Worldwide Sports News

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Astros will conclude the first half of their season with a six-game road trip beginning tonight in the nation’s capital with the first of three games against the Nationals.

RHP Mike Burrows (4-8) will open the road trip for Houston opposite RHP Miles Mikolas (2-7) and the Nats.

SPINNING RECORDS: At 45-47, the Astros are two games below .500 for the third time in the last eight days.

A win tonight would move them to just a game below .500, a mark they have not been at since they were 6-7 on April 8.

THE SLOW TURNAROUND: After a slow start to the season, the Astros are 25-16 since May 21, which is the best record in the AL in that span.

On that date, the Astros were 20-31, 11 games under, which is their low water mark for the season.

SERIES-LY SPEAKING: The Astros are coming off a series victory over the Rays, the team with the best record in the AL, giving them six series victories in their last seven chances.

The Astros have also won four of their last five road series.

WINNING THE CLOSE CALLS: The Astros are 9-5 in one-run games and 21-11 in two-run games.

Each of the Astros last nine wins and 14 of their last 15 victories have come by two-or-fewer runs.

GET ‘EM EARLY: The Astros and Nationals lead their respective leagues in 1st-inning runs with the Astros leading the AL with 63, and the Nationals leading the NL with 68.

Overall, the Astros rank sixth in the American League in runs scored (413), while the Nationals check in leading the Majors in runs scored with 485 on the season.

ROAD WARRIORS: On the Astros last road trip, the club went 5-2 with stops in Toronto (2-1) and Detroit (3-1).

The Astros are 15-8 on their last three road trips combined and are 21-14 on the road since going 1-9 on their first road trip of the 2026 season.

ASTROS-NATS: The Astros and Nationals, who share a Spring Training complex, are facing each other for their first regular season matchups since July 28-30, 2025, a three-game series that the Astros won two games to one. 

SUNDAY FUNDAY: The Astros picked up their seventh shutout win of the season yesterday in Houston with a 2-0 win over the visiting Rays.

RHP Peter Lambert (0ER/5.2IP) was great in his start, allowing just three hits and a walk with six strikeouts en route to his seventh win of the season.

The Astros scored their two runs on solo shots by 1B Christian Walker (1×4) and 3B Isaac Paredes (2×4).

20 SPOT: 1B Christian Walker hit his 20th homer of the year yesterday, giving him 20-plus homers in five consecutive seasons, along with six total seasons in his career (2019, 2022-26).

Yesterday’s homer was also the 194th home run of his career.

ASTROS ROSTER MOVES: The Astros have re-instated IF Braden Shewmake from the 10-day IL today.

Official postgame yesterday, IF Raynel Delgado has been optioned to Triple A Sugar Land.

FROM THE TRAINER’S ROOM: The Astros have eight players on the Injured List.

Updates on a few:

RHP Ronel Blanco (rt. elbow surgery) is expected to pitch tomorrow for Triple A Sugar Land…he last start-
ed last Wednesday for Double A Corpus Christi at NW Arkansas (2ER/4.1IP), tossing 60 pitches (45 strikes).

SS Jeremy Pena (lt. calf strain) is taking part in baseball activities and is expected to begin a rehab assignment at Sugar Land this week.

RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (rt. shoulder inflammation) is also expected to pitch tomorrow for Sugar Land. He last started last Wednesday for Sugar Land (1ER/4IP), tossing 60 pitches (41 strikes).

LHP Bennett Sousa (lt. elbow inflammation) began a rehab assignment at Sugar Land last night, tossing 1.0 scoreless inning on 10 pitches with one strikeout.

RHP Kai-Wei Teng (right knee sprain) continues his throwing progression and will throw a bullpen session in the coming days.

LHP Brandon Walter (lt. elbow surgery) continues his throwing progression in West Palm Beach.

RHP Hayden Wesneski (rt. elbow surgery) made a rehab start for Corpus Christi yesterday, tossing 4.0 innings, allowing one run on two hits with three strikeouts while tossing 46 pitches (29 strikes).

ALL-STAR ALVAREZ: Major League Baseball announced on Saturday that DH Yordan Alvarez was voted by the fans as the starting designated hitter for the American League All-Star team.

This marks the fourth All-Star selection for Alvarez (2022-24, 2026) and the second time that he has been voted as a starter (also in 2024).

MVP-CALIBER: DH Yordan Alvarez has had a torrid first half to his season, currently leading all of baseball in OPS (1.066), OBP (.429), SLG (.637), and total bases (207).

