The Dodgers conclude the second stop on their three-city road trip on Wednesday night, taking on the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
Eric Lauer starts for the Dodgers, who have won all seven games in which he’s pitched for them.
Aaron Nola starts for the Phillies..
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NCAA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Nets fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Nic Claxton is on his way out after holding the reins as the longest-tenured Net. More recently, Clax came out and thanked the fans/organization. Now that that’s out of the way, we’re looking forward to who’s on the roster now and what Egor Dëmin and Mikel Brown Jr. are working with.
Insert two-time All-Star… and good culture guy Julius Randle. Sean Marks made a pre-draft trade that sent out Nic Claxton and the No. 33 pick for Randle and the No. 28 pick, who became Joshua Jefferson.
Share your thoughts and react, but please be respectful. NetsDaily prides itself on being a safe space for Nets and basketball fans alike to have healthy conversation. Reach out to Anthony Puccio or Net Income with any issues.
It’s been somewhat less than a great season for the San Francisco Giants, who seem determined to alienate their supporters of all stripes. The players created a Pride Night controversy and pissed off local fans. Prospect watchers don’t love how the team has actively blocked some of the best young hitters. Old-school traditionalists hate how many defensive and base running mistakes the Giants make. Fans of musicals aren’t thrilled with the team’s purchase of the Curran Theatre. The front office hired a college baseball coach and alienated, well, mostly just Joe Maddon.
So instead of focusing on which hatemongering pitcher blew the most recent game, or which highly-paid infielder looked at strike three with the bases loaded, or how much Buster Posey’s lip quivered while facing basic questions from the media, let’s look at some of the other wonders of baseball. Namely, the incredible strikeout production of Cincinnati Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez, who is chasing history this season.
Suarez is one of the most prolific home run hitters of his generation, smacking 49 dingers in both 2019 and 2025. He has 337 career home runs, 10th among all active players and 117th all time. But where he really shines is as one of the most prolific whiffers of all time.
Sunday, Suarez passed the century mark for the season, striking out for the 100th and 101st time this season. He moved into a tie for 16th on the all-time strikeout list with Giants legend Andrew McCutchen. Look, he still hits the ball a long way when he does connect, like this 9th-inning bomb one strike away from defeat last month.
But it’s exciting to see him chasing so many strikeout legends, too. He started the season in 27th place, one strikeout ahead of should-be Hall of Famer Manny Ramirez. Since then, he’s moved past this illustrious list of players:
Dave Kingman (442 home runs, three strikeout titles)
Derek Jeter (Hall of Fame, struck out on unanimous induction by one vote)
Bobby Abreu (good career K numbers, unimpressive strikeout peak)
Ryan Howard (two-time strikeout champ, five seasons of 180+ whiffs)
Chris Davis (two seasons leading the league in strikeouts, two 200+ seasons and five above 190)
Tony Perez (Hall of Fame, racked up strikeouts through his age-44 season)
Fred McGriff (Hall of Fame, promoted defensive drills videos that never mentioned contact hitting)
Mike Schmidt (greatest third baseman of all time, led the league in homers eight times, walks four times, strikeouts four times)
Mike Cameron (led the league in K’s, 2002)
He’s surging this season, sitting only one whiff behind Curtis Granderson and Nelson Cruz with 63 games to play. Next is strikeout prodigy Mark Reynolds, who led the league for four straight seasons from 2008-11, setting the single-season record with 223 in 2009.
Suarez is likely to pass Alameda’s own Willie Stargell, along with Oakland Bash Brother Jose Canseco. It’s going to be tough to break into the top 10 by passing Justin Upton (1971), sitting just shy of the 2K-K club.
9th place is Andres Galarraga, who had 110 strikeouts and 19 homers in two stints in San Francisco, notching his 2,000th career strikeout in a Giants uniform. Should the Giants have added Eric Young to their postseason roster so he could pinch-run for J.T. Snow, instead of a 43-year-old man? Maybe, but that would have prevented Galarraga from notching his 20th playoff strikeout.
Why is it important to pay attention to Suarez now? Because he’s been one of the worst players in baseball this season, slashing .208/.280/.392 and playing below average defense at third base. Suarez is beloved by fans and clubhouses alike, but age 34, this could be his last chance at extending playing/strikeout time.
The World Cup showed us it’s important to appreciate greatness while it’s still in front of us. Eugenio Suarez is making history this season. Plus, if you’ve watched Giants baseball all season, you’re used to seeing a ton of strikeouts.
