Athletics starting pitcher Jack Perkins will take the mound tonight at Chase Field in Arizona. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Game two of the three-game series between the Athletics and the Arizona Diamondbacks will take place tonight at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. The A’s took the opener last night 5-2 behind Joshua Kuroda-Grauer’s first MLB homer and a 4-5 night by Tommy White.
Taking the mound tonight for the Athletics is 26-year-old righty Jack Perkins. Perkins is 2-5 with a 6.87 ERA this season with seventy-two strikeouts in 57.2 innings. He’ll go up against 26-year-old righthanded rookie Kohl Drake who is making his major league debut tonight. He was called up today from the D-backs AAA affiliate Reno Aces.
Drake will face off against this lineup for Mark Kotsay’s A’s:
The Chicago Blackhawks community is waiting on the decision made by Patrick Kane. The report is that he is deciding between the Blackhawks, where he became one of the greatest players of all time, and the Buffalo Sabres, his hometown team.
On Tuesday, Chicago General Manager Kyle Davidson went on the show OverDrive, presented by TSN 1050 Radio, and added some fuel to the rumors by chiming in on the situation.
"We'll await his decision....but he knows our door is always open." 👀
"Patrick is someone that our organization, myself, have had a relationship for a long time," Davidson said. "I don't necessarily think it's right for me to comment on the process he's going to be running this offseason. A guy like Kaner has done pretty much everything there is to do in our game. He's inspired every young player playing hockey today with what he's accomplished, and he's earned the right to take his time and make a decision. We see him very often. He trains at our practice facility in the offseason. We'll await his decision, but he knows our door is always open. He's a Blackhawk at heart for life, even if he's not wearing our jersey. We've got a great deal of reverence, respect, and love for Patrick Kane, so we'll leave him to that decision, and we'll see where he ends up when that day comes."
It is all but confirmed now that Kane is actually considering a return to the Chicago Blackhawks. At 37, he isn't coming back to win any scoring titles or Hart Trophies, but he can be an above-average offensive contributor on a young team.
The leadership that Kane could provide, in addition to his overall skill set, would be perfect in a mentorship role. As Davidson said, he has done everything that a player can in the NHL, and now he can cement his legacy by returning to the team that he started it all with, if he so chooses.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive, and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting on the article below on THN.com or by creating your own post in our community forum.
Athletics rookie infielder Joshua Kuroda-Grauer was placed on the 10-day injured list following surgery for a ruptured testicle, the club announced Tuesday, July 21.
Kuroda-Grauer was hurt in the Athletics' 5-2 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix on Monday, July 20. He fouled off a pitch in the fifth inning that took an unfortunate ricochet.
The impact took him out as he laid at the plate for a few moments before rising back up to send a line drive to right-center for a base hit.
Kuroda-Grauer didn't finish the game, as he was replaced defensively at third base by Donovan Walton in the bottom of the seventh inning. He finished the game with a batting line of 2-for-3, which included his first-career home run and pushed his batting average to .417.
Kuroda-Grauer underwent emergency surgery to repair a ruptured testicle Monday night at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix and is resting comfortably, the club said.
Kuroda-Grauer made his major-league debut on June 29 in a 9-4 loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers in which he registered three hits. He was just getting warmed up in the big leagues with eight multiple hit games in 16 games before the injury.
WATCH: Joshua Kuroda-Grauer take impact to testicles, before single
Joshua Kuroda-Grauer has undergone surgery for a ruptured testicle after this moment last night. Somehow he still singled right after.
CINCINNATI, OH - JULY 27: Luis Castillo #58 of the Cincinnati Reds reacts after closing out the seventh inning of the game against the Miami Marlins at Great American Ball Park on July 27, 2022 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati defeated Miami 5-3. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
I am not sure if the Baseball Gods put their heads together and orchestrated tonight’s matchup and lineups between the Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners, but there sure seem to be some stars aligning in making it happen.
Luis Castillo, former ace and All Star for the Reds, will start against the club that traded him to Seattle back in 2022. Noelvi Marte and Edwin Arroyo – the two headliners that returned to Cincinnati on the other half of that deal – are both in the lineup to face him, with Spencer Steer getting a break after a conveniently timed bean-ball to the ribs last night.
Facing Castillo will be the burgeoning new ace of the Reds in Chase Burns, who’s doing everything he can to show the world he’s the next great right-handed fireballer on the club. Burns is fresh off signing a $105 million contract extension with the Reds that (service time qualifiers and time value of money aside) looks akin to the $108 million outlay Castillo scored from Seattle after the Reds found themselves unwilling to commit to that era of slightly more than mediocre baseball from their team’s recent history.
