Good morning, LSB.
The Rangers were off yesterday.
Evan Grant’s weekly stock report revives the “buyers/sellers at the deadline” conversation.
Kennedi Landry writes that Evan Carter’s IL stint might have been a silver lining in terms of finding his bat.
Jacob Latz was named AL Reliever of the Month.
Aaaand that’s about all for this morning. The Rangers resume their weird series with the Tigers today at 3:05 with Kumar Rocker on the mound.
Happy Fourth of July and go Rangers!
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There's a nice 4-pack of NBA Summer League coming at you Saturday, headlined by Darryn Peterson, the No. 2 pick in the 2026 draft, as his Utah Jazz take on the Atlanta Hawks.
Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg will suit up for the Golden State Warriors again and square off against the Milwaukee Bucks, who will be showcasing their top pick, Braydon Burries, taken a pick ahead of Yax.
Check out my NBA Summer League Predictions and free NBA picks for Saturday, July 4.
| Pick |  |
|---|---|
 Hawks moneyline | -117 |
 Bucks moneyline | -122 |
 Kings moneyline | -117 |
There was probably no player more speculated on heading into the draft than Darryn Peterson.
An outstanding showing early on would do a ton to quell those rumors about his desire to play and his fitness level, since he pulled himself out of so many games for Kansas this last season.
It's also a chance to see how he meshes with Ace Bailey, last year's top draft pick, as the Utah Jazz awaits his true takeoff.
The Atlanta Hawks got some nice rooks to showcase too, led by Kingston Flemings (No. 8 pick) and high-energy big Zuby Ejiofor (No, 23 pick).
Paired with second-year man Asa Newell, this is one of the nicest Summer League rosters. Their energy carries them to victory.
This will probably be the last time for a while where Yaxel Lendeborg gets to be a featured guy, as the Golden State Warriors are veteran-laced and still trying to make big moves to get into contention.
That doesn't mean Yax won't be a glue guy and a major contributor from Day 1, and his wide array of talents will be on display.
But he's going against a Milwaukee Bucks team that should be hungry. Milwaukee is in teardown mode, and there are roster spots to be filled.
While developing Brayden Burries is obviously the top priority, unearthing a couple of gems in Summer League should also be crucial (looking at you, 6-foot-11 Bogoljub Markovic!).
I'd be stunned if these guys aren't going 100mph all game – Milwaukee is where you want to be if you want an NBA job!
Nothing like a pair of high-pick, explosive scoring guards to entertain on a Saturday in June.
That's what we have when the Sacramento Kings, showcasing No. 5 pick Darius Acuff Jr, face off against the Brooklyn Nets and Mikal Brown Jr, taken just a spot after Acuff.
After a brief "Light the Beam" moment, SacTown is sad again, but Acuff could be the star worth believing in. Also, drafting Alex Karaban is the right culture-shifting dude you want. We'll see how he plays at the pro level.
Brown Jr becomes the centerpiece of a Brooklyn rebuild, though he's another point guard on a team that drafted five of them in the first round a year ago.
Second-year guys Egor Demin, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf will all be in attendance in Summer League too, and that could make for an awkward fit.
Sign up now using our exclusive Kalshi promo code 'COVERS20' and get a $20 trading bonus after you trade $20 on any other event contracts — including NBA Summer League!
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Hawks moneyline
Bucks moneyline
Kings moneyline
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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The Detroit Tigers visit the Texas Rangers this afternoon, while a pitcher's duel takes place between the Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros.
Those two matchups will headline my best NRFI and YRFI predictions.
Read more in my MLB picks for Saturday, July 4.
| Pick | Odds |
|---|---|
 / - YRFI | -103 |
 / - NRFI | -131 |
 / - NRFI | -121 |
The Detroit Tigers visit the Texas Rangers tonight, and there are multiple potential pathways to runs early on. Jack Flaherty takes the mound for the visitors, and while he's been very impressive lately with a 1.74 FIP across his last three outings, the Rangers are hitting .274 in the first inning and have a 114 wRC+ over the last month.
Kumar Rocker, meanwhile, counters for Texas, and he's struggled immensely with a 5-9 NRFI/YRFI record this season. The righty is known for getting into trouble in the first inning, and that's bad news against a Tigers lineup batting .276 in the first inning and posting a 115 wRC+ in their last six games.
Rocker is definitely the more vulnerable arm right now, but both offenses are capable of producing out of the gates.
I'll play this pick up to -130.
We have quite the matchup on the mound between the Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros tonight. Drew Rasmussen has a five-game streak without allowing a run in the first inning, and he owns a 13-3 NRFI/YRFI record overall. The right-hander has a solid 3.13 xERA over his previous two appearances.
Houston has been kept off the scoresheet in the opening frame in three of their last four games, and they have a poor 78 wRC+ across the last two weeks. As for Hunter Brown, he's been dominant since returning from injury. The righty hasn't allowed a run in the first in five outings. Tampa is scoreless in the first in back-to-back games.
With two thriving arms taking the ball and a pair of offenses far from their best lately, I expect a quiet first.
I'll play this pick up to -140.
The Cleveland Guardians send Parker Messick to the mound tonight, and he's been absolutely lights out early on. Across 17 starts, the left-hander hasn't allowed a run in the first inning once, sporting a perfect 17-0 NRFI/YRFI record. He also owns a 2.13 FIP across his last two outings.
The Chicago White Sox haven't scored in the opening frame in two straight games, and they're batting just .213 in the first.
As for Chicago starter Sean Burke, he has just an 8-4 NRFI/YRFI record. However, Burke has a 3.02 xERA over his previous two appearances and has allowed just 0.77 HR/9 over that span. More importantly, the Guardians are scoreless in the first in three in a row, and they've posted just 82 wRC+ across the last 13 games.
Messick will deal, and Burke has a real chance to come out of the opening frame unscathed due to Cleveland's offensive inconsistencies.
I'll play this pick up to -130.
NRFI (No Run First Inning) and YRFI (Yes Run First Inning) picks add a thrilling twist to the start of an MLB game. A NRFI pick is a prediction that no runs will be scored in the first inning. You're predicting that the starting pitchers for both teams will get through the first inning without allowing any runs, whether by striking out batters, inducing ground balls, or through solid defensive play.
A YRFI pick is the exact opposite. You're predicting that at least one run will be scored in the first inning. In this case, you’re hoping for an early offensive burst such as a leadoff walk, a timely hit, or even a home run.
NRFI and YRFI picks add excitement to the early part of a game and offer immediate gratification for those looking for a quick resolution.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
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.
Hickory starter Daniel Keaney went 4.2 IP, allowing four runs, striking out three and walking two. Aneudis Mejia walked two in two shutout innings.
Marcos Torres entered the game for Paulino Santana after Santana was hit by a pitch and went 1 for 2 with a double and a stolen base. Yolfran Castillo had a hit, a walk and a pair of stolen bases. Dewar Tovar was 2 for 3 with a walk. Daniel Flames had a pair of hits.
Caden Scarborough started for Hub City, allowing two runs in 4.1 IP, walking two and striking out two.
Yeison Morrobel had a double and a triple. Hector Osorio homered. Gleider Figuereo and Maxton Martin each had hits.
Frisco starter Dalton Pence went 4.2 scoreless innings, striking out six and walking three. Eric Loomis struck out four in two shutout innings.
Rafe Perich doubled. Ian Moller and Arturo Disla each had a hit.
For Round Rock, Michel Otanez struck out three and walked one in 1.1 scoreless innings. Thomas Ireland allowed two runs in 1.1 IP. Joe Ross, who re-signed to a minor league deal after clearing waivers and electing free agency, allowed a pair of runs in 1.2 IP, walking one.
Jarred Kelenic, who re-signed to a minor league deal after clearing waivers and electing free agency, drew a walk. Aaron Zavala had a double.
The Yankees at long last broke their losing streak, ending it at seven games after putting up five runs for the first time since June 19th against the Reds. The Twins had their chances to match them, but New York’s pitching held them in check with only Fernando Cruz getting himself into some trouble walking two batters in his inning of work. After finally stopping the bleeding, the only thing that could’ve made things better would’ve been the Rays breaking their winning streak at the same time — alas, not everything lined up how they wanted on Friday.
It was a close, low-scoring affair down in Houston as the Rays opened up a series against the Astros. The AL East leaders had won eight straight games entering the contest, but they took a while to get going facing Spencer Arrighetti. The Astros’ right-hander tossed six innings and didn’t give many opportunities to , working around a leadoff single by immediately inducing a double play and then getting a one-out walk erased thanks to Yainer Diaz throwing out the runner.