Suarez is striking out for the record books. He already owns the single-season record for strikeouts by a right-handed hitter. If Geno can hit just a few more dingers this season, he’ll have a chance at another contract, and a chance to chase down Miguel Cabrera (2,105 Ks). He deserves a chance to fulfill his swing-and-miss destiny.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver may regret calling out LeBron James to decide where he will play next season.
Four-time NBA champion Draymond Green said that Silver urging James to make a decision soon might only make him take longer to announce it.
“Adam saying that is not going to speed up LeBron’s decision at all,” Green said on the “Draymond Green Show.”
“If I know Bron well, if anything, it may slow his decision down a little more because that’s just how Bron is.
Green said that he believes James’ decision will be coming sooner rather than later.
This past weekend at Fanatics Fest, Silver publicly called out James, urging him to decide where he will play next season, as it will have an impact on the NBA schedule, including opening week and Christmas Day.
During a live recording of his podcast “Mind the Game,” at Fanatics Fest , NBA star Tyrese Haliburton told James he should announce his decision, in front of a crowd of 5,000 people watching, to which James responded by saying, “We don’t have an announcement to make just yet.”
On Monday night, James’ longtime agent and friend Rich Paul appeared on his podcast, “Game Over,” with his co-host Max Kellerman and said James is planning to take his time with his decision as he doesn’t know where he wants to go, and called it a “business decision.”
Paul also mentioned that he spoke with Silver following the comments, and reaffirmed to him that it’s still James’ decision to make and remained adamant about not rushing it.
Recently, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania said that there is no timetable for when James will make his decision.
He went on to report that, from his understanding, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and the Philadelphia 76ers are among the favorites.
Green’s Warriors are also in the running for James’ services.
Yaxel Lendeborg was one of the breakout stars of Summer League. He looked like a hand-in-glove fit for the Warriors, capped off by him dropping 21 and 10 in the championship game to lead Golden State to the Summer League crown.
Yaxel Lendeborg, the 11th overall pick, wins the 2026 NBA Summer League Championship Game MVP!
— NBA (@NBA) July 20, 2026
21 PTS
10 REB
2 STL
WARRIORS W pic.twitter.com/bSa4XbBBi2
That capped off a run that saw Lendeborg named Las Vegas Summer League MVP. Over the course of six games he averaged 14.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and four assists per game.
The NBA also released the All-Summer-League teams:
Cameron Boozer (Memphis)
Brayden Burries (Milwaukee)
Yaxel Lendeborg (Golden State)
Meleek Thomas (Cleveland)
Caleb Wilson (Chicago)
Cedric Coward (Memphis)
Egor Demin (Brooklyn)
Khaman Maluach (Phoenix)
Liam McNeeley (Charlotte)
Zyon Pullin (Minnesota)
It's unusual to have only rookies on the First Team, but consider it a reminder of just how deep and impressive this rookie class is.
A couple of players on that list stood out to me. Cleveland's Thomas led the Summer League in scoring at 27.1 a game through four games, and the No. 34 pick showed an ability to score at all three levels. He's going to come off the bench for the Cavaliers and will not get touches he saw in Las Vegas, but he showed real potential at providing depth and bringing some scoring off the bench for the Cavaliers next season.
The other was Egor Demin, the Nets lottery pick from a year ago who shot the 3 well last season (38.5%) but struggled to drive into the paint (20.5% of his shots were in the paint compared to 71.7% of his shots coming from beyond the arc, he shot just 27.3% between the paint and arc and 55% in the restricted area). That looked different in Las Vegas, Demin looked stronger and was getting downhill, taking 43.3% of his shots in the paint. It's just Summer League, but that's a promising sign, as was the way he and No. 6 pick Mikel Brown Jr. made a connection. It's something to watch this fall.
The Columbus Blue Jackets announced on Tuesday that NHL Productions will now be producing the club's game telecasts. The Blue Jackets also shared that their new broadcast deal with the NHL will begin during the 2026-27 season.
Per a club announcement, “We are excited about working with the NHL and its award-winning production team to continue delivering the best Blue Jackets coverage to our fans,” said club Vice President of Business Intelligence & Broadcasting Marc Gregory. “This partnership allows us to leverage the league’s industry-leading production resources and storytelling capabilities to bring the game closer to our fans than ever before. We are continuing to work on our distribution platforms and look forward to announcing those details in the near future.”
