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The Milwaukee Brewers might’ve only incurred some psychic damage in losing 2 out of 3 to one of the worst teams to ever wear “San Francisco” (they’re still 6 games up in the NL Central), but the Giants did expose how soft their rotation is after Jacob Misiorowski, which might compel them to go all in and acquire Tarik Skubal. The Padres have won five in a row and are now just 1.5 games out of a Wild Card, but from May 1st through six games ago, they were 31-42 and looked to be sellers. With the trade deadline set for Monday afternoon, could the Giants knock their division rivals back into disarray?

The Giants will likely be sellers all their own, but you can imagine them holding out through most of this series to get the best deal, by which time they might’ve already sent San Diego back to .500 by winning the first two games of this series. Or, this is the Padres’ time now and they’re just going to roll through the Bay Area with no problem.

This quick turnaround has been led by Ty France (211 wRC+ in last 12 games), Fernando Tatis Jr. (196), Jackson Merrill (195), and Luis Rengifo (190) — who I rather stupidly misread as having been traded from the Padres to the Brewers and not t’other way around. Manny Machado has also done well (164 wRC+) with 4 homers and a line of .306/.375/.592. Even Jake Cronenworth has come around (115). So, the Padres’ lineup has finally showed up this season rather than aged out.

Their pitching has held the line, too, which is remarkable considering what’s holding together the rotation. Their bullpen is absolutely dominant. Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon, Bradgley Rodriguez, and Wandy Peralta have all been exceptional and the corps leads the sport in value (+5.6 fWAR); but, after Michael King, they’ve got Walker Buehler, Randy Vasquez, Griffin Canning, and German Marquez in their rotation. It’s the #25 rotation in baseball (4.2 fWAR) with an ERA (4.66) that’s down around some non-playoff teams (the Royals — 4.51, Angels — 4.67, Athletics — 5.14, Astros — 5.17, and Rockies — 6.03). So, in theory, the Giants’ lineup should be able to feast a bit and hope to build up enough of a lead to outlast their own bullpen ahead of facing the Padres’ outs-getters.

These post-All-Star break Giants have been a little quiet. Willy Adames, Bryce Eldridge, and Rafael Devers have each hit 3 home runs, but only Adames has managed to produce above the league average (113). Their 58 runs scored is 8th-best in the sport, but… you know… they scored 16 runs yesterday. Have they really had the 8th-best lineup in the sport since the break? No.

But this is the part of the season where defying expectations can really pack a wallop. The Padres are feeling themselves right now, and splitting a 4-gamer or outright losing a series to a team that might not even be good against minor league teams might send a fragile team like San Diego spiraling. Or not. It’s baseball, after all. The Giants are somehow 3-3 against the Padres so far this season, but San Diego has won 5 of the 6 season series this decade (2021 being the exception). Because “It’s baseball!” there’s always the chance the Giants win the season series against the Padres but the Padres still manage to make it to the postseason. But there hasn’t been a lot of “It’s baseball!” luck for the Giants this season, except for maybe that Milwaukee series. You can bet on a repeat of that happening this weekend, but it seems like a shakier proposition.

The Giants have made the Padres doubt everything many times before. Ending their winning streak and splitting or taking the series would almost certainly get in their heads. The Giants are a really bad team that has no business being on the same field with most of the league. If the Padres don’t sweep, they’d have to wonder whether or not they belong on the field, too.

This is likely the final series for some players on the current roster. It feels like we’ve been preparing to say goodbye to Luis Arraez and Robbie Ray for six weeks or so. Indeed, Ray’s spot in the rotation should be first up in the series, but the Giants have four TBDs listed as their pitching probables. Susan Slusser suggests that Heliot Ramos could be following them out the door, too. The only true shocker would be if any team takes a flyer on one of the radioactive relievers Buster and Zack foisted on the team.

Series Overview

Who: San Francisco Giants (46-62) vs. San Diego Padres (55-53)
Where: Oracle Park | San Francisco, California
When: Thursday at 6:40pm PT, Friday at 6:45pm PT, Saturday at 5:40pm PT, Sunday at 1:10pm PT
National broadcasts: Apple TV (Friday)

Projected starters
Thursday: TBD vs. JP Sears (LHP 3-3, 3.86 ERA)
Friday: TBD vs. TBD
Saturday: TBD vs. Walker Buehler (RHP 6-5, 5.13 ERA)
Sunday: TBD vs. Michael King (RHP 6-7, 3.38 ERA)

Players to watch

JP Sears: He was a Giants killer first with the A’s and then with the Padres, who acquired him in the Mason Miller trade. The Giants have gotten to him exactly once, when he was with the A’s — a 4-run job back in May 2025. Otherwise, he’s 3-1 with a 1.76 ERA in 5 starts against them. 30.2 IP 28 K 7 BB 6 runs. The Giants have just a .696 OPS against LHP this season (.738 vs. RHP).

Jung Hoo Lee: He’s 12-for-40 out of the break with a homer, 2 doubles, and a triple and just 1 walk against strikeouts. He’s just 4-for-23 (.174) against the Padres this season.

Prediction time

The Giants will split this series… somehow. I guess the real “going out on a limb” is predicting whether or not Robbie Ray pitches in this series. I have felt that the Giants have been an impossibly stupid team all season long, so if he were to pitch, it wouldn’t be a surprise. But even in this case, I will predict that he’s already thrown his last pitch for the orange and black.

After an emotional walk-off victory Wednesday night, it’s the final game of a 4-game series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs Thursday afternoon at Busch Stadium. Andre Pallante gets the ball for the Cardinals while the Cubs will start Javier Assad. First pitch scheduled for 1:15pm with the TV broadcast available through Cardinals.tv.

The initial goal on this series finale in the South Side of Chicago before heading over to Wrigley Field for the weekend is to play more than just the first inning, offensively. There are many reasons why the Yankees should lament their 6-5 loss on Wednesday, but none bigger than going nine full innings without scoring a run after putting up a four-spot in the first — though the Ali Sánchez definitely hurt.

Blowing a late lead after yet another dominant Cam Schlittler outing, the bullpen stuck around there until the 12th inning. Right in the middle of a 13-game stretch without an offday, the Yankees require a lengthy outing from Ryan Weathers, who hasn’t pitched six full innings in his last five starts. That being said, the left-hander is coming off a productive outing at Citizens Bank Park, holding the Phillies to just one run in five-plus frames.

One loss shouldn’t derail what’s been a great handling of potentially this team’s most challenging moment of the season; the Yankees have every reason to feel confident about their chances of securing a third straight series win against a team currently above .500. If any of the previous three games against the White Sox are to be trusted, expect the unexpected, as the trailing team has refused to go down quietly in each of them, guaranteeing late drama.

For a Yankees offense that failed to show up after the first, they’ll meet the co-ace of this White Sox staff in 2026, Sean Burke. The right-hander has allowed no more than two earned runs in each of his previous seven starts, throwing at least six innings in all but one of them. Of course, you don’t need to tell the Yankees a whole lot about his dominance. After all, this outstanding stretch began at Yankee Stadium, when he held them to one run in 7.1 innings, leading a 4-1 White Sox win.

How to watch

Location: Rate Field — