Worldwide Sports News

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Houston Astros (49-54) will go for a sweep of the Miami Marlins (52-50) tonight in the finale of their three-game series at Daikin Park in Houston, TX.

RHP Peter Lambert (8-5, 3.03 ERA), who’s posted a 1.02 ERA (2ER/17.2IP) in his three starts this month, will get the start for the Astros tonight opposite RHP Sandy Alcantara (10-5, 3.89 ERA) and the Marlins.

RIDING THE LAMBO: Tonight’s Astros starter RHP Peter Lambert leads the Astros in wins and among AL pitchers he ranks second in opponent average (.197) and sixth in ERA (3.03) (min. 90IP). Lambert pitched last year for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in the NPB, posting a 3.98 ERA (55ER/124.1IP) with 111 strikeouts in 23 starts.

MOVING UP THE LIST:Manager Joe Espada has 224 managerial wins as the Astros skipper, which ties him with Terry Collins (224 wins) for 10th all-time in managerial wins in club history. The two immediately trail Hal Lanier (254 wins) for ninth on that all-time list.

GET ‘EM EARLY: The Astros rank first in the AL and second in the Majors in 1st-inning runs (68). Overall, the Astros rank 11th in the Majors in runs (468), two spots ahead of the Marlins (455), who rank 13th.

ON THE DEFENSIVE: The Astros rank second in the AL in fielding percentage (.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 98 games played at 1B. Dating back to last season, Walker has not made an error in his last 126 games at 1B (last error was Aug. 23, 2025 at BAL).

TODAY’S TRADE: Earlier today, the Astros acquired RHP Max Martin from the Royals in exchange for the recently DFA’d RHP Nate Pearson. Martin, 22, owns a 6-2 record with a 2.01 ERA (9ER/40.1IP) in 26 relief appearances across two levels of Class A ball in the Royals organization this season.

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 (.326), HR (33), and RBI (75). He currently leads all of baseball in OPS (1.081), OBP (.432), SLG (.649), and total bases (239), and in the AL, he ranks first in hits (120), first in XBH (53), tied for second in runs (68), and fourth in walks (66).

LEVELED UP: DH Yordan Alvarez is playing on another level, as he’s riding an eight-game hitting streak in which six of those eight games have been multi-hit games. He’s batting .517 (15×29) with six runs scored, four doubles, four homers, eight RBI, seven walks and a 1.680 OPS during the streak.

HIT PAREDES: Since June 3, 3B Isaac Paredes is batting .297 (44×148) with 20 runs scored, eight doubles, one triple, seven homers, 29 RBI, 18 walks and an .893 OPS in 40 games. He enters tonight with an active 15-game on-base streak and an active seven-game hitting streak.

TAP FOR SUCCESS: Astros hitters have won an MLB-best 72 ABS challenges and lead the Majors in challenge success rate (60%). 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 11 saves (in 11 chances), has a 1.47 ERA (3ER/18.1IP), 29 strikeouts in 18.1 innings, a .154 (10×65) opponent average, and a 0.98 WHIP in 20 appearances. He has not allowed a hit in 14 of his 20 appearances.

DOWN ON THE FARM: The Triple A Sugar Land Space Cowboys picked up a 3-2 win in 10 innings last night on a walk-off single by 1B Cavan Biggio, who’s hitting .300 (12×40) with a 1.107 OPS in 13 games this month. Down at Class A Fayetteville, the Woodpeckers earned a rain-shortened 7-0 win thanks in part to top prospect CF Kevin Alvarez, who hit his eighth homer of the season.

ASTROS SIGN TOP TWO PICKS: The Astros have officially signed both of their first-round picks from the 2026 MLB Draft: OF Logan Hughes (17th overall) from Texas Tech and RHP Jack Radel (28th overall) from Notre Dame.

TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 1986 – The Astros allow just one hit in a 1-0 walk-off win vs. the Expos in the Astrodome. This marks the only one-hit, extra-inning shutout in franchise history. A solo homer in the bottom of the 10th by 1B Glenn Davis is the difference. RHP Nolan Ryan throws 9.1 innings in the start, tallying 14 strikeouts, while allowing that one hit. RHP Dave Smith earns the win for the Astros in relief.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Wednesday, July 22, 7:10 p.m. CT

Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX

TV: SCHN, SCHN2

Radio: KTRH 740 AM; KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

Let's do it.