The Blue Jackets are not the only team who have now partnered with the NHL to produce regional broadcasts for this upcoming season. The other clubs include the St. Louis Blues, Carolina Hurricanes, and Minnesota Wild.
At this time, the exact details of the Blue Jackets partnership with NHL Productions have not been announced yet. However, with the regular-season getting closer, we should soon get more information on that front.
The Blue Jackets will kick off their 2026-27 season on Oct. 1 against the Buffalo Sabres. It will be interesting to see how the new broadcast looks once they return to the ice.
Let us know what you think below.
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Before John Marino locked up an eight-year, $6.75 million extension with Utah on Tuesday, he was a sixth-round afterthought the Edmonton Oilers gave up on entirely. This one is going to sting a little for Oilers fans who remember he was a prospect who got away.
8️⃣ more years of Johnny!
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) July 21, 2026
We have signed defenseman John Marino to an eight-year contract extension. pic.twitter.com/FJG2S916Th
Edmonton drafted Marino 154th overall back in 2015, a late-round flier out of the USPHL with modest offensive numbers and no clear NHL path. He spent three seasons at Harvard, developing quietly, while the Oilers never signed him.
In July 2019, with his rights about to require a decision, Edmonton shipped him to Pittsburgh for nothing more than a conditional sixth-round pick — the kind of trade nobody notices in the moment.
A tht time, then-GM Jim Rutherford said, "John is a mobile defenseman who excels at moving the puck while also playing with an edge to his game. We are excited to acquire him as we continue to add defensive depth to the organization. The next step is to work on getting a contract done with him."
That was something the Oilers elected not to do.
Connor McDavid Unlikely To Ever Make Ridiculously Rumored Contract AskThe Oilers superstar prioritizes championships over a record-breaking payday, signaling he will bypass a maximum salary extension to ensure his team maintains the depth required to hoist the Cup.It didn't take long to look like a mistake. Marino made his NHL debut with the Penguins that same year and quickly established himself as a legitimate top-four, puck-moving defenseman. He was traded to New Jersey and then Utah, building a reliable, stabilizing reputation at every stop.
Utah recognized his potential and locked him up to an eight-year deal.
Sixth-round picks rarely turn into eight-year veterans with two-way trust from three different organizations. Edmonton had him first, gave up on the projection, and watched him become exactly what a good asset-management department hopes a late pick eventually becomes.
Marino had 36 points last season, which would have placed him just behind Mattias Ekholm. His plus/minus - +42 would have been a big help for the Oilers as well.
Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss the latest news, game-day coverage, and more. Add us to your Google News favourites, and never miss a story.
The MLB Draft was just over a week and a half ago at this point, and the good news for the Yankees is that they’ve already signed all 20 of the players they selected. All information on the signing details, player backgrounds, and bonuses can be found in the linked tracker.
The most eyes were on the draft in Day 1 on Saturday, July 11th, when the Yankees made their first four picks: Arkansas southpaw Hunter Dietz, Canadian prep lefty Sean Duncan, Oklahoma catcher Brendan Brock, and Cal State Fullerton outfielder Paul Gutierrez-Contreras II. When that day came to a close, we put out a poll in the Feed asking fans to grade it.
The results were probably about as high as Yankees fans have been on a draft class in years:
The “A” grade nearly earned an outright majority, settling for a still-great 47-percent plurality. And 41 percent still gave the Yankees a “B,” meaning that only 12 percent thought this was a middling class or worse.
We also had a separate poll asking fans to just grade the Dietz first-round selection alone, and a commanding 70 percent gave him an “A,” with not a single respondent hitting him with a “D” or “F.” The talented Razorback earned acclaim from draft experts around the sport, as the consensus opinion was that he was normally the kind of arm who would’ve gone within the first 20-30 picks, and the Yanks landed him at No. 35. And while part of the reason for his fall was that a stress fracture had limited his college experience prior to 2026, that’s a different beast than Tommy John or shoulder surgery.
Check out some of the fan responses on Pinstripe Alley to the Dietz pick:
Some other fans debated the Dietz pick with a popular name that had occasionally been linked to the Yankees in mock drafts around this spot: Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson, who won both the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award as college baseball’s best player. He ended up going to the Rockies at No. 37 overall.
As ultramod2 noted, Jackson might be the flashier name, but the Yankees’ third-round pick was another college catcher who should be no slouch.
Although Brock has some questions about his bat, he did just help lead the Sooners to their first national championship in 32 years, and the Yankees have a reputation around MLB for developing backstops who make it to The Show. They ended up getting another well-regarded college catcher in the fifth round as well, Bear Harrison of Texas A&M, giving New York two of the top nine catchers selected in the entire draft. It should be interesting tracking all three of these players to see who ends up having the best career — though all may end up in the shadow of Georgia Tech’s Vahn Lackey, who the Twins took with the third overall pick.
BetweenthePinstripes thought the Yankees’ overall draft strategy was sound, praising the team’s willingness to make sensible rolls of the dice while perhaps not deviating too much from conventional wisdom (à la Trey Sweeney):
Finally, a few community members bantered about scouting director Damon Oppenheimer, who has largely had autonomy from general manager Brian Cashman in running most of the team’s drafts for the past couple decades. It can be a tough assignment, given changing draft bonus rules and the Yankees always picking beyond the first 10 selections. Has he been as good about uncovering diamonds in the rough as, say, Zach Fitzpatrick and Billy Gasparino with the Dodgers? No, but the Yankees have done a fair job at finding prospects who have either become All-Star names (Aaron Judge, Ben Rice, Cam Schlittler) or who developed into key trade chips (Drew Thorpe, Ken Waldichuk, Josh Smith).
The San Diego Padres took plenty of momentum into their series opener against the Atlanta Braves after beating the Kansas City Royals, 19-2, on Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. The club fell short versus the Braves despite Manny Machado and Ty France slugging two solo shots against Atlanta.
Multiple poor decisions by manager Craig Stammen regarding the pitching staff hurt the Padres in their eventual one-run loss. Starter JP Sears was taken out after five stellar innings. He had thrown just 55 pitches to that point and seemed ready to enter the sixth. Instead, Wandy Peralta came in and gave up the eventual game-winning run on an Ozzie Albies homer to right field. Stammen has had plenty of question marks surrounding the remaining length of his tenure in San Diego. Moves like that only exacerbate the problem for the Friar Faithful.
López has been one of the most consistent starters in all of baseball this season. The veteran right-hander owns a 3.50 ERA through 61 2/3 innings pitched this season. The righty has missed some time due to injury as well as his suspension earlier this season. But the Padres will still be facing a formidable opponent tonight.
That said, the Friars have had some success against him in the past. Chief among them is Jackson Merrill, with a career .375 batting average in eight at-bats. Other stars like Fernando Tatis Jr. and Machado? Not so much. The two have a combined .222 average against López.
Buehler has yet to find a cure for his July woes. After a ridiculously good June that saw the righty post a 1.71 ERA across five starts, Buehler has surrendered 20 runs in his last three starts. That would mean something if he had pitched six innings in each, but he’s only pitched 11 innings in total. It’s been an historic decline for Buehler.
Thankfully, none of the Braves have much experience against the right-hander. Hopefully, that will give Buehler a slight edge when facing them today. If he can get through five or six quality innings of work, San Diego can consider that a rousing success for their starter.
Despite some pop from France and Machado, the offense fell short against Atlanta starter Bryce Elder. The club went 0-for-3 with RISP, failing not only to create scoring opportunities but not capitalizing on the few they did have. With the Trade Deadline looming, every game is must-win for San Diego. They’ll need more from their offense to earn the win tonight.
Rengifo came on as a pinch-hitter for Sheets in yesterday’s game. He went 2-for-2 and played left field quite competently. Since joining San Diego, the veteran has gone 5-for-9 across three games. If he can help spark this offense back to life, it would be a major turning point for the Friars.
Apart from Peralta’s lone mistake pitch, the bullpen locked it down. Bradgley Rodriguez and Kyle Hart pitched two scoreless innings to close it out, giving San Diego a chance to come back. Unfortunately, they never did.
But that usage will leave the Friars primed for a bullpen duel tonight. San Diego has Yuki Matsui, Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon, Randy Vásquez and Matt Waldron to turn to in Game 2. Vásquez and Waldron are starters who have been working out of the bullpen but should be making a start sooner rather than later.
There is good news and bad news regarding the center position in Los Angeles.
The good news is the Lakers acquired their A-list center, trading for Walker Kessler. The bad news is they lost the rest of their frontcourt depth.
LA’s starter last year, Deandre Ayton, was traded to the Wizards. Backup big Jaxson Hayes signed with the Jazz. Maxi Kleber is unsigned and could play in Europe next year.