There’s a lot of overlapping history between these two clubs, including each’s own foibles when it comes to actually making pushes deep into the playoffs in the era of cable television. Shit, we’ve already passed the era of cable television into the streaming age, and both are still in search of any sort of relevance in terms of pennants and banners with their current situations still very much not there yet.
The Mariners, of course, are still in a much, much better spot than the Reds, who just gave them last night’s game in epic-fail fashion and are sure sellers at the trade deadline in two weeks. So, I can’t even point to Burns tonight and claim he can help save the season anymore since this season is as dead as Jimmy Hoffa.
Anyway, first pitch is set for 9:40 PM ET if you’re willing to stay up for that. Here’s how both clubs will line up to begin things:
DENVER, COLORADO - JULY 20: Luis García Jr. #2 of the Washington Nationals congratulates Daylen Lile #4 after Lile hit a ninth inning RBI triple against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on July 20, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After getting back over .500 last night, the Nats will look to take another series, this time in Colorado. Just based on the pitching matchup and where this game is being played, this game has the potential to be a shootout. This Nats offense is hungry to get this team back into a playoff spot.
With a righty on the mound, there will be a couple changes. Jose Tena will hit third and DH. Luis Garcia Jr. moves up to his customary 2 spot in the lineup. Dylan Crews gets the day off with Daylen Lile, Jacob Young and James Wood roaming the outfield. Keibert Ruiz is also back behind the plate. Former Rockie Carson Palmquist will open for Miles Mikolas.
The Rockies are bringing in a couple left handed heavy hitters. Mickey Moniak and Troy Johnston will join the lineup after not being in there last night. Those two have been very productive this season. After DH’ing last night, Hunter Goodman will be behind the plate. He will be catching Michael Lorenzen, who infamously no-hit the Nationals back in 2023.
These first two series out of the break are about taking care of business. On paper, these are teams the Nationals should be beating. However, the game is played on the field, and the Rockies have been plucky this season. Hopefully the Nats can secure the series win tonight. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
Rob Pelinka, President of basketball operations and general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers, attends the FIBA EuroBasket match between Slovenia and Poland in Katowice, Poland, on August 28, 2025. This is a European Basketball Championship game, group phase, Group D competition at Spodek Arena. (Photo by Marcin Golba/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Lakers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
The Lakers’ front office set up the roster to maximize optionality this summer, and they certainly took advantage of it.
The majority of last year’s rotation is gone, replaced by new pieces in Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton and Sandro Mamukelashvili. The biggest addition, however, is Walker Kessler. He provides the Lakers with a top-tier frontcourt player for the first time during the Luka Dončić era. Also, re-signing Austin Reaves was critical, and LA got a deal done.
So, for our SB Nation Reacts survey this week, we ask fans if the moves President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka made this summer changed their opinion of him.
The Lakers roster has had such dramatic changes that no one truly knows how this collection of players will perform.
This time of year is all about educated guesses and a general feeling on how things look before games are played. If you liked the summer the Lakers have had and are surprised they were able to transition from LeBron James so well, then selecting that your viewpoint has improved on Pelinka is the best option for you.
Many Lakers fans were skeptical about this summer, but the Lakers got younger, kept their No.2 option and now have an elite center. They addressed their most important need and are reportedly looking to add another big.
If they can make some more moves, they could improve even more, and they’ve already done a lot this summer.
The neutral selection is an interesting option. Perhaps you are already high on Pelinka and expected this type of offseason. Or, you are low on him and are unmoved by these changes. It’ll be fascinating to see how many people select unchanged in this poll.
If you are down on the offseason moves and see losing LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Luke Kennard and still lacking a starting power forward as bad, then your opinion on Pelinka has likely worsened.
With so many players locked up, getting significantly better will be harder for the Lakers. It will require trades, and with little draft capital left, that’s going to be a challenge.
Pelinka is always a topic of conversation, and it seems that Lakers fans pivot their opinions of him rather drastically.
Now that most of the activity for the summer is over, let us know what you think about Pelinka by voting on the poll above and commenting below.