⚾️: 7:10 PM
🏟️: Closed
📺: @SpaceCityHN & SCHN2
🎙️: @SportsTalk790 & 740 AM | Spanish: 102.9 HD2#ChaseTheFight x @reliantenergypic.twitter.com/qFXdDmnQxa

— Houston Astros (@astros) July 22, 2026

One more on the road.

📺: https://t.co/pMAEOPHNJ8
👂: @MarlinsRadio, @radiomambi710, @1043wqam
⏰: 8:10 PM ET#FightinFishpic.twitter.com/AB7cYvV8Ou

— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) July 22, 2026

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Giants fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

These days, it’s all the rage in the Majors to extend young, budding stars. Even with the impeding lockout and revised CBA, teams are still doing it, such as the recent news of the Cincinnati Reds locking up 23-year old pitcher Chase Burns for seven years and $105 million.

The deals make sense for both sides, by buying out the player’s arbitration years and a year or two (or occasionally more of free agency). For the player, they get guaranteed generational wealth, even if their performance slips or they suffer a catastrophic injury. For the team, they get to extend team control for a price that will likely end up being a discount, and usually won’t break the bank if the player underperforms.

Needless to say, the San Francisco Giants have a prime candidate for such an extension, in the form of first baseman/designated hitter Bryce Eldridge, who casually has a .265/.358/.469 line in his age-21 season, while showing mammoth power. That said, the Giants have not historically been an organization to make this type of move. So … will that change this year?

Chicago White Sox @ Texas Rangers

Wednesday, July 22, 2026, 7:05 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)

The Shed

LHP Anthony Kay vs. LHP Tyler Alexander (followed by RHP Cal Quantrill as the bulk hurler perhaps)

Go Rangers!

The third stop on the Dodgers’ long road trip comes on Friday with a series opener against the New York Mets at Citi Field in Queens.

Roki Sasaki starts for the Dodgers, while left-hander Sean Manaea on the mound for New York.

These two teams met back in April at Dodger Stadium, and the Dodgers swept the three-game set.

Friday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Mets
• Ballpark: Citi Field, Queens
• Start time: 4:10 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

After taking an old-fashioned Texas whoopin’ on Tuesday night, the White Sox will try to bounce back this evening and secure their 18th series win of the season. Even with last night’s 10-0 drubbing, Chicago still enters play in the thick of the AL Central race, though the Guardians’ win over the Twins means the Good Guys now find themselves tied for first place with roughly two-thirds of the season in the books. Tonight presents an opportunity to quickly erase the memory of yesterday’s blowout and regain sole possession of the division lead.

---

Anthony Kay gets the ball for the South Siders, carrying a 6-4 record, a 4.24 ERA, and a 1.37 WHIP. Kay’s Baseball Savant profile suggests his raw arsenal is better than his overall results, but he’ll need to execute against a Rangers lineup that piled up 18 hits just 24 hours ago. The lefthander averages 95.5 mph on his fastball, placing him in the 69th percentile, and generates an above-average chase rate while producing a respectable number of ground balls. His path to success is fairly straightforward: pound the strike zone early, use his changeup to neutralize Texas’ right-handed hitters, expand the zone once he’s ahead in the count, and, most importantly, avoid the crooked inning. If Kay consistently falls behind hitters, a Rangers offense swinging the bat with confidence could make him pay.

Here’s how Skip Schumaker’s club will line up against Kay:

The Rangers will counter with an opener, as former White Sox old friend lefthander Tyler Alexander gets the starting assignment. Signed as a free agent during the offseason, Alexander is making his fourth opening assignment of the year. The veteran has quietly been effective, posting a 1-1 record with a 2.79 ERA and 1.31 WHIP across 44 appearances and 42 innings, though opponents are still hitting .270 against him. With Chicago sending out another left-handed heavy lineup, it’s no surprise Texas is looking to gain an early platoon advantage.