Kessler isn’t the only frontcourt player on the roster. LA signed Sandro Mamukelashvili and center Kevon Looney. Mamu can play the four or the five just fine, but Looney at this point is a very limited player.
If this lack of center depth is obvious to the rest of us, it’s also something the Lakers are aware of. And despite having a full roster at this moment, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic, the team remains interested in trading for a big.
The Lakers are still monitoring the market for big men, team sources told The Athletic. They traded for Walker Kessler and signed Kevon Looney to play center, and Mamukelashvili can play the position, too. The team could address the position either by trade or signing, like with potentially adding Thybulle. The roster is currently at full capacity.
During the regular season, teams can only have 15 players on standard deals. LA has 16 players on the roster after the Matisse Thybulle signing, so they’ll have to trim things down before the start of the year.
LA can still simply sign a center in free agency, but that would require moving multiple players before the start of the season. This is why a trade where the Lakers take one player and send multiple out is more likely.
Also, the best unrestricted center option at this point is someone like Bismack Biyombo, who is more of a veteran leader than an on-court producer. That’s not the kind of upgrade LA is looking for.
The good news is that LA is still trying to improve its center depth. This is exactly what they should be doing at this point in the offseason. They already spent a ton of money trading for Kessler, and they need to invest in his backup.
It’s taken many years, but the Lakers finally have an elite center. The last thing LA wants is awful options if Kessler has to miss some time.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
With Summer League now in the rearview, the NBA’s attention has shifted back to free agency as the basketball world waits for LeBron James to announce his next team. The former Los Angeles Laker and four-time NBA champion has reportedly identified several preferred destinations, including the Golden State Warriors. However, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, there is currently “no timetable” for James to make a decision.
James is certainly no stranger to turning his free agency into one of the league’s biggest storylines, dating back to The Decision, when he left his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat in 2010. Since then, each major move of his career has effectively put the rest of free agency on hold until he announced his decision—a testament to the league-altering impact a player of his magnitude can have, even at the age of 41.
Likewise, Warriors fans are all too familiar with prolonged offseason uncertainty. Last offseason, Jonathan Kuminga’s restricted free agency stretched all the way into training camp before finally reaching a resolution after Media Day.
Now, Dub Nation finds themselves playing the same waiting game, except this time, they’re waiting on one of the greatest players in NBA history.
For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Tuesday, July 21st:
“We’re not going to be rushed,” Paul said on the latest podcast episode of “Game Over” with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul, released Monday evening. “We’re not going to be rushed. It’s his choice to make and when he makes the choice, he’ll make it.”
Paul continued to say that teams have circled back with him to see if they should be more involved while James weighs his options and he told them there was no need.
“There’s been several people to call and say, ‘Hey, Rich, is there anything more we should be doing? We could be doing?'” Paul said. “And my answer is, ‘No. We don’t need you to go above and beyond about anything. We understand it. It’s clear. All the messages have been sent.'”
A large portion of Dub Nation wishes Klay Thompson still was on the Warriors.
That includes one fan who met the legendary sharpshooter at Fanatics Fest this week, telling him, “We miss you on the Warriors, buddy.”
In turn, Thompson didn’t rule out a potential reunion in Golden State.
“Thank you. I know,” Thompson replied in a video posted to TikTok by user @la_tinapr. “Never say never.”
The Los Angeles Lakers have added wing Matisse Thybulle on a one-year, veteran minimum contract, a team source confirmed to The Athletic, giving them a point-of-attack defender they desperately needed on what could be a high-value deal. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal is not yet official.
As James allows his free agency saga to continue deeper and deeper into the offseason, in his quintessential melodramatic fashion, fanbases around the league are dealing with a Schrödinger’s roster, one with and without James at once. A recent poll of Dub Nation from SB Nation Reacts asked Warriors fans how they would feel about signing James, given the team’s prolonged rivalry with the former Cavs, Heat, and Lakers star.
Follow @unstoppablebaby on X for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.
Joe DeMayo and a returning Connor Rogers drop the latest episode of The Mets Pod, which talks trade deadline possibilities and second half of the season scenarios for the Mets.
The guys cover Freddy Peralta, Luke Weaver, Clay Holmes, and what they think should be their returns in any potential trades, while also making a pitch for both Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens to stay put.
Later, Connor and Joe go Down on the Farm to check in on Jack Wenninger and Ryan Clifford, then answer Mailbag questions about the Mets' organizational issues overall, and the idea of trading Devin Williams.
Be sure to subscribe to The Mets Pod at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
The Texas Rangers have signed pitcher Gio Rojas, infielder Connor Comeau, and pitcher Brody Bumila, the team’s first, second and third round draft choices, respectively, it was announced today.
Rojas, the 16th overall pick, reportedly received a bonus of $4.6 million, which is roughly $500,000 below slow. Comeau, the 54th pick, reportedly received $2.5 million, which is approximately $700,000 above slot. Bumila, who was expected to go in the first round before pre-draft medicals revealed a damaged UCL, reportedly received $2.75 million, which is close to $2 million above slot.
The total for the three, along with the team’s other signed draft picks, pushes them just north of $10 million in total bonus expenditures. The team’s bonus pool is $10,219,000, assuming they sign fourth rounder Hudson Calhoun and eighth rounder Kolby Branch. A team can exceed its bonus pool by up to 5% without incurring the loss of future draft picks. Players drafted after the 10th round can receive up to $150,000 as a signing bonus, with any amount above that applied towards the team’s bonus pool.
Featured in this week’s MLB Power Rankings, the Brewers reclaim the No. 1 spot, the Red Sox surge into contender status, Pirates rookie Esmerlyn Valdez continues to mash, and Freddy Peralta continues to demolish his trade value.
As a reminder, this article is a combination of current performance and long-term outlook.
Let’s get into it!
Note: Rankings are from the morning of Tuesday, July 21.
Last week: 2
It's Tuesday morning and I’m still not sure if William Contreras’ bat has landed.
HE LAUNCHED THAT BAT INTO ORBIT pic.twitter.com/N0GQuWey2E
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) July 19, 2026
We have a new No. 1 in this week’s rankings, as the Brewers passed the Dodgers for the best record in baseball on Monday. Making his first start in 13 days, Jacob Misiorowski threw just four innings against the Mets as the Brewers try to be “creative” with him during the second half.
Last week: 1
With the benefit of a huge lead in the NL West, the Dodgers can accord to be extra careful with Shohei Ohtani and his knee. And so, the dream of a Cy Young Award is dead, but the quest for three straight World Series titles lives on. Still, is a starting pitcher on the Dodgers' shopping list before the trade deadline?
Last week: 4
The Braves’ offense hit the skids in June, but they’ve bounced back nicely this month. Coming into Tuesday’s action, they lead the majors with 99 runs scored in July and rank second with 29 homers. We’ve even started to see some signs of life from Austin Riley.
THIS IS NOT A REPLAY Austin Riley does it again!#HyundaiHighlightpic.twitter.com/1XTYyCReQc
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 19, 2026
Last week: 3
The Rays snapped their season-high five-game losing streak on Monday while Victor Mesa Jr. homered in his third straight game. Who is Victor Mesa Jr.? That is a perfectly acceptable question.
Victor Mesa Jr. goes yard for a 3rd straight game pic.twitter.com/1qJi9i4ZbG
— MLB (@MLB) July 20, 2026
Last week: 5
With Aaron Judge’s ETA up in the air, do the Yankees have enough offense? Ben Rice and Jazz Chisholm Jr. are doing their best to hold down the fort right now.
Last week: 6
The Cubs could still use an impact starting pitcher (and bullpen help) before the deadline but Shota Imanaga has come on strong recently with a 2.31 ERA and 35/9 K/BB ratio over his last seven starts.
Last week: 7
On one hand, it’s nice to see Trea Turner swinging the bat better. He’s hitting .319 with seven homers and 18 RBI over his last 22 games, including his two-homer game on Monday night. On the other hand, he might have forgotten how to play shortstop.
"Trea cares about his defense, he wants to make plays. He's working every day."
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) July 21, 2026
Don Mattingly and the Phillies are riding with Trea Turner. pic.twitter.com/piGvxMZT7C
Last week: 9
The White Sox have won six out of seven and they continue to hold off the Guardians for first place in the AL Central. Sean Burke dominated the Blue Jays on Sunday and now boasts a 1.40 ERA and 47/6 K/BB ratio over his last six starts.
Last week: 11
You could have given me 15 chances and I still would have not guessed that Cleveland has the most walk-off homers in baseball since 1994, which is when Progressive Field opened.