Jul 20, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler (13) heads to the dugout after he hits a solo home run during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images
Detroit Tigers (47-52) vs. Chicago Cubs (56-44)
Time/Place: 8:05 p.m., Wrigley Field SB Nation Site:Bleed Cubbie Blue Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: LHP Framber Valdez (5-6, 4.10 ERA) vs. RHP Ethan Roberts (0-2, 4.21 ERA)
An awkward moment was captured on video between Spurs star Victor Wembanyama and a young Knicks fan at Fanatics Fest.
Wembanyama, 22, walked past a group of fans during the weekend event, and one young person called out, “Wemby! Wemby! Sign my jersey! Sign my jersey please!…Wemby…will you sign my jersey?”
It sounds like a normal request, but there was a catch.
The fan was holding out a Jalen Brunson Knicks jersey.
Kid: “Wemby! Wemby! Sign my jersey! Sign my jersey please!…Wemby…will you sign my jersey?”
Victor Wembanyama attends the Men in Blazers panel at Fanatics Fest NYC 2026 at Jacob Javits Center on July 18, 2026 in New York City. Getty Images for Fanatics
Wembanyama, smiling and laughing, replied, “That’s not…That’s Jalen Brunson,” declining to sign the jersey. The young fan said sorry after the exchange.
Wembanyama was one of many NBA stars present at Fanatics Fest at the Javits Center in New York. In his second outing to the annual festivities, he became the first participant to go 5-for-5 in the 3-point challenge, and he also made a guest appearance on a soccer podcast where he discussed his Paris Saint-Germain fandom and admiration of international stars Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.
His Spurs ultimately fell in five games to the Knicks in their pursuit of the 2026 NBA championship, and local fans at Fanatics Fest clearly didn’t forget.
The New York crowd, which declared Wembanyama one of the newest New York villains during the NBA Finals, playfully booed him.
Victor Wembanyama attends the Fanatics Fest NYC 2026 at Jacob Javits Center on July 18, 2026 in New York City. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Fanatics
Wembanyama was a frequent source of stress for Knicks fans during the series, being at the center of calls — and controversial non-calls.
Brunson was also present at Fanatics Fest, alongside several Knicks teammates including Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges and Miles McBride.
Alongside many of the championship Knicks, other NBA stars such as Kevin Durant, James Harden and Anthony Edwards made the trip to New York for the popular event.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 05: Max Fried #54 of the New York Yankees throws a live bullpen session before a game against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium on July 05, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The rainout of Tuesday’s game against the Pirates and subsequent rescheduling to a day-night doubleheader on Wednesday brought forward some earlier-than-expected news. The Yankees have announced that they will activate Max Fried from the IL and that the southpaw starter will start the second game of the twin bill, with Gerrit Cole starting the matinee.
Fried has been sidelined since mid-May with a bone bruise in his left elbow that thankfully did not require surgical intervention. He was forced to depart his May 13th start against the Orioles after just three innings with noticeably lowered velocity on all his pitches, and subsequent imaging revealed the bone bruise. Fried was one of their best starters at the time of his injury, with a 4-3 record in ten starts, 3.21 ERA (132 ERA+), 2.71 FIP, and 50 strikeouts in 61.2 innings.
Fried checked all the boxes in what was an understandably deliberate and cautious rehab process. He made his lone rehab assignment appearance with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders last Friday, allowing two runs on three hits with three strikeouts and no walks on 52 pitches. The initial plan was for Fried to make one more rehab appearance of roughly 60 pitches before rejoining the big league team, but the Yankees scrapped those plans and moved up his activation off the IL with the doubleheader rearranging their rotation schedule.
Fried’s return comes at a crucial time with the team still weathering the absence of Carlos Rodón to left elbow inflammation. It will also be the first time that he and Cole will be active teammates — Cole spending the entirety of 2025 off the 40-man roster during his Tommy John rehab — and it’s an extra bonus that they will be pitching back-to-back on the same day.
Expect Fried to be on a similar pitch count to the 60 they were targeting for the scrapped rehab appearance, or perhaps a bit fewer given the higher-intensity environment of the big leagues. The alternatives were not great, as the Yankees just did an all-bullpen game on Sunday, and the prospect of Triple-A arms Elmer Rodríguez (already starting tonight for the RailRiders) or Brendan Beck against the second-best offense in baseball is not one they relished. So they will roll the dice on Fried with a pitch count. Regardless, it is welcome news for the Yankees to be getting one of their stars back.