The bulk of the innings are expected to belong to righthander Cal Quantrill, who enters at 3-2 with a 3.93 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. Quantrill doesn’t overpower hitters, relying instead on limiting walks, mixing his pitches, and inducing manageable contact. His 5th-percentile strikeout rate means the White Sox should have plenty of opportunities to put balls in play. The key will be staying disciplined, refusing to chase his offspeed offerings early in counts, and capitalizing when he leaves pitches over the heart of the plate. If Chicago strings together quality at-bats, this is a matchup that should produce scoring opportunities.

Miguel Vargas continues to be Chicago’s hottest regular since the All-Star break, slashing .286/.318/.476 with a .794 OPS over his last five games. Colson Montgomery has been just as productive, hitting .267/.353/.533 with an .886 OPS during that same stretch, returning to the lineup tonight after getting Tuesday off to rest the shin contusion he suffered on Monday. Edgar Quero is also back and behind the plate after being recalled from Charlotte to replace the injured Kyle Teel.

Will Venable sends them out like this:

First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CDT from Globe Life Field. The game will air on CHSN and can be heard on ESPN Chicago 1000.

Probable pitchers: RHP Kyle Bradish (6-9, 3.61 ERA, 106 Ks) vs. LHP Eduardo Rivera (0-0, 2.89 ERA, 9 Ks

Where to watch: MASN/MASN+

The first two games in Boston have been a kick in the teeth for an Orioles team (and fanbase) that came into Beantown riding high. A seven-game win streak and a spot two games back of a Wild Card berth has turned into a two-game losing streak and a four-game gap between the O’s and the playoffs.

In Game 3 of the series and Game 2 of today’s doubleheader, the Orioles will look to finish the job after coming up just short in Monday’s series opener and today’s Game 1. Monday felt as much like a playoff game as any Orioles game since 2024, with the O’s and Sawx trading leads back-and-forth and Tyler O’Neill coming inches away from tying the game in the top of the 9th. Today’s earlier loss was once where the O’s dug themselves an early hole and, despite outhitting the Red Sox 11-9, the Baltimore bats couldn’t complete a comeback against the Boston bullpen.

Tonight’s matchup marks not only the chance to salvage an important game against a division/playoff spot rival, but the first start for Kyle Bradish since signing his record extension. The $90M man faced Boston once previously this season, finishing with a line of 5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 4 BB and 3 Ks in a 5-3 loss to the Red Sox in Camden Yards.

Bradish has been a significantly less effective pitcher away from Baltimore this season, posting a 4.06 ERA on the road compared to 3.20 in Camden Yards. The 29-year-old has also struggled historically at Fenway, surrendering a 13.50 ERA and a .304 batting average against in three starts at the American League’s oldest park. He was more successful in his last visit to Boston, tossing six innings of two-run ball with nine strikeouts—though that came back in 2023. Bradish will hope to get the better of the Red Sox’ All-Star Willson Contreras, who comes into the matchup 2-for-4 with two homers off the Orioles’ righty.

Opposing Bradish is rookie left-hander Eduardo Rivera. The towering 23-year-old out of Puerto Rico is making his fourth career start and is coming off his first rough outing, having allowed three runs over 2.1 innings last time out vs. Tampa. Rivera hasn’t lasted long in any of his previous appearances, averaging just over three innings per start and never pitching into the 5th inning.

The O’s can hopefully show a patient approach, drive up Rivera’s pitch count and get him out of the game early. Baltimore comes into the matchup 25th in team OPS vs. left-hander starters, and will be without Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basall0—both of whom have hit left-handers well.

Orioles lineup

1. Taylor Ward (R) LF
2. Pete Alonso (R) 1B
3. Gunnar Henderson (L) SS
4. Tyler O’Neill (R) RF
5. Christian Encarnacion Strand (R) 3B
6. Dylan Beavers (L) CF
7. Johnathan Rodríguez (R) DH
8. Jackson Holliday (L) 2B
9. Chadwick Tromp (R) C

Red Sox lineup

1. Anthony Seigler (S) 2B
2. Ceddane Rafaela (R) CF
3. Wilyer Abreu (L) RF
4. Willson Contreras (R) 1B
5. Masataka Yoshida (L) DH
6. Caleb Durbin (R) 3B
7. Jaren Durran (L) LF
8. Andruw Monasterio (R) SS
9. Carlos Narváez (R) C

Game Summary

The Cardinals muster but three hits all game, but one of them was a well-timed solo HR by JJ Wetherholt. Meanwhile, Hunter Dobbins and a trio of relievers combined to throw a much-needed shutout. Riley O’Brien gets his 26th save after striking out the side in the ninth, albeit with a couple walks to add a little drama.