TRAVIS BAZZANA WALK-OFF HOME RUN! pic.twitter.com/wxPgF5Baqj
— MLB (@MLB) July 19, 2026
Last week: 18
I’m shocked. And if we’re being honest, the Red Sox front office is probably shocked too. Thanks to some heroics from the resurgent Caleb Durbin, the Red Sox have won 14 straight to catapult themselves into our top 10, and more importantly, the third spot in the AL Wild Card race. They’ll have a chance to tie the franchise record of 15 straight from 1946 on Tuesday, but either way, they are very much alive in a wide open American League.
CALEB DURBIN!@REDSOX LEAD IN THE 8TH! pic.twitter.com/9yTg0HJ2rU
— MLB (@MLB) July 21, 2026
Last week: 10
There’s a lot of brutal ways to lose baseball games, but a walk-off hit-by-pitch has to be near the top of the list.
The @Angels win on a walk-off HBP! pic.twitter.com/VbdRt9x5AX
— MLB (@MLB) July 21, 2026
The Cardinals have lost three straight and nine out of their last 13.
Last week: 12
Okay, I have seen enough. Esmerlyn Valdez is the second coming of Barry Bonds. The 22-year-old is on an all-time heater at the plate, amassing at least one extra-base hit and one RBI in eight straight games. He went deep at Yankee Stadium on Monday night, which gives him 13 homers through 32 games. Only Aristedes Aquino (14) and Rhys Hoskins (16) have hit more through 32 games. Perhaps that tidbit tells you to pump the breaks on the “next coming” conversation, but Valdez is helping keep the Pirates alive in the playoff race.
Last week: 14
Congrats to Nolan Arenado, who reached the 2,000 hit plateau on Monday against the Athletics.
Nolan Arenado is the 297th member of the 2,000-hit club. pic.twitter.com/OeJNNucCKi
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) July 21, 2026
Yes, he’s the 297th member of the 2,000-hit club, but he’s just the sixth to reach 2,000 hits, 350 homers and 10 Gold Gloves. Ken Griffey Jr., Willie Mays, Mike Schmidt, Johnny Bench, and Al Kaline are the others. Now that's a special group.
Last week: 8
Seven straight losses for the Marlins, who were forced to put All-Star Max Meyer on the IL due to a neck strain. It’s not looking good.
Last week: 13
You aren’t going to believe this, but with three losses in four games since the All-Star break, the Rangers have fallen back to the .500 mark. A huge four-game series against the Mariners awaits beginning this Friday.
Last week: 16
Finally, some signs of life from Cal Raleigh. “The Big Dumper” launched a grand slam and knocked in five runs in Monday’s shutout victory over the Reds. After a historic 2025 campaign, Raleigh is slashing just .163/.266/.307 through 69 games. If he can rediscover some semblance of even league-average production, the Mariners will be strongly-positioned to win the AL West.
Last week: 21
The Orioles saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end on Monday and they also lost Adley Rutschman once again, this time due to left wrist inflammation.
Last week: 19
Your leader in RBI since the All-Star break? Andres Chapparo, of course. He clubbed two homers and drove in eight on Friday against the A’s in Sacramento before launching a two-run shot in Coors Field on Monday. Talk about a great roadtrip. For the hitters, anyway.
Last week: 15
The Padres have lost 14 out of 20 and it’s increasingly likely they find themselves more in the category of sellers by August 3. Who knows if Mason Miller really is a candidate to be moved, but Ty France is another name to watch on this roster. Including his two-homer game in the Padres’ 19-2 walloping of the Royals on Sunday, he’s put up an .887 OPS through 74 games this season.
Last week: 17
Connected in trade rumors, Joe Ryan tied a major league record by giving up six home runs on Monday against the Guardians. He came into the start with a 1.93 ERA over his last five starts.
Last week: 23
The Tigers have won 10 out of their last 14 games, but still find themselves six games under .500. However, in the American League in 2026, that means you’re still alive. They are 4.5 games out of a Wild Card spot, though they’ll have to leap five teams in order to get there. Odds are any decision on Tarik Skubal (and others) will likely come down to the last minute.
Last week: 22
There are plenty of reasons why things have gone wrong for the Blue Jays this year, but this one stat really puts things in perspective: It’s almost August and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has yet to hit a home run at Rogers Centre this season.
Last week: 20
The Astros have collapsed this month, but you can’t blame Yordan Alvarez. He blasted two more homers on Monday and continues to position himself for the first Triple Crown since Miguel Cabrera in 2012.