Benny with the jets! Last night he had a bases clearing double in the fifth. | (Raymond Carlin III/Imagn Images)
The Chicago offense exploded in its 10-3 series-opening win on Monday, knocking veteran Jacob deGrom around for five runs in the process. Which means the White Sox pitching needs to be extra good today, since their bats will probably only scrape up a couple runs on somewhere between three and six hits, as that seems to be the trend in games following a double-digit beatdown like that. I’d prefer it if they proved me wrong, however, so that southpaw Noah Schultz can get some run support.
While the Good Guys still hold a one-game lead in the AL Central, last night’s game caused a scare after both Kyle Teel and Colson Montgomery exited the game early with an injury. Colson fouled a ball off his shin late in the game, but finished the plate appearance before Luisangel Acuña took over at shortstop. Colson’s injury didn’t appear to be serious, and he expressed to the media that he would likely be back in the lineup this week. Unfortunately for Kyle, however, as MLB’s Scott Merkin noted: “Teel was on crutches postgame and will almost certainly be moved to the injured list.” Sure enough, the Sox placed Teel on the IL today and called Edgar Quero back up from Triple-A Charlotte as a corresponding move.
Prior to tonight’s game at the Texas Rangers, the Chicago White Sox placed catcher Kyle Teel on the 10-day injured list with a left ankle sprain and recalled catcher Edgar Quero from Class AAA Charlotte.
In 15 games (61 at-bats) with the Knights, Quero is slashing .230/.299/.295 with a double, a homer, six RBIs, four walks, and 11 strikeouts. Edgar struggled for the first half with the South Siders, posting a .486 OPS and .187 batting average while also ranking as a poor defensive catcher with a 46% ABS challenge win percentage. He will still forever be the hero of the 2026 home series in the Crosstown Classic. With the trade deadline on the horizon, it’s clear that the Good Guys need some assistance with pitching if they are going to try to contend this season, but it’s possible we have a new need: a solid catcher that can (ideally) hit for power.
Noah Schultz is making his 12th start of the season and has posted a 5.60 ERA in 53 innings with a 1.358 WHIP. He’s shown flashes of frontline potential, but there have also been outings where his control issues have been more evident. Schultz’s 12.6% walk rate is in the bottom 11% among MLB pitchers, and though he has 47 Ks on the season, he’s not getting batters to chase or whiff much at his pitches. He is also only 22 years old in his rookie season, and while it would be incredible for him to be an elite pitcher right out of the gate, he’s also learning and adapting as he continues to face MLB hitters.
Outside of Colson Montgomery sitting out, we have a fairly typical lineup tonight with Sam Antonacci, Munetaka Murakami, and Miguel Vargas leading off at the top of the order. The Montgomerys are swapping in the lineup, as Braden moves into the cleanup spot, and with Teel out, Drew Romo will remain behind the plate tonight.
The South Siders will face righthander Kumar Rocker, looking to tee off and help Schultz early on. Rocker is making his 17th start of the season, and in 90 innings, he’s posted a 2-8 record with a 4.40 ERA and 1.367 WHIP. The righty can force a decent amount of ground balls to his advantage (45.1% GB%) and has great extension, but opponents own a .295 BABIP with a .430 slugging percentage, and it would be great if the Good Guys could take advantage of some of those weaknesses.
The top of Texas’ order has been productive all season, with each of the first three hitters carrying an OPS above .800, with second baseman Justin Foscue leading the team with an .871 OPS. Our forever White Sox friend, Jake Burger, is batting fifth and has the most home runs this season among the Rangers starters tonight with 17, and while we’ll always root for him, I’d rather him not hit his 18th tonight (sorry, Jake).
Tune into CHSN at 7:05 p.m. CDT as the South Siders look to jump on Texas early. You can also listen in on ESPN Chicago AM 1000. The Sox have a chance to lock up the series and make it three straight victories.
Jul 12, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen (24) throws a pitch San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Tonight, they will look to take Game 2 and even the series.
Starting for the Nationals is old friend Carson Palmquist. (Read his 2025 “Ranking the Rockies” here.) This will be his 16th appearance for the Nationals. During that time, the lefty reliever has 9.2 IP and a 6.52 ERA. He has struck out 12 and has a 1.45 WHIP.
Presumably, Palmquist will be acting as an opener for the Nationals.
Palmquist will be setting the table for Miles Mikolas. This will be his eighth career start and 10th appearance against the Colorado Rockies. He is 1-1 with a 7.91 ERA (34 ER/38.2 IP) with 25 strikeouts. Mikolas leads Major League Baseball with just 1.03 walks per 9.0 innings since May 22. He’s walked just six batters in 52.2 innings over this stretch, and his 3.67 strikeout-to-walk ratio (22 SO/6 BB) over this stretch is ranked ninth in the National League.