Additionally, he ranks first in the AL in extra-base hits (45), first in HR (29), first in hits (104), first in runs (62), first in RBI (67), second in batting average (.320), and fourth in walks (59).

THE LONG BALL LIST: DH Yordan Alvarez has hit 199 career home runs, needing just one homer to become the sixth player in franchise history to reach the 200-homer plateau.

HIT PAREDES: 3B Isaac Paredes is batting .295 (31×105) with six home runs, 23 RBI and a .913 OPS in his last 29 games since June 3.

Over that span, he ranks tied for sixth in the AL in RBI.

WHAT A RELIEF: LHP Josh Hader is 3-0 with nine saves (in nine chances), has a 0.60 ERA (1ER/15IP), 24 strikeouts in 15.0 innings, a .043 (2×47) opponent average, and a 0.60 WHIP in 15 appearances.

Hader has not allowed a hit in eight straight appearances (8IP), which is the longest hitless streak by an Astro in innings and appearances since RHP Héctor Neris had nine straight hitless appearances (9IP) from Aug. 21-Sept. 13, 2023.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Monday, July 6, 5:45 p.m. CT

Location: Nationals Park, Washington, DC

TV: Space City Home Network

Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

It is a day in July before the start of the 2026 training camp, so we are getting rankings, and for the Cardinals most rankings have not been overly kind.

While they have the sixth best set of offensive weapons in the NFL according to ESPN, they have more questions than answers everywhere else.

ESPN dropped their best roster rankings and the Cardinals were not last… which is a nice change of pace, but they were the third worst (at least tied for that) and it is once again a question of every position group outside of a couple.

From ESPN:

T-29. Arizona Cardinals

Biggest strength: Tight end. This starts and ends with Trey McBride, who has emerged as one of the NFL’s top playmakers at the position…

Biggest weakness: Quarterback. Kyler Murray is gone, leaving Jacoby Brissett as the probable Week 1 starter. The veteran racked up the counting stats in 12 starts last season (3,366 passing yards, 23 TDs), but Arizona throwing a league-high rate (partially due to always being behind) was a primary factor. Brissett finished 24th among 28 qualified quarterbacks in QBR (41.2).

X factor for 2026: WR Michael Wilson. In Weeks 1-10, Wilson managed a meager 0.8 yards per route run, making him one of the least efficient wide receivers in the league. But from Week 11 on — with Marvin Harrison Jr. out for much of that time — Wilson’s production ballooned to 2.6 yards per route run, 12th-best among wide receivers in those weeks. This Cardinals’ season is all about finding out who can be their pillars going forward, and that includes Wilson’s long-term role with the franchise.

Nonstarter to know: Edge rusher BJ Ojulari. Trade rumors are circulating around Josh Sweat, and Baron Browning and Zaven Collins combined for only 3.5 sacks last season…

The Cardinals have Trey McBride, people are hopeful about the wide receivers, and of course the rookie running back is intriguing. After that, there is nothing that is known or exciting to analysts, just a lot of questions.

The team tied with the Cardinals is the Atlanta Falcons, the worst two rosters in the league are the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins. Is McBride the only player separating the Cardinals from those bottom two?

Today, Astros manager Joe Espada said that SS Jeremy Pena would begin his rehab assignment tomorrow at Triple-A Sugar Land, as reported by Brian McTaggart of MLB.com

SPs Lance McCullers Jr. and Ronel Blanco are also scheduled to pitch tomorrow as well.

Pena is a key catalyst for the Astros lineup, and is batting .295 this season with a .356 OBP and .799 OPS. Pena has 6 HR 21 RBI, he has 34 R and 8 SB in 183 AB this season.

Pena has battled a myriad of minor injuries this season, with this being the third one and his second time on the IL this season. He was slowed at the beginning of the year as well due to a fractured finger suffered in Spring Training.

Today, the Houston Astros announced they had reinstated IF Braden Shewmake from IL, and optioned IF Ray Delgado to Triple-A Sugar Land

In limited time this year with the Astros, Shewmake is batting .243 with a .260 OBP and .665 OPS. His positional flexibility has endeared him to the team, as he plays all around the infield including shortstop. In 74 AB, Shewmake has 3 HR and 8 RBI.

He is in the lineup tonight, playing shortstop and batting 8th.

