rather he make as many starts for them as possible.

Holmes is in a similar situation, having navigated a successful rehab outing earlier this week that left the veteran feeling ready to make his next outing in the majors. He will throw a bullpen Friday afternoon, at which point Green said the Mets will have more clarity about if or when they use Holmes next.

Holmes would be on turn to return from the injured list and start for the Mets on Sunday if he is not traded by then, though because he will likely draw an even wider market and larger return than Peralta, the Mets have little incentive to risk injury by starting him before a deal materializes.

As for what the Mets are hunting in exchange, Stearns has said publicly that they must be open-minded to the best talent available, whatever that is. Agbayani and Amick have different offensive profiles. MLB Pipeline ranked both among the Twins’ top 30 prospects -- Amick 21st and Agbayani 29th.

“I don’t think it makes sense for us to zoom in on a particular skill set or a particular player profile and say, that’s the type of player we need to acquire,” Stearns said in his meeting with the media earlier this homestand. 

“We see all over the big leagues that there are players who can impact winning in very different ways, and we have to recognize that in our evaluation of whatever deals may or may not be in front of us. We see different types of prospects traded in different deadlines. It’s very difficult to predict exactly the type of player that’s going to be traded, the type of player that’s going to be available at a deadline.”

That Stearns pointed to “prospects” in that answer might offer more specific insight. Multiple Mets decision makers have suggested their focus will be on acquiring the best prospects they can in these deals -- as they tried to in the Minter deal -- rather than the kind of big-leaguer-for-big-leaguer deals that similarly situated teams sometimes make to get a head start on their offseason priorities. But they also alluded to the need to be “creative,” which might be a relative term in the context of Stearns’ reputation for dealmaking discipline. 

The Minter deal qualified as a classic deadline swap. The Mets should have plenty more of those to come.

There’s been plenty of discourse around what the Brewers will do at the trade deadline over the last several weeks, so here’s a place to centralize that conversation.

Who would you like to see the Brewers add? Will Matt Arnold make a splash? What area of need should the Brewers address? Tarik Skubal? Casey Mize? CJ Abrams? Someone else? This space is open for all discussion on anything deadline!

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The Detroit Tigers head to Sacramento for a weekend series with the Athletics beginning on Friday. 

After Casey Mize was scratched, the betting line has crashed down to Detroit -127.

See why that shallow number is worthy of a buyback with my Tigers vs. Athletics predictions and MLB picks for Friday, July 31.

Who will win Tigers vs Athletics today: Tigers (-131)

There's bad, there's ugly, and then there's the Athletics, who have lost 26 of their last 33 games.

Perhaps Jeffrey Springs will prove to be a difference-maker? Perhaps not - the southpaw has a 6.79 ERA at Sutter Health Park and is winless in his last 17 turns through the rotation. 

Still, the Detroit Tigers can be had for a reasonable price after the market pounced on the A's side when projected starter Casey Mize was scratched. 

Enter Ty Madden, who's been great (2.72 xERA, 2.99 FIP) across 27 innings in the big leagues. Detroit is fresh off a day of rest, so the bullpen behind him will have every notable arm available.

Play the Tigers to -140.

COVERS INTEL: Jeffrey Springs allows loud contact (19th percentile barrel rate), frequently in the air (10th percentile groundball rate). Detroit's lineup, which ranks sixth in both xSLG and xwOBA since the Break, can make him pay.

Tigers vs Athletics Over/Under pick: Under 10.5 (+113)

Madden's .185 xBA should do the talking against an A's lineup that has scored four runs or fewer in six of their last seven.

It's difficult to forecast an explosive offensive performance from the Tigers given their recent struggles against southpaws. Detroit ranks bottom five in wOBA (.277) and wRC+ (74) against lefties in July. 

While it may be easy to envision a game in West Sacramento featuring runs in bunches, the A's have actually cashed the Under in five consecutive home games. 

Tigers vs Athletics weather

It will be hot and relatively humid, with light winds blowing toward center field. 

Tigers vs Athletics odds

• Moneyline: Tigers -127 | Athletics +1122
• Run line: Tigers -1.5 (+113) | Athletics +1.5 (-117)
• Over/Under: Over 10.5 (-117) | Under 10.5 (+113)

Tigers vs Athletics trend

The A's have cashed the Under in five consecutive home games. Find more MLB betting trends for Tigers vs. Athletics.