Taking the mound for the Rockies will be RHP Michael Lorenzen in what will be his 22nd start.
Currently, he has an ERA of 6.22 in 97.0 IP. He’s struck out 73 while giving up 38 walks and 14 home runs with a 1.77 WHIP.
Lorenzen has thrown at least five innings in six of his last seven starts (June 10), posting a 3.22 ERA (36.1 IP, 13 ER) with 16 walks and 25 strikeouts. He has the lowest ERA on the club (min. 15.0 IP) across that span.
The Major League Baseball Players Association, believing that MLB’s proposal to overhaul the draft is a poorly designed money-saving measure, instead introduced proposals Tuesday that they believe would invigorate the draft, including the right to trade draft picks for the first time in MLB history.
The union’s proposal, which would also move the draft from the All-Star break to June, would allow teams to trade any draft pick in the first 10 rounds until two hours before the start of the draft. Teams have previously been permitted to only trade competitive balance draft picks.
The union is basically seeking the status quo, with high school and junior college players to be immediately eligible for the draft, while MLB wants all amateurs to be ineligible until they turn 20. The union is also proposing that athletes at four-year universities be eligible for the draft after their sophomore season instead of waiting until after their junior year.
The union also wants to retain a 20-round draft instead of having it cut back to 12 rounds as MLB proposed last month, while maintaining a system where the signing bonus pools grow with industry revenues, which was $358.7 million last year. It also wants to include a provision that small-market teams could add $2 million to their draft bonus pools over five years, and receive an extra $1 million if they reach the postseason the previous year.
“Rejecting MLB's proposals that would demolish the current system by shrinking the draft, slashing benefits by hundreds of millions, and removing all players' right to negotiate, the MLBPA offered a framework that would maintain the economic structure of the Rule 4 draft, provide lower-revenue clubs enhanced access to amateur talent, and provide millions in benefits to such clubs that achieve succeed on the field," the union said in a statement.
The union wants to lessen the penalties for teams that surpass their allotted pools, allowing teams to surpass their pools by as much as 15% without losing a first round pick unless it exceeds it by more than 20%. The current CBA has a 75% overage tax and the loss of a first-round pick for teams that outspend their pool by more than 5%.
The union also is proposing that small-market teams would be eligible to sign up to two players before the third round to major-league contracts, with their slot values removed from their pool.
While MLB proposed an international draft last month, the union has yet to make its proposal for international amateurs. The union refused to include an international draft in the last collective bargaining agreement.
The current five-year CBA expires Dec. 1, and if no agreement is reached, MLB is expected to impose a lockout.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - JULY 18: Christian Walker #8 of the Houston Astros runs onto the field before the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Daikin Park on July 18, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images) | Getty Images
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Houston Astros (48-54) and Miami Marlins (52-49) will play the middle game of their three-game series tonight at Daikin Park in Houston, TX.
RHP Tatsuya Imai (5-4, 6.06 ERA) will get his first start of the second half and his first start in two weeks tonight opposite the Marlins and RHP Tyler Phillips (2-4, 3.48 ERA).
ABOUT IMAI: RHP Tatsuya Imai joined the Astros this offseason as a free agent signing out of Japan. He’s made 13 MLB starts this year, in which the Astros have gone 8-5, around a month-long IL stint (April 13-May 10).
He’s flashed brilliance at times, including four starts with eight-plus strikeouts, and 6.0 innings of no-hit ball in the Astros no-hitter on May 25 at TEX.
MOVING UP THE LIST: ManagerJoe Espada has 223 managerial wins as the Astros skipper, which ranks 11th in franchise history. With his next win, he will match Terry Collins (224 wins) for 10th on the Astros all-time managerial wins list.
GET ‘EM EARLY: The Astros rank first in the AL and second in the Majors in 1st-inning runs (67). Overall, the Astros rank 12th in the Majors in runs (463) immediately ahead of the Marlins (452).
THE LINEUP: The Astros have used 101 different lineups in their 102 games, repeating a lineup just once on the season. DH Yordan Alvarez has the most starts at any spot in the lineup among Astros, hitting second 89 times.
ON THE DEFENSIVE: The Astros rank second in the AL in fielding pct. (.988) and their 43 errors are the second-fewest in the AL. 1B Christian Walker has led the way, as he has not committed an error in his 97 games played at 1B. Dating back to last season, Walker has not made an error in his last 125 games at 1B (last error was Aug. 23, 2025 at BAL).
MVP-CALIBER: DH Yordan Alvarez is a strong AL MVP candidate as he enters tonight as the AL’s Triple Crown leader, ranking first in batting average (.324), HR (33), and RBI (75). He currently leads all of baseball in OPS (1.083), OBP (.432), SLG (.651), extra-base hits (53), and total bases (237), and in the AL, he ranks first in hits (118), third in runs (67), and fourth in walks (66).
CHASING BAGWELL: DH Yordan Alvarez has hit 33 homers in the Astros first 102 games, which ties as the second-most in that span in club history, trailing only 1B Jeff Bagwell, who homered 34 times through the club’s first 102 games in 1994. Alvarez is on pace to hit 52 homers on the season, which would represent a new franchise record, topping the 47 homers hit by Bagwell in 2000.
KEYSTONE FLIGHTS: 2B Jose Altuve has 246 career homers as a second baseman and per Elias that ties him with 2B Joe Gordon and 2B Ian Kinsler for eighth all-time in homers by a second baseman in MLB history. On that all-time list, the trio immediately trails 2B Bret Boone (251), who happens to be the father-in-law of IF Nick Allen.
TAP FOR SUCCESS: Astros hitters have won an MLB-best 72 ABS challenges and lead the Majors in challenge success rate (61%). 2B Jose Altuve has been successful on 15-of-23 challenges (65%), ranking third in the Majors in challenges won. 3B Isaac Paredes (11-for-12) has been the most efficient regular challenger for the team and was successful in his first 11 challenges this year.
WHAT A RELIEF: LHP Josh Hader is 3-1 with 10 saves (in 10 chances), has a 1.56 ERA (3ER/17.1IP), 28 strikeouts in 17.1 innings, a .148 (9×61) opponent average, and a 0.98 WHIP in 19 appearances. He has not allowed a hit in 14 of his 19 appearances.
VS THE MARLINS: The Astros and Marlins are playing their first series against each other since Aug. 4-6, 2025 in Miami, with the Astros winning two of three games. This is the Marlins first series in Houston since July 9-11, 2024, a three-game sweep for the Astros.
DOWN ON THE FARM: All three of the Astros minor league teams in action yesterday won, which includes the Astros FCL affiliate and their two Dominican Summer League teams. All three teams have had huge success this season, combining for a 78-37 record (.678), including a 39-11 record by the FCL Astros entering today.
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 2024 – DH Yordan Alvarez goes 4×4 with a double, triple, single and home run at Seattle to record his first career cycle and the 10th cycle in Astros franchise history.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Tuesday, July 21, 7:10 p.m. CT
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: SCHN
Radio: KTRH 740 AM; KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
The Yankees announced that southpaw Max Fried will bypass his next rehab start and return to the big league club on Wednesday. Fried will take the mound in the second game of New York's doubleheader against the Pirates.
Gerrit Cole will start Game 1.
Yankees manager Aaron Boonetold the Talkin' Yanks podcast on Tuesday that Fried was set to pitch at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday, but with the team in need of a pitcher with the doubleheader, plans changed.
Boone said that Fried would throw 60 pitches, so that's what fans should expect when the lefty takes the mound.
Fried landed on the injured list in mid-May with a left elbow bone bruise. Before the injury, he made 10 starts and pitched to a 3.21 ERA with 50 strikeouts across 61.2 innings.
In his lone rehab start in Triple-A on Friday, Fried allowed two runs on five hits with no walks and three strikeouts over 3.0 innings pitched. Fried tossed 52 pitches (32 strikes) with Scranton.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 11: Tyler Mahle #54 of the San Francisco Giants pitches at Oracle Park on July 11, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Andy Kuno/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants continue this three-game road series against the Kansas City Royals this afternoon.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Tyler Mahle, who enters today’s game with a 5.31 ERA, 4.46 FIP, with 73 strikeouts to 32 walks in 78 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 4-2 win over the Colorado Rockies on July 11th, in which he allowed one run on five hits with four strikeouts and three walks in seven innings.
He’ll be facing off against Royals right-hander Luinder Avila, who enters today’s game with a 5.08 ERA, 4.57 FIP, with 50 strikeouts to 34 walks in 56.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Royals’ 5-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on July 10th, in which he allowed three runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and three walks in five innings.
: milaxnyc) 