With the win, the Cardinals break a four-game losing streak and climb back to 3 games over the .500 mark.

Pre-game notes

• Detmers (LH) for the Angels. Dobbins with the spot start for the Cardinals, allowing the other starters an extra day after a tough road trip and a long stretch with no off days.
• Fermin in CF. Velazquez in LF. Crooks at C. Jordan at 3B. I’m thinking there is a story there.
• Unsurprisingly, Blewett was designated for assignment overnight. Dobbins gets his 26-man spot. 40-man roster has an opening. For now.
• Bullpen availability should be ok for today. They will be down one arm, but he would have likely been unavailable today anyway. Everyone else likely good to go, they might want to avoid Gastelum because of prior use, but I doubt he is hands off.
• The Cardinals rarely hit well on daytime, getaway games.

The first innings

Detmers and Dobbins both come out sharp in the early going. Of course, neither of these line-ups will remind us of Killer’s Row. Dobbins works around a few singles but avoids making things worse by throwing strikes and no free passes. Detmers seemed a little sharper in that he avoided traffic a bit better, but the first 3 innings ended up scoreless.

The middle innings

In the fourth, the Cardinals got to Detmers a bit with two walks, but a GIDP upended that. K’s and GIDP really seem to pile up when you are offensively struggling, don’t they? On the Cardinal side, they finally break through in the 6th with a solo HR by Wetherholt (only their third hit). Once done, the other Jose Fermin relieved Detmers.

Meanwhile, Dobbins just cruised through six innings of shutout ball, giving up six hits, striking out 5 batters and, notably, no walks. 86 pitches. A very nice start.

The decisive and satisfying end

As we rolled into the late innings, the parade of relievers took over and the Cardinals nursing a 1-0 lead. No worries, right? On the Angels side, their outstanding bullpen throttled the Cardinals for the third consecutive game. Oh, wait, the Angels bullpen isn’t that good? Hmmm…

Luis Gastelum got the seventh inning and fared well with 1 K and no runs. Soriano got the eighth inning against the top of the Angel line-up. A quick K and a pop out created some positive momentum for the beleaguered bullpen, and a 3-1 putout avoided any suspense.

Post-Game Notes

• Check out Today on the Farm – Wednesday 7.22 for updates on MiLB action.
• The Cardinals return home to a one-game “series” to make-up a prior rain-out against the D-backs, then followed by the Reds and Cubs.
• During the homestand the team will cross the 2/3rd mark of the season.

Go Rays!

Game three of four. The Braves haven’t won a home series against the Padres since 2018, and it doesn’t look too promising here, either. But, you never know!

This is game 102. Which is good, because a 60 game win streak might just get them into the playoffs.

There are a couple of roster moves:

• Lazaro Estrada was sent back to Buffalo.
• Jonatan Clase was put on the IL with plantar fasciitis, which isn’t fun, trust me.
• Yohendrick Pinango is back.
• And CJ Van Eyk is also back.

Kevin Gausman can block any trade to the Reds, Brewers, Tigers, Mets, A’s, White Sox, Pirates, and Mariners. I don’t know if that will cause a problem trading him.

Line ups:

Please score some.

Shohei Ohtani wrapped up long toss in the Citizens Bank Park outfield Wednesday afternoon, turned and headed for the two-story bullpen stairs.

Ohtani had initially been scheduled to take the mound for the Dodgers Wednesday against the Phillies. But, with the date of his next pitching start up in the air, his bullpen session still drew a lot of eyes.

Ohtani threw off a mound Wednesday for the first time since receiving an Orthovisc injection in his left knee to lubricate the joint. The side session of about 30 pitches, running through multiple pitch types, was similar to a normal between-starts bullpen, pitching coach Mark Prior said.

“It looked good,” Prior said. “Feels good. We’ll see where he’s at tomorrow.”

Read more:Dodgers beat Phillies, manage Justin Wrobleski with long postseason run in mind

Asked if Ohtani said his knee was feeling 100%, Prior said they didn’t get into specifics.