How to watch Tigers vs Athletics and game info

Tigers vs Athletics latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The Milwaukee Brewers will close out July and open August with a visit to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim this weekend, as the Brewers face their first interleague opponent in over a month. After dropping two of three to the Giants by the Bay, the Crew will look to bounce back as they wrap up their road trip in SoCal. The Angels, on the other hand, have had another dismal season (42-67, tied with Colorado for worst record in baseball) despite a few solid pieces on the roster. They’re expected to move several of those pieces at the trade deadline, so we’ll see what happens this weekend with the deadline set for Monday evening.

Milwaukee’s injured list currently consists of pitchers DL Hall (close to returning), Kyle Harrison (expected to make next start in the majors), Joel Kuhnel (early August), Rob Zastryzny (August), Brandon Woodruff (out for season), Brian Fitzpatrick (out for season), Quinn Priester (out for season), and Angel Zerpa (out for season). Outfielders Brandon Lockridge (on rehab assignment) and Sal Frelick (early to mid-August) should also be returning in the next couple of weeks.

The Angels are currently without pitchers Yusei Kikuchi (mid-August), Ben Joyce (could return this weekend), Robert Stephenson (out for season), and Jack Kochanowicz (out for season). On the position player side, utility infielder Adam Frazier is on a rehab assignment and is expected to return as soon as next week, catcher Sebastián Rivero is slated for an early August return, and Known Baseball Lover Anthony Rendon, who had surgery just as the season was beginning, is expected to retire.

The Brewers have one of the more balanced offenses in baseball at this point in the season, with Jake Bauers, Brice Turang, Jackson Chourio, William Contreras, Garrett Mitchell, Christian Yelich, Andrew Vaughn, and rookies Cooper Pratt and Luis Lara all contributing regularly. Joey Ortiz has also shown signs of improvement over the last month or so, and Gary Sánchez still has plenty of power in the tank. David Hamilton and Blake Perkins round things out. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .255/.337/.400 (.737 OPS ranks sixth), with 98 homers (last), 546 runs scored (fifth), and 107 steals (fifth).

Zach Neto, Mike Trout, Jo Adell, and Jorge Soler anchor the Angels’ offense, as all four have double-digit homers this year. Tyler Heineman, Nolan Schanuel, Oswald Peraza, Denzer Guzman, and Josh Lowe are the other regulars, with Jose Siri, Wade Meckler, Vaughn Grissom, and Travis d’Arnaud rounding things out after the team traded catcher Logan O’Hoppe earlier this week. As a team, the Angels are hitting .239/.315/.386 (.701 OPS ranks 24th), with 116 homers (21st), 464 runs scored (20th), and 56 steals (tied for 21st).

Aaron Ashby continues to set the pace with 51 appearances for Milwaukee’s bullpen, spanning 60 2/3 innings with 83 strikeouts and a 3.86 ERA. Abner Uribe, Trevor Megill, and Chad Patrick have been the other “A” bullpen arms, with Craig Yoho, Bryse Wilson, and Grant Anderson filling things out as the Brewers currently have six arms in the rotation with the latest call-up of Thomas Pannone. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.51 team ERA (second), including a 3.38 starter ERA (second) and a 3.68 bullpen ERA (sixth). They’ve struck out 1,047 batters (second) over 965 2/3 innings.

Top reliever Chase Silseth was sent to the Rangers in the O’Hoppe deal this week, leaving the Angels without a clear top arm. Samy Natera Jr. leads the ‘pen with a 2.08 ERA over 21 2/3 innings this year, while Ryan Zeferjahn (3.78 ERA), Kirby Yates (3.76 ERA), and José Fermin (2.67 ERA) have also been solid. Former Brewer Legend Brent Suter (4.26 over 61 1/3 innings) hasn’t been quite as sharp this year, and Sam Bachman (4.26 ERA) and Mitch Farris (4.17 ERA) round things out. As a staff, the Angels have a 4.54 team ERA (24th), including a 4.67 starter ERA (26th) and a 4.40 bullpen ERA (24th). They’ve struck out 971 batters (eighth) over 960 1/3 innings.

Probable Pitchers

Friday, July 31 @ 8:38 p.m.: LHP Shane Drohan (5-4, 3.51 ERA, 3.01 FIP) vs. RHP Ryan Johnson (2-5, 7.34 ERA, 6.28 FIP)

Drohan continues to have a solid rookie season, but he is coming off his worst start of the year against the Rockies. While he has a 3.51 ERA, 3.01 FIP, and 82 strikeouts over 82 frames, he went six innings with a season-high five runs allowed on six hits and a pair of walks last Friday. The lefty has gone at least six innings in each of his last four starts, though. This marks his first career appearance against the Halos.