Delgado made his MLB debut with the Astros June 14. In 30 AB he is batting .267 with a .313 OBP and .713 OPS. He offers the same positional flexibility as Shewmake, but did take a bad hop ball awkwardly off his right rand last week, resulting in a dislocated pinky. He did appear in the next game as a pinch hitter.

A hearty congratulations to girl dad Eli White. In another set of moves prior to tonight’s series finale versus the Mets, the Braves placed him on the paternity list. Back with the major league club is outfielder José Azócar.

Azócar is on a variation of the Carrasco minor league contract / selection / DFA / free agency / re-sign cycle. He’s been selected to the major league roster twice prior to today and played nine games with the Braves in May with a .333/.375/.842 on the season. His line with the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers is .243/.295/.638 in 58 games played.

Catcher Jair Camargo was optioned to Gwinnett on June 18, but has been DFA’d to make room for Azócar on the 40-man. Welcome to the Kyle Farmer backup catcher era, folks.

With the 2026 MLB Draft less than a week away, we’ll take a look at what the Rays are expected to do with their first round picks. We will update this as new versions of mock drafts are published through the day before the draft.

Baseball America

In BA’s latest mock draft, they’ve got the Rays selecting Grady Emerson with their second overall pick.

Emerson is a 6’3 lefty-hitting prep shortstop and arguably the best pure hitter in the class. It’s a comfortably plus hit tool thanks to a smooth swing, advanced approach, and ability to spray the ball to all fields. Emerson projects to grow into above-average power given his size and athleticism. He also features a strong arm and plus instincts that should allow him to stick at shortstop.

There’s the chance that Roch Cholowsky could go to the Rays too, but it’s more about what the White Sox do with the first pick.

Cholowsky is polished 6’2 college shortstop with an impressive track record to match his above-average tools across the board. He’s an advanced hitter who both controls the strike zone and has solid contact skills. He already has plus power from the right side to pair with his strong hit tool. He’s essentially a lock to stick at shortstop given his arm strength, lateral quickness, and soft hands.

Vahn Lackey has a chance to go here too. Lackey is a 6’2 right-handed hitting catcher with plus power. He’s already a solid defender with a plus arm, and his athleticism suggests even more room for growth that could make him one of the better defensive catchers in the league someday. Lackey’s impact on both sides of the ball would more than justify taking him at the top of the draft.

Things get a little more fuzzy at 33, but BA has high school SS Taj Marchand going to the Rays. They’ve been scouting him all spring and are drawn to his ability to impact the baseball from the right side of the plate. He has quick hands in the batter’s box and in the field. His projectable frame at 6’2 suggests more power could be on the way, and his arm strength is plus right now.

MLB Pipeline

Pipeline has the Rays also taking Emerson in their latest mock draft, and like BA, the Rays could also take Cholowsky if the White Sox pass on him. It’ll likely come down to Emerson vs Lackey, but ultimately they’re expecting it to be Emerson.

Pipeline has the Rays selecting high school 3B/C Cole Prosek with the 33rd pick. He’s a left-handed hitter with advanced feel for the barrel and the potential to grow into solid power in his 6’1 frame. A great athlete with a plus arm, Prosek looks like he could stick behind the plate or the left side of the infield.

ESPN

In his latest mock with ESPN, Kiley McDaniel has the Rays picking Emerson. Lackey could also be taken second overall, but McDaniel doesn’t think it would be at enough of a discount to make it worth the while. Interestingly, he mentions there’s some buzz surrounding college RHP Jackson Flora on a significant pay-cut, but it’s unlikely.

An even longer shot is college SS Tyler Bell – who was selected by the Rays in the Comp B round in 2024 but opted to go to the University of Kentucky. Bell is a switch-hitting, 6’1 shortstop with average or better tools across the board. His athletic testing data suggests there could be more power on the way if he can get the ball in the air more frequently. His approach teeters on passive at times, but his contact ability is solid from both sides of the plate. Bell should continue to play a strong shortstop as he advances through pro-ball.

Flora is the top pitcher in this year’s class. He’s a physical, 6’5 righty with multiple above-average pitches. His fastball sits in the mid-to-upper 90s and he can reach back for 100 at times. Flora’s advanced feel for spin allows him to throw a pair of solid breaking balls, and he even features a relatively new kick-change that could end up being his best secondary someday. His combination of stuff and command could allow him to move quickly through any system.

McDaniel has the Rays taking high school SS Archer Horn with pick 33. He’s a plus athlete who could stick at the position thanks to a strong arm. Horn also has solid bat speed from the left side, and that bat speed combined with his 6’2 frame suggests above-average power is on the way despite an unrefined hit tool. Stanford commits typically make it to campus, so a team that really wants Horn may have to go over-slot to land him.