The third through fifth inning saw Arrighetti mow down Tampa Bay in order, but with two outs in the sixth Nick Fortes finally got the scoring started with a solo shot clanking off the wall in left field.
Houston didn’t go down without a fight, of course. Nick Martinez was doing a similar job to Houston’s offense through five, but Yordan Alvarez got to him in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game right back up with a solo shot of his own, his 27th of 2026 (he now has a very impressive 187 wRC+). Tampa fought right back, getting a Junior Caminero home run—his 10th in 10 games—to go ahead 2-1 in the seventh inning and a Fortes RBI double in the eighth to jump ahead by two runs.
As for the Astros, after that Alvarez blast they were blanked the rest of the way, getting a single immediately afterwards only for the next 11 Houston at-bats to all end in an out. The Yankees remain four games behind the Rays in the AL East with a series looming early next week.
Toronto Blue Jays (42-46) 2, Seattle Mariners (45-44) 0: Half of our Rivalry teams were playing up in the Pacific Northwest as Toronto made one inning count enough to carry them to victory. Luis Castillo had one of his better outings this year, tossing six innings and allowing just five hits, but four of them came in the top of the third leading to an RBI double from Andrés Giménez and an RBI single from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to give the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead. That was all the damage necessary to tag Castillo with the loss as Dylan Cease shoved on the other end, pitching seven shutout with nine strikeouts before passing the baton over to Jeff Hoffman and Louis Varland to close the game out. The idle Rangers moved half a game ahead of Seattle in the light AL West.
Cleveland Guardians (47-42) 4, Chicago White Sox (45-42) 3 (10 innings): This was a battle of the bullpens as neither starter made it through a full five innings of work. Chicago’s Anthony Kay blinked first, issuing two walks to lead off the third inning that got moved over on a bunt, but Cleveland only scored one run on the opportunity as Travis Bazzana singled in the lead runner before David Fry grounded into an inning-ending double play. Gavin Williams wound up with the worse stat line, allowing two singles to lead off the fifth and nearly stranding them just to lose a 10-pitch battle with Miguel Vargas that ended in a three-run blast.
After a rain delay briefly interrupted the action, Cleveland got to work tying the game back up. The seventh inning saw them work a pair of walks but go down to two outs as well, just for Austin Hedges to find a fastball over the middle to slap to shortstop hard enough that the ball deflected off of the fielder’s glove. That scored a run and kept the inning alive, and Steven Kwan cashed in with a single to bring home another and tie the game at three. Extra innings were brutal for Chicago, as they went down in order in the top of the 10th while the Guardians got singles from Bazzana and Kahlil Watson to walk it off.
The San Diego Padres and their fans asked Michael King to take the mound and provide a performance that would allow them to have a chance to get a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers and snap their six-game losing streak. He did that, but an error by Jake Cronenworth followed by a poor pitch from Adrian Morejon turned a 3-0 lead into a 4-3 loss for the Padres at Dodger Stadium on Friday night.
King gave San Diego just what it needed, and the offense did enough to score three runs against Los Angeles starter Shohei Ohtani. King cruised through six innings and worked into the seventh when he ran into “trouble,” giving up a leadoff walk to Mookie Betts and a single to Max Muncy. King was pulled after just 75 pitches and was replaced by Morejon.
The left-handed reliever got what appeared to be a potential double play ball with a grounder from Kyle Tucker that rolled out to Cronenworth at second base. The normally dependable second baseman did not field the ball cleanly and flipped toward second base, but Muncy was able to get to the bag safely and the bases were loaded with no outs. Teoscar Hernandez wasted no time and hit the first pitch of the at-bat over the center field wall and the work that was done by King and the Padres’ offense was erased.
As a result of the home run by Hernandez, King’s line looks worse than it was. He finished with two runs allowed on three hits with two walks and five strikeouts. It was a tough ending to what was a solid start and the decision by manager Craig Stammen to pull King considering his low pitch count and his success throughout the outing will be questioned. Morejon got the ground ball he needed but Cronenworth did not make the play and that proved to be a critical error until Morejon compounded it with a hanging slider to Hernandez.
It was a deflating set of events for San Diego and that was reflected in their at-bats over the final two innings. The Padres sent three men to the plate in the eighth inning and three in the ninth and finished the game with two groundouts and four strikeouts to take a one-run loss to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and extend their current losing streak to seven games.
San Diego will send Griffin Canning and his 7.09 ERA to the mound to try to get back to .500 with a win against Yoshinobu Yamamoto today at 7:10 p.m.
Padres News:
Baseball News:
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There's no shortage of players smashing baseballs out of the ballpark lately, and I've found value in my MLB player props home run analysis.
Today's picks will include Luis Garcia, Rafael Devers, and Junior Caminero.
Read more in my MLB picks for Saturday, July 4.
| Player to hit a HR | Odds |
|---|---|
 Luis Garcia | +391 |
| Junior Caminero | +367 |
 Rafael Devers | +238 |
| 💲Today's HR parlay | +7492 |
Washington Nationals star Luis Garcia is flourishing right now. He has a .750 ISO across his last six games, going deep five times during that span. Garcia had two home runs on Friday evening against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He also has a 56.5% hard hit rate over the last week.
Garcia will face Braxton Ashcraft today. He's allowed 2.25 HR/9 across his previous two outings, and the righty gave up three homers last time out to the Philadelphia Phillies. Opponents also have a 57.1% hard hit rate against him during that span.
This is a clear opportunity for Garcia to stay hot.
I'll play this pick up to +300.
Junior Caminero cannot be stopped. The Tampa Bay Rays slugger has homered in five of his last six games, and he carries a .600 ISO over the last week into tonight's matchup against the Houston Astros.
Caminero's 55.5% hard hit rate over the last week says it all. He is truly squaring up everything right now, and 55.5% of his contact has been through the air during that span.
He'll face the dominant Hunter Brown tonight, but it's impossible to ignore Caminero's recent brilliance. No matter who is on the hill, he's dominating. Also, Brown has allowed a home run in each of his last two starts, and he's allowed a 42.9% hard hit rate in those outings as well.
I'll play this pick up to +300.
San Francisco Giants star Rafael Devers heads into a favorable matchup tonight against Tomoyuki Sugano. Devers has clubbed four home runs in his last six games while posting a .600 ISO. He has a mind-boggling 62.5% hard hit rate and 25% barrel rate during that span.
Sugano has had trouble with the home run all year, and that's been no different lately. The righty has given up 2.14 HR/9 across his previous four starts while posting a 7.29 ERA. Playing at Coors Field here also heavily benefits Devers due to just how much the ball carries in Denver.
I'll play this pick up to +200.
| Luis Garcia | Bet Now +7492 |
| Junior Caminero | |
| Rafael Devers |
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
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 Yankees’ roster carousel continues. Following last night’s game, they optioned outfielder Spencer Jones to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He had been up with the team for his second stint this year, but while he played better than his initial 4-for-24 showing, he was still running a 40-percent strikeout rate. Fellow lefty hitter Trent Grisham’s activation from the IL immediately prior to the Friday contest also meant that regular time in center field was no longer going to be available, so it was best to keep the outfielder reps in Triple-A instead.
To take Jones’ spot on the roster today, the Yankees promoted righty pitcher Brendan Beck, who will take the spot start for this afternoon’s Fourth of July matinee against the Twins. With Carlos Rodón suddenly on the IL with elbow inflammation and Elmer Rodríguez unavailable after pitching on Thursday, Beck gets the call for his second career appearance.
The 2021 second-round pick out of Stanford has gone through his injuries to make it to The Show, and this will be his first big-league start — no small feat! He last pitched in the majors on May 7th against the Rangers when Ryan Weathers was ill, entering as the “bulk guy” after an opener, allowing two runs on two hits and three walks in three innings, striking out one. Beck has a 3.07 ERA and 3.78 FIP in 88 innings (16 starts) at Triple-A this year; I expect long reliever Ryan Yarbrough will also pitch today and that the Yankees will be delighted if Beck can even give them four solid innings.
The Yankees have had a quite a few roster moves over the past few days. The best way to consider it is to consider the replcements on the 26-man roster from Wednesday night’s game, their seventh loss in a row. Here’s the roster just one full game later:
OF Spencer Jones OF Trent GrishamUT Oswaldo Cabrera 3B Ryan McMahonSP Carlos Rodón SP Brendan BeckRP Yovanny Cruz RP David Bednar
Hopefully Beck and company can help the Yankees win their second straight and put the memory of that seven-game skid behind ’em.