Johnson, 24 next week, is another fast-tracked player for the Angels, as he was drafted in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft before making his debut last year with 14 relief appearances. He’s made 11 appearances (eight starts) this season, and hasn’t yet had much major league success, with a 7.34 ERA, 6.28 FIP, and 34 strikeouts over 41 2/3 innings this year. The right-hander got hit hard by the Giants in his last appearance, allowing eight runs on eight hits, a walk, and a hit batter while striking out four over 3 1/3 innings. This marks Johnson’s first career appearance against Milwaukee.

Saturday, August 1 @ 8:38 p.m.: LHP Robert Gasser (3-4, 4.71 ERA, 4.78 FIP) vs. RHP José Soriano (9-6, 3.29 ERA, 3.80 FIP)

Gasser hasn’t been quite as sharp this year as he was in his brief stints of 2024 and 2025, but he’s shown flashes of his potential. After allowing seven runs across three-plus innings to the Pirates in the last game before the All-Star break, he’s totaled 11 innings with just three runs allowed and nine strikeouts against the Marlins and Rockies in his last two outings. This will also mark Gasser’s first career appearance against the Angels.

Soriano, 27, is a common name in trade rumors, as he’s put together a solid year despite not being quite as fantastic as he was early in the season. Through 22 starts this year, Soriano is 9-6 with a 3.29 ERA, 3.80 FIP, and 127 strikeouts over 123 innings, though he has also issued a league-worst 57 walks. He had a solid month of July, making four starts with eight runs allowed (seven earned) and 16 strikeouts over 23 innings (2.74 ERA). Soriano’s lone appearance against the Brewers came last September, when he allowed three runs on two hits and two walks over 1 1/3 innings.

Sunday, August 2 @ 2:15 p.m.: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (11-4, 1.58 ERA, 2.04 FIP) vs. RHP Walbert Ureña (6-7, 2.70 ERA, 3.89 FIP)

Misiorowski continues to dominate opposing teams, and his last start was just another example of that. He struck out the first seven batters of the game and 12 of the first 13 against the Rockies on Sunday en route to his 11th win of the season, allowing just one run on a solo homer. He remains atop the league with a 1.58 ERA, 2.04 FIP, and 185 strikeouts this year. Like Drohan and Gasser, this is Miz’s first career appearance against L.A.

Ureña, 22, is a rookie right-hander who has turned in a solid season. His ERA (2.70) outpaces his FIP (3.89) by more than a full run and he’s made 19 appearances (17 starts) with 88 strikeouts over 93 1/3 innings. He’s looked great in his last four appearance, totaling 21 2/3 innings and allowing just three runs (1.25 ERA) with 19 strikeouts against the Mariners, Rangers, Cardinals, and Astros, though his team has just a 2-2 record to show for it. This marks Ureña first career appearance against Milwaukee.

How to Watch & Listen

Friday, July 31: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Saturday, August 1: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Sunday, August 2: Exclusively on Peacock/NBCSN Extra; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Prediction

The Brewers have the advantage on the mound in this series, especially with Misiorowski starting in the series finale. Give me the Brewers to go 2-1 to finish with a .500 road trip in California.

Just days from Major League Baseball's Aug. 3 trade deadline, all has been quiet on the hot stove with teams waiting until the last minute to decide whether to buy or sell.

What the Detroit Tigers will do with back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal is the big question ahead of 6 p.m. ET on Monday, seemingly likely to trade the lefty expected to earn more than $300 million as a free agent this winter.

Other top arms on the market include Emerson Hancock (Seattle Mariners) and Clay Holmes (New York Mets), but this summer lacks a marquee slugger at the deadline. But baseball's expanded postseason has resulted in more deals in recent years as fringe teams juggle buying and selling looking at the wild-card mirage.

Here's a look at some things we think will happen in the next 48 hours:

Tarik Skubal to Brewers

What if CC Sabathia didn't have to start four times in 12 days because the Brewers had a comfortable NL Central lead? Let's find out!

This will take some bravery like that deal with Cleveland in 2008, and the Brewers have the capital to make such a trade with the Tigers. It's unlikely Milwaukee parts with top prospect Jesus Made, but the Brewers have the best farm system in baseball and a deep pool of higher-end players

What a big three it would be in a short series with Skubal, Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison. And perhaps more importantly, put the banged-up Dodgers on the back foot in the National League.