The Athletic

Keith Law of the Athletic has the Rays selecting Lackey with the second overall pick. He’s a pretty safe bet to be at least a solid defensive catcher given his tools and track record. His above average power makes him and patience at the plate could make him a solid offensive contributor as well. Interestingly, Law doesn’t mention Emerson among the other possibilities for the Rays. He instead mentions Cholowsky, Flora, and Bell. He doesn’t take a crack at mocking the 33rd overall pick or any of the Comp A round selections.

FanGraphs

Not yet published!

Of note, The Board at FanGraphs lists Virginia CF A.J. Garcia at No. 2 overall as the highest ranked 50 FV prospect (Cholowsky at No. 1 is the only 55 FV prospect). Garcia is a left handed 6’3” power hitter with a well rounded profile that could stick in center. After Garcia the site ranks Flora, Emerson, and then Lackey as the other 50’s.

We will circle back with an updated mock draft round-up later this week.

Going for a series win behind Reynaldo Lopez, the Braves are shuffling their lineup a bit, swapping Michael Harris up to the leadoff spot and Drake Baldwin down to cleanup. Jim Jarvis gets another start at shortstop, facing the righty Peralta.

Meanwhile, AJ Ewing gets the start at leadoff for the Mets and Francisco Lindor takes a day at DH.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Monday, July 6, 7:15 p.m. ET

Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA

TV: BravesVision

Streaming: MLB.tv

Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan

With a 37-53 record that has them just a half-game ahead of the worst record in the National League, the Mets are set to be sellers at the deadline. And Will Sammon of the Athletic and Chelsea Janes of SNY have provided some insight into the organization’s thinking as the August 3 trade deadline approaches.

Sammon writes that teams will be interested in trading for one of the Mets’ catchers, but he sees a move of either Francisco Alvarez or Luis Torrens as unlikely. He also brings up the question of whether or not the team will trade Luke Weaver, who is under team control through the end of the 2027 season on a $12.5 million salary. And he mentions that the team is expected to trade Brooks Raley and A.J Minter, while noting that it seems very unlikely that Bo Bichette will be dealt given his underwhelming season, massive salary, and no-trade clause.

Janes mentions some of the same names in writing that players on expiring contracts will be available, adding Freddy Peralta, Clay Holmes, and Tyrone Taylor to the aforementioned pair of left-handed relievers. She says that the Mets will prioritize getting the best players in return—regardless of how close they are to the big leagues or what position they play. She floats the idea of other relievers like Huascar Brazobán and Devin Williams having appeal on the trade market, and she writes that the Mets aren’t in a rush to start making trades, as front offices are heavily focused on the upcoming amateur draft.

If you feel a breeze, don’t doubt yourself, it’s MLB Draft week once again. Since 2021, the MLB Draft has taken place over the All-Star Break, in an effort to combine the enhance the prestige of the event and turn the week into a baseball bonanza. It’s a move that has been lamented by scouts and front office folks, who note that the experience creates a cartoonishly packed weekend of work, however the fan experience may be more pleasantly what MLB is hoping for. This year, there are some small tweaks to make note of, and here at Lookout Landing we’ll have draft coverage rolling out all week in the leadup to Saturday and Sunday.

The majority of MLB’s All-Star Week this year will be broadcast by NBC, as well as simultaneously livestreamed by their Peacock service/app. However, the first broadcast event is the Historically Black College/University Swingman Classic Game on Friday, July 10th at 4 PM PT/7 PM ET on MLB Network and MLB.com.

When/Where is the MLB Draft, & how do we watch it?

The 2026 MLB Draft will occur Saturday, July 11th and Sunday, July 12th, in Philadelphia, PA as part of the All-Star Week festivities. Coverage will begin on NBC and Peacock at 10 AM PT/1 PM ET on Saturday, with rounds 1-3 being completed on day one. On Sunday, NBC/Peacock will pick things back up at 10 AM PT/1 PM ET again for rounds 4-20. Both days will also have live coverage on MLB Network and MLB.com

The Saturday outset is a tweak from years past, perhaps a slight genuflection to the requests of the clubs, moving the draft’s outset to a day slightly less packed with festivities. The MLB Futures Game will occur on Sunday, starting at 9 AM PT/12 PM ET, also to be broadcast on NBC. While it is a seven inning game, it may overlap with draft coverage, which seems likely to be pushed to MLB Network and MLB.com but is not entirely clear based on MLB’s website.