The summer of 2028 is setting up to be quite interesting. If we are to believe there would be some interest in Luka Doncic returning home to Dallas, the Mavericks need to be prepared to not only bring him into the roster, but also have a contending roster around he and Cooper Flagg. What does that look like, and what would the Mavericks even have around to bring him in? This is the path to Project 2028.
To get to the future, first the Mavericks must sort out the now. This summer still must shake out, but if we are to believe the various reports of who could potentially be available, many of the Mavericks’ largest salaries could be off the books by the time next summer rolls around. PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford and Klay Thompson all seem to be very available, and only Klay would be expiring next summer. Washington’s deal runs through 2030, while Gafford is on the books until 2029. I think it is very fair to assume at least two of them are gone by the time the 2027 trade deadline rolls around, and it’s not impossible to think all three could be moved.
If that were to be the case, the Mavericks would then have exactly two players on the books for the summer of 2028: Cooper Flagg, who would be in the final year of his rookie deal, and Morez Johnson Jr., who would be in year three of his rookie contract. Now, that could change if the Mavericks successfully bring Sergio de Larrea over from Valencia, as well as if they extend guys like Max Christie or Dereck Lively, who are extension eligible now. That also doesn’t address Kyrie Irving, who has a player option after the 2026-27 season. But, even with those guys being extended, the Mavericks would have ample room to work Doncic in with cap space.
The Mavericks can be prepared all they want, but this only becomes a realistic path if the Lakers aren’t able to become bona fide contenders. But, this is where the recent history of the Lakers has to have an effect on how you view their immediate future. General Manager Rob Pelinka is lucky that LeBron James wanted to live in Los Angeles and that Nico Harrison existed, because every other move that the Lakers have made since he took over has been questionable at best.
The Lakers are pot committed to Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler. If that works and Los Angeles contends, this is probably all for not. But, if it doesn’t, everything gets really interesting. Luka has a player option in the summer of 2028, which is the summer in which he will hit his ten years of service. That qualifies him for the super-duper extension money, which he will certainly look for. We can safely expect him to opt out. At that point, the Lakers will be paying Reaves, Kessler, Quentin Grimes and Sandro Mamukelashvili a combined $111 million in 2028-29. Is that a roster that sounds like it’s contending? That’s the point where opportunity could come knocking.
In 2028, why wouldn’t Dallas be the best option for Luka to accomplish that goal? A pairing of Doncic and Cooper Flagg, who has already shown that he is on the fast path to superstardom, offers a ton of promise. Beyond that, there are many opportunities to create flexibility with the vets who will soon be coming off the books. Come the summer of 2028, Dallas could be looking at a roster of Flagg, Morez Johnson Jr. and a ton of cap space. That’s enticing if you’re Doncic, as it means the roster could be tailored perfectly to what that group would need. Plus, beyond the basketball of it all, it would be the best damn homecoming that we’ve seen in the NBA, maybe beyond LeBron in 2014. That’s the path for Dallas to be the best spot for Luka Doncic once again.
According to BasketNews’ Donatas Urbonas, Bucks coach Taylor Jenkins and assistant GM Milt Newton will be travelling to Bologna, Italy, to formally introduce themselves to the newly acquired Kasparas Jakucionis. Jakucionis—who was reportedly a key sticking point in the Giannis trade—is currently playing for Lithuania’s senior national team, which is trying to qualify for the FIBA World Cup.
Per Urbonas, the trip is expected to last less than 24 hours, with Bucks officials clearly wanting to make a point of reaching out and developing a relationship with the 20-year-old as soon as possible (even though they would meet in under a week at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas).
In a separate interview with BasketNews last week, Jakucionis revealed that the trade news came as a shock.
“Yeah, the first day definitely wasn’t easy,” he said. “I was thinking about it a lot, but then you realise this is a business and there’s only so much you can control. So, I’m trying to focus on what I can control, which is putting in the work and becoming a better version of myself every day. I’m not trying to spend too much time thinking about everything else.”
That said, the budding guard isn’t dwelling on the situation. Instead, he’s looking to take advantage of the opportunity he’ll get on a rebuilding Bucks team.
“Like I said, the first day was tough because it was the first time in my basketball career that something like this happened to me… but I don’t think it’s a bad thing. It’s a young organisation with a lot of young players, so I think it will be a good situation for me.”
The California Classic Summer League kicks off today, with the Bucks playing their first game at 2:00 p.m. CDT vs. the Golden State Warriors.
Happy Independence Day, where this year, the 250th anniversary of our independence as a nation, there is a little extra celebration in our country.
Baseball is still America’s pasttime, even if football has passed it in terms of popularity. The majority of little kids still play T-ball first when they’re getting into team sports as opposed to strapping on the shoulder pads, so I’m still going to call baseball America’s pasttime. That means today, as you celebrate, you might be doing something baseball related wherever you are at.
What will you do today that is baseball related on the Fourth of July? Maybe it’s as simple as having a catch in the backyard barbeque that you’re headed out to later on today. Maybe it’s just kicking back and watching the Phillies later on tonight in Kansas City. Maybe it’s far more than that – maybe you’re going to a baseball or softball tournament somewhere for your child. Good luck with that one.
A low-scoring affair saw the RoughRiders break a 2-2 tie in the seventh with a run against Enoli Paredes and hold on to defeat a lackluster Tides lineup. No Norfolk batter had more than one hit, managing only five in total, all singles. José Barrero drove in a run on a single and scored the other on a fielder’s choice, and that was the entirety of the Tides’ run output. A heating-up Heston Kjerstad reached base twice on a single and a walk. Enrique Bradfield Jr. didn’t start but pinch-hit in the ninth and struck out.
Yaqui Rivera started and gave up two runs in three innings. A rehabbing Yaramil Hiraldo worked a scoreless frame with two strikeouts as he returns from right shoulder inflammation that has sidelined him since April 2.
In a wild game, the Baysox erased a late 3-0 deficit with a three-run seventh inning, then fell behind again in the eighth, only to rally for two in the top of the ninth to steal the win. The top of the lineup set the table nicely, as Aron Estrada, Griff O’Ferrall, and Thomas Sosa collected two hits apiece. Sosa played the hero with his two-run single in the ninth to grab the lead for good.
Former Orioles minor leaguers Justin Armbruester and Zach Peek both pitched for Binghamton in this game. Armbruester fared well, working a scoreless inning with two strikeouts, but Peek surrendered three runs to blow the lead in the seventh. That included a two-run homer by Baysox right fielder Fernando Peguero and an RBI single by O’Ferrall.
As for Chesapeake’s hurlers, starter Evan Yates went five and allowed three runs (two earned). Jeisson Cabrera gave up a run in the eighth but vultured the win, and Zane Barnhart worked a perfect ninth for the save.
This was another roller coaster of a game, with the Keys storming out to a 6-0 lead after two innings, then coughing up seven unanswered runs to fall into a 7-6 deficit before responding with a go-ahead, two-run rally in the seventh.
Ike Irish went 0-for-3 and Wehiwa Aloy did not play, but some lesser known names did the heavy lifting for the Keys lineup. RJ Austin got the offensive party started with a leadoff homer, part of his three-hit night in which he was a triple shy of the cycle. Leandro Arias also homered, and Yasmil Bucce and Colin Tuft drove in two runs apiece.
Starter Twine Palmer gave up three runs and struck out eight in five innings, but reliever Jacob Cravey let the early lead slip away by coughing up four runs while recording just two outs. The bullpen was much better after that, with Chandler Marsh, Bradley Brehmer, and Todd Kniebbe combining for 3.1 scoreless frames to allow the Keys to come back. Brehmer struck out the side in a perfect eighth inning.
All you need to know is that the Shorebirds committed five errors and gave up 18 hits in this game. Not gonna win many games that way, and indeed they didn’t. Starter Brayan Orrantia and reliever Kailen Hamson allowed six apiece, with each giving up three earned runs, and Orrantia also committed one of the Shorebirds’ quintet of miscues. Charleston third baseman Nicandro Arias torched the Shorebirds for five hits and four RBIs.
Jaiden Lo Re had a nice night for Delmarva, collecting two doubles and scoring two of his team’s three runs. He’s batting .329 with a .904 OPS in 22 games for the Shorebirds. Leadoff man Braylon Whitaker added a home run. But it was far too little to make up for the Shorebirds’ self-inflicted wounds.
Don’t look now, but Jorge Mateo is having a career year. He is working on career highs in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging. And it’s not luck driven, as his xwOBA, xwOBAcon, xBA, and xSLG are at career highs as well.
Jorge is crushing the fastball right now. A .422 xwOBA on four-seamer is pretty good. He’s cut the whiff rate on the fastball in half. He’s pulling the ball now more than ever before and hitting it harder than ever before. To be honest, that’s his main improvement from a hitting standpoint. All his numbers versus the other stuff is right around where it was in years past. But if you can pick a pitch to handle, it’s the fastball. He might see more of the other stuff, but right now he’s cruising.
It’s quite a surprise from where we started the year. Ha-Seong Kim was the presumed starter, and Jurickson Profar would get most of the starts in left field. But that’s not where we are right now. Mauricio Dubon has been needed to hold down left field with Jurickson Profar on a year-long hiatus. And I’m still not convinced Ha-Seong Kim is fully healthy.
So are the Braves all set with Jorge Mateo at shortstop? Well, unless a mid-season move for a left fielder and Ronald Acuña Jr’s return pushes Dubon out of the outfield, then Mateo is probably their best option. It’s not like Kim will be at shortstop a lot in the near future.
Former Duke Blue Devil Maliq Brown got his first taste of NBA competition Friday night, and held his own in a summer league game vs. the Miami Heat: the new San Antonio Spur played 22 minutes, scored 10 points, shooting 4-7/2-4, and had three rebounds, a steal and a block.
Not bad at all.
On the other side of the court, former Blue Devil Trevor Keels had 18 points, hitting 6-13/2-5, pulling down 7 rebounds, and also had 3 assists and 2 steals.
It was a pretty solid debut for Brown, who still has to earn a full-time spot. Currently, he’s on a two-way contract, but for those who watched closely at Duke, Brown is the sort of player you grow to appreciate.
His greatest talent is his defense, and part of that is his excellent footwork that puts his hands in position to just devastate an opponent. Advanced analytics will suss that out, but most fans won’t fully appreciate it right away.
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If you want to understand why this off-season feels so traumatic for fanbases across the league, stop staring at salary caps and start looking at ownership. Particularly new owners.
We are only three days into free agency — which, realistically, is a lifetime in the modern NBA. But the landscape has already shifted and ironically enough, the three franchises enduring the most radical structural resets right now are Boston, Los Angeles, and Portland.
Boston traded Jaylen Brown for a 36-year-old Paul George and some picks. Los Angeles and LeBron James are mutually parting ways after eight seasons. Portland acquired Ja Morant, which is a massive talent splash on paper, but their off-season has been entirely defined by institutional friction.
It’s not so much a failure due to bad front office execution per se. They are changing dramatically, as it appears, because they all just transitioned into the hands of institutional corporate capital. Look no further than Dallas in February. 2025, when Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont provided the blueprint for prioritizing calculated corporate management over legacy … and prioritized real estate development, a plan that ultimately went awry.
They shocked the league by trading away Luka Dončić for a package centered around Anthony Davis, who is no longer with the team. Neither is the general manager who executed the deal. Nor most of the front office.
Forget the days of new owners immediately throwing blank checks at superstars. Joe Tsai and before him Mikhail Prokhorov tried that in Brooklyn, Mat Ishbia tried it in Phoenix, and both watched it blow up.
The league has officially outgrown the local billionaire fan. Mark Cuban was a fan of the Mavericks and he’s no longer there. The Buss family legacy is engraved into the Lakers and they are no longer there. Paul Allen was a devoted Trail Blazers fan and called it a “dream come true” when he bought the team in 1988. Wyc Grousbeck was a local die-hard kid from Boston.
The ripple effects are felt across the league. While this flood of institutional capital might lure in massive business and drive franchise valuations into the stratosphere, it’s incredibly difficult for the everyday fan to process such dramatic losses in such a short period of time.
For decades, the NBA was run by people who treated franchises like highly expensive toys and/or legacy family businesses. Too many to name. Thus under the old model, if an owner had the cash and a championship window, they typically paid whatever it took to keep the band together. Winning a trophy was the ultimate liquidity event for their ego.
Perhaps Tsai, Ishbia and Marc Lore & Alex Rodriguez in Minnesota are the last of a dying breed.