Last week: 24
The Reds probably aren’t a realistic contender at this point, but they did well to lock up their young ace Chase Burns with a seven-year, $105 million extension. However, we nearly had a “Curb Your Enthusiasm” situation with the contract signing.
Chase Burns’ contract signing was held up a little bit this morning when Reds GM Brad Meador spilled coffee on it and they had to print a new one
— C. Trent Rosecrans (@ctrent) July 18, 2026
**new contract is printed**
“Ehhhh…you know what, I’m good. No contract.”
Last week: 25
In a season like this one, you have to accentuate the positives whenever possible. With the homer below, Bryce Eldridge became the first Giants player aged 21 or younger to reach 10-plus homers in a season since Jack Clark in 1977.
Bryce Eldridge hits his 10th homer of the season! pic.twitter.com/bi2EACNXen
— MLB (@MLB) July 19, 2026
Last week: 26
Tough time for the A’s, who have lost 11 out of their last 12 games. Even when something good happens, like Joshua Kuroda-Grauer’s first MLB homer on Monday, it’s followed by something like this.
As Joshua Kuroda-Grauer writhes on the ground, Bob Brenly drops this nugget:
— Jake García (@Jake_M_Garcia) July 21, 2026
"I don't mean to give much too much information here, but there's a lot of players in the Major Leagues now that do not wear protective cups. I can't understand it.
I wear a cup to watch games on TV." pic.twitter.com/uiV7CkXrZ6
Yikes. Get well soon, Joshua.
Last week: 27
What can the Mets realistically get for Freddy Peralta at this stage? The pending free agent was rocked in his return to Milwaukee on Monday and now holds a rough 5.01 ERA on the year. The most Mets thing to happen would be if he gets traded and returns to ace form down the stretch. You know it’s gonna happen.
Last week: 29
Most have mentioned Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo as the Royals’ most attractive trade candidates, but Lane Thomas is getting hot at the right time for KC. He’s hitting .333 with four homers and a 1.081 OPS this month.
Last week: 28
A little history for Hunter Goodman on Sunday against the Reds, as he became the first player in Rockies history to have a pair of three-homer games in the same season.
THREE HOMERS TODAY
— MLB (@MLB) July 19, 2026
30 ON THE SEASON FOR HUNTER GOODMAN! pic.twitter.com/KzUC83RMPp
Last week: 30
My Baseball Spy t-shirt has a lot of people wondering if I’m “The Baseball Spy.”
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NCAA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Suns fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Now that Summer League has come and gone, it’s time to zoom out and look at the bigger picture for the Phoenix Suns. The sights, sounds, and lights of Vegas are fading, and although we have three months until basketball matters again, it behooves us to enter our analytical minds and play out scenarios. Because that is what the summer is for, right?
At this point, the roster is essentially set. Phoenix has all 15 standard roster spots filled, along with its three two-way contracts, leaving very little mystery surrounding what this team will look like entering next season. Sure, there’s always a chance a trade materializes before training camp, but at this stage, that feels highly unlikely. The Suns appear to be who they’re going to be.
There is one important caveat, though. It won’t impact this season’s roster, but it could shape the franchise for years to come.
Both Miles Bridges and Dillon Brooks are eligible for contract extensions. The questions now become whether either player receives one, how much those extensions would be worth, and how long the organization is willing to commit.
When evaluating a potential Miles Bridges extension, the timeline matters because of when the Suns acquired him. If Phoenix chooses to extend Bridges before January 13, the maximum extension it can offer is three years. If the organization waits until after January 13, it becomes eligible to offer four years or more. That timing creates two very different paths for the front office to consider.
We’ve already explored what each of those extension structures could look like. If the Suns opted to go the four-year route, that would put Miles Bridges as the only player currently on the books for the 2030-31 season. The maximum the contract would be for is $143.2 million, or an annual average value of $35.8 million.
The question now isn’t what the contracts could be. It’s which path the Suns believe provides the most value, both for Bridges and for the organization’s long-term flexibility.
As for Dillon Brooks, the Suns can offer him a 4-year extension worth approximately $125 million. That’s the maximum. Do they opt to do that? Or do they offer a three-year extension?
While Brooks unquestionably helped change the culture in Phoenix, you have to wonder what that contract would look like by its final season in 2030–31. Will he still provide enough value to justify that level of investment? That’s the question the front office has to answer before committing to a deal of that length.
That’s what we’ll be exploring in this week’s Suns Reacts poll. Should the Suns extend one of these players? Both of them? Or neither?
Jorge Montanez