– Jesse Yomtov

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: this is a huge series for the Orioles. It feels like we’ve said that over and over again this season, but I promise it’s true this time. The Orioles and Phillies play this weekend with the Orioles still on the fringes of the Wild Card race. The outcome of this series could be the difference in how Mike Elias handles things going into the trade deadline on Monday. This is a big one.

It’s hard to predict what will happen this weekend. The Phillies are a confusing team. They started their season 9-19 and fired their manager. Don Mattingly replaced him and they turned things around. But they have been on a bad run. They were just swept by the Marlins, who had lost 12 straight before the series. They are 2-8 in their last 10 games. But they have a 57-52 record, good for second in the NL East and a Wild Card spot.

The Phillies have been on a good run, with playoff appearances in each of the last four seasons. And they’ve been well-rounded, with both good hitters and good pitchers. This year, however, the hitting has taken a bit of a nosedive. Kyle Schwarber leads the lead in home runs and has .911 OPS. Bryce Harper has strong overall number, but has slumped for the past month. JT Realmuto? Stinks. Trea Turner? Bad. Alec Bohm? Nope. Brandon Marsh hasn’t been terrible, but he’s still very wet.

The starting pitching, however, has been among the best in baseball this season thanks to of Cristopher Sánchez, Zach Wheeler, and Jesús Luzardo. The Orioles will face the first two this weekend. The quality drops off considerably after that, but when those are your top three guys, you’re going to win a lot of games.

The Phillies bullpen is very strong in the back half. Closer Jhoan Duran has a 100-mph fastball and a 37.6% strikeout rate. Orion Kerkering will walk anyone who holds still long enough, but he’s been very good at keeping runs off the board.

So which version of the Phillies team will we see this weekend? It’s hard to know, just as it’s hard to know which version of the Orioles will show. Either way, the trade deadline is on the other side of this series. So moves will be made.

Game 1: Friday, 7:05 pm – MASN

TBD vs RHP Brandon Young (17 GS, 3.13 ERA / 3.74 FIP)

The Phillies haven’t announced their starter for game one, but it will not be Jesús Luzardo. That’s good news. He started on Wednesday. Sánchez would have been on regular rest for today, but they pushed him to tomorrow. They could go with Brian Keller as either the starter or the bulk reliever. We just have to wait and see.

Brandon Young continues his journey as the unlikely ace of the staff. He is coming off of 6.1 innings against Atlanta in which he allowed just one run on four hits.

Game 2: Saturday, 7:05 – MASN

LHP Cristopher Sánchez (22 GS, 2.73 ERA / 2.66 FIP) vs RHP Shane Baz (21 GS, 3.98 ERA / 3.47 FIP)

This is gonna be a tough one. The Orioles have struggled against lefties all year, and this guy is arguably the best lefty starter in the game. He has an excellent sinker that he relies on a lot. It has helped him reach his 58% ground-ball rate. He strikes out over 10 batters per nine innings as well, and barely walks anyone. He led the league in bWAR last season at 8.1, and currently leads this year at 5.6. I have to admit I don’t have high hopes for this one.

Baz keeps plugging along with solid start after solid start. On May 9th, he had a 5.48 ERA that he has slowly brought down. In his last start he gave up one earned run in 4.2 innings, which dropped his ERA below 4.00 for the first time this season.

Game 3: Sunday, 1:35 – MASN

RHP Zack Wheeler (17 GS, 2.53 ERA / 3.09 FIP) vs RHP Kyle Bradish (21 GS, 3.74 ERA / 3.87 FIP

At least he’s not a lefty? Wheeler has been with the Phillies since 2020 and is 36 years old, but hasn’t shown a sign that he’s slowing down. He is coming off of a bust in his last start (3 IP, 8 R vs the Marlins) but that kind of start has been an anomaly for him this year. He has a mid-90s fastball and is still striking out over 10 batters per nine innings. He will give up some homers, but with an opponent OBP of just .245, there aren’t a lot of baserunners to bring home; 11 of his 13 homers allowed have been solo shots.

This could be an incredible pitching matchup, or Kyle Bradish could pitch like he did on Friday against Detroit. He allowed five runs on ten hits and couldn’t get out of the fifth inning. We know he has ace stuff, we just don’t know if he’ll show it.

What say you? How many games of this series do you think the Orioles will win? Let us know in the comments.