When do the Seattle Mariners pick?

The Seattle Mariners have the 24th pick in the draft, second-to-last in the “1st round” ahead of only the Milwaukee Brewers due to their reaching of the ALCS a season ago. The Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, and New York Yankees all had their first picks dropped 10 spots as a “fine” of sorts for exceeding the second payroll tax threshold (also known as the “Competitive Balance Tax”).

Their second round selection is the 65th overall pick, and their third pick (the final to be made on Saturday) will be the 101st selection. Seattle also had a pick given to them due to their eligibility for receiving “Competitive Balance Picks” in Round B, just after the second round, however they dealt that 68th overall selection to the St. Louis Cardinals as part of the Brendan Donovan trade this winter.

After picking 129th in the fourth round, Seattle picks every 30 selections afterwards for the remaining rounds as scheduled, save for rounds five and six wherein the Dodgers forfeited their picks as compensation for signing players who’d declined a qualifying offer.

What’s Seattle’s bonus pool situation?

Pretty small. Seattle has only $8,218,200 they are allowed to spend on signing bonuses for their draftees this year, 24th-most in MLB. The Pirates and Rays both are allowed to utilize over $19 million, by contrast. A season ago, Seattle selected LHP Kade Anderson 3rd overall and inked him to a $8.8 million bonus by himself. That was possible, of course, because after missing the playoffs in 2024, Seattle famously sprung up the lottery ladder to the third overall pick despite being projected for 15th, in the fairly new lottery system MLB has employed as part of their anti-tanking efforts. This, plus ineligibility to pick in the top-10 in consecutive years (or more than two consecutive years, depending on the market size of the club) have seemed to be savvy and successful disincentives towards active non-competitiveness instituted by MLB. You’ll see some less-favorable sentiments about draft-related proposals by MLB later on here, so it is important to note that they seem to have absolutely gotten this right.

Bonus pools are determined by draft slots in the first 10 rounds, and Seattle can save any funds unused initially to splash on players throughout the entire draft, so long as they sign those initial players. Seattle has nailed a number of major picks in recent years, and should be able to snag some impressive talents, but the realistic outcome is a less immediately eye-popping set of selections than some recent years.

Who is eligible to be drafted?

Anyone residing in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, or other U.S. territories who has never signed a previous MLB/MiLB contract and is either

• A high school graduate, OR
• Attending a junior/community college, OR
• Attending a four-year college/university which they have attended for at least three years/have reached their 21st birthday, whichever occurs first

The draft does not include players born and raised anywhere else in the world, wherein players are eligible to sign anytime after their 16th birthday to a contract with any big league club from each team’s capped bonus pool (players like Julio Rodríguez, Shohei Ohtani, or Yordan Alvarez), or as a true free agent once they are 25 years of age (almost exclusively established stars in countries with robust internal summer baseball leagues like Japan, Cuba, and South Korea, e.g. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jose Abreu, or Jung Hoo Lee).

There have also been recent changes to the draft’s rounds, with more dreamed of by MLB’s ownership groups. If you do not care for a bit of analysis on those suggestions, feel free to skim to the next headline.

Since MLB owners halved the number of rounds in the draft in recent competitive bargaining agreements, the draft has dropped from three days to two, and to 20 rounds from 40 since 2019 (and from 50 to 40 in 2011). The draft is once again a wish list item to warp for owners, who recently fantasized publicly with a dream of dropping to just 12 rounds, excluding high schoolers entirely (the players with the most leverage to negotiate their signing bonuses) and necessitating a higher age of eligibility for drafting to 20 years of age. While this could open up a batch of additional college players to eligibility, the intent is overwhelmingly a labor cost reduction. Players who debut earlier reach free agency earlier, and therefore can negotiate with more than just the team that claimed their right to work for the coming decade on draft day. From a pure on-field perspective, Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodríguez would have seen their careers quite differently, while Colt Emerson and Ryan Sloan would still be on campus. Part of baseball’s distinct joy is in its many avenues to plausibility, and it would be nice not to see those curtailed.

What’s coming next on LL?

Plenty! Check out some of our draft profiles if you’ve not already, and keep an eye out each day for a roundup of coverage around the scouting world, our own mock draft of the first 50 or so picks, some deep dives from Max, Kate, and myself, live draft coverage this weekend, and more!