“Just said, ‘How did you feel throwing?’ He said it felt great,” Prior said.

Ohtani, who was in the lineup Wednesday as the designated hitter, was not made available to comment before the game.

It’s still unclear when Ohtani will pick up pitching duties again. But manager Dave Roberts ruled out Ohtani starting on the mound this weekend against the Mets.

“It’s day by day with him,” Prior said. “We’re present today. He threw a bullpen, see where he comes in … Friday, since we’re off [Thursday]. We’ll make determinations after that.”

This bullpen session was a chance for Ohtani to test his knee, which before the injection seemed to be aggravated by pitching.

Read more:Dodgers beat Phillies, manage Justin Wrobleski with long postseason run in mind

“It’s a big sign,” Roberts said. “Because the grass, the flat ground, all of that stuff is well and good, the arm is fine. So it’s more of getting down the slope, throwing over your front side. That’s kind of the big test. Usually the bullpens are right around 88 (mph), so we’ll see where he’s at.”

Ohtani has already been out long enough that the Dodgers will have to be mindful of his workload whenever he rejoins the rotation. His last start on the mound was July 3 against the Padres.

“I still think it hasn’t been so long that the equity that he’s built up with the pitch count is that much compromised,” Roberts said. “But with that, I can’t foresee him running out there and throwing 100 pitches his first outing.”

If he’s sidelined for too long, he could have to gradually build up with each start. But it’s hard to pinpoint where that delineation lies.

“I think the easy answer is to say every pitcher is different,” Roberts said.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Yankees came oh-so-close to completing another late comeback, only to stall out after Ben Rice’s game-tying three-run homer and eventually lose in extras. They still have a chance to split the doubleheader and win the series as they take the field less than three hours after the final out of Game 1, and they’ll do so as Max Fried makes his long-awaited return from injury.

Max Fried last pitched on May 13th against the Orioles, and had to depart after three innings with noticeably lowered velocity on all his pitches. It was later revealed that he had suffered a bone bruise in his left elbow and was shut down for over a month. He made just one rehab assignment start last Friday for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, allowing two runs on three hits with three strikeouts and no walks on 52 pitches. Rather than make a final rehab start, the doubleheader convinced the Yankees to activate Fried off the IL to start the nightcap, where he will be on a pitch count of around 60. At the time of his injury, Fried was 4-3 in ten starts, with a 3.21 ERA (132 ERA+), 2.71 FIP, and 50 strikeouts in 61.2 innings.

Fried will face off against Pirates rookie Bubba Chandler. The 23-year-old righty isn’t very subtle, mainly trying to blow you away with a four-seamer that averages 99 mph. He backs up that heater with a slider and a changeup. Expect the Yankees to have a patient approach against the pitcher with the highest walk rate (13.1-percent) of any starter in baseball. In 18 starts, Chandler is 3-8 with a 4.77 ERA (92 ERA+), 4.59 FIP, and 85 strikeouts in 94.1 innings.

The Yankees make three changes to the line from the day game. Anthony Volpe replaces José Caballero at shortstop which should ease tensions with this umpiring crew after the incident involving his pitch clock manipulation earlier today. Paul Goldschmidt gets the start at first moving Ben Rice to DH and Spencer Jones to the bench. Ali Sánchez replaces Austin Wells behind the plate.

The Pirates also make three changes to their lineup with the lefty Fried on the mound. Marcell Ozuna comes in to DH, moving Ryan O’Hearn to first and Tyler Callihan to the bench. Jared Triolo replaces Jacob Gonzalez at shortstop despite the latter homering off Gerrit Cole while Baby Bomber alum Rafael Flores Jr. subs in for Henry Davis at catcher.

How to watch

Location: Yankee Stadium – Bronx, NY

First pitch: 7:05 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES, SportsNet Pittsburgh

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | YES, SportsNet Pittsburgh (PIT)

Streaming: Gotham Sports App, MLB.tv (out-of-market only)

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

Series finale up next. #RepBXpic.twitter.com/asIFLduQLZ

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 22, 2026

103/162. Game 2️⃣ of doubleheader.

📺: @SNPittsburgh
📻: @937TheFanpic.twitter.com/PjpRBixNU6

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 22, 2026