The new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), specifically the implementation of the second apron, killed that behavior. Thus, for new owners, the second apron protected new corporate syndicates from having to spend past a pre-determined ceiling. Even old owners like James Dolan, on top of the world in New York City after winning a Championship, told fans that he would not dip into the second apron because it is “suicidal.”
When Bill Chisholm’s group bought the Celtics for a record-shattering $6.1 billion, it wasn’t just a local guy writing a check. It was heavily backed by institutional private equity through Sixth Street Partners.
The on-court result? Trading away reigning Finals MVP Jaylen Brown to the 76ers for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks. To be fair, Brown’s name floated around when Grousbeck owned the team but a trade never actually took place for the homegrown star.
Brown is set to earn $140 million over the next two years. Alongside superstar Jayson Tatum, his contract immediately became a threat to a new owner looking at the financial side of things and not the heart. Two supermax contracts in the second apron is a catastrophic liability that paralyzes the corporate balance sheet.
No thanks.
In LA, Mark Walter and Todd Boehly finalized a massive transaction that placed a $10 billion valuation on the Lakers, ending 46 years of Buss family control. LeBron’s relationship seemingly ended without much celebration nor sentimentality.
They triggered the first apron with the signing of Walker Kessler but they avoided the second apron by allowing LeBron to walk. He’s one of the greatest if not the greatest of all-time. Do we need to say anything more?
Where do we begin? Up in the Pacific Northwest, the Paul Allen estate finally moved on. They sold the Trail Blazers to a $4.25 billion syndicate led by Tom Dundon. Dundon is a portfolio operator who runs sports teams like lean enterprise businesses.
He’s made it clear that he isn’t here to be the city’s favorite billionaire neighbor. Nope. He’s optimizing an asset and leveraging local political infrastructure to protect his capital. That’s not unique but his braggadocio is.
Portland’s off-season has been a rollercoaster to say the least. Interim head coach Tiago Splitter was low-balled on offers which made him pack his bags for Chicago. The penny-pinching reached a bizarre climax when the front office replaced him by signing Micah Nori to an unprecedented, completely non-guaranteed coaching contract.
To be fair, they added a star in Ja Morant who will excite things for the fanbase. But he’s also a star who has been at the center of controversy over the past couple seasons. He’s joined by Damian Lillard who is 35 and coming back from injury is going to be questionable a lot of nights while younger players like Scoot Henderson take a backseat to those two. Continuity, culture, development and all they were building is out of the window… just like that.
The narrative you see on social media is usually pretty simple: “This owner is cheap” if blame isn’t allocated towards a front office.
But the reality is a lot colder. The NBA isn’t a collection of sports teams run by eccentric billionaires chasing trophies for their cities anymore. Increasingly, it’s an asset class run by private equity firms and corporate syndicates designed to minimize risk and protect their investments … and divorced from civic responsibility.
No longer your billionaire fan or neighborhood friend. Maybe for old teams, but very few with the new.
When these massive entities buy in at valuations between $4 billion and $10 billion, their primary goal on Day 1 is structural stabilization, operational efficiency, and strict regulatory compliance with the league’s financial rules. The second apron gave the perfect excuse to do exactly what corporate managers do during a takeover: cut costs, shed long-term liabilities, and restructure the staff.
And it’s likely to get even more divorced from the cities it represents. Teams will likely soon have new partners new minority owners from sovereign wealth funds, huge vaults of cash built up by state actors from Norway to Singapore to the U.A.E. Dolan who is spinning off the Knicks from the rest of MSG has spoken openly in the past of selling a chunk of the reigning NBA champions to minority investors including said wealth funds. Hello, Abu Dhabi?
Tsai sold a piece of the Nets, Liberty and Barclays Center to members of the Koch family in 2024 for $688 million but ironically, one member of the family, 27-year-old David Koch Jr., is a basketball fan and after two years as a basketball operations assistant, an entry level position, with the Nets, he was promoted this week to Special Assistant to the General Manager.
There are dangers to the NBA beyond seeing players tossed aside like chattels. It will be more difficult to sell the NBA and its teams to fan bases — and political decision-makers — as civic endeavors particularly when you have owners like Dundon demanding the city of Portland eat the full $600 million cost of renovating the Moda … or he might just move the team elsewhere.
It’s a brand new league. Most don’t care about trading your favorite player to a rival team. As long as people are paying and they continue gaining capital — without dipping into the second apron — then it’s all a way to enhance profits and build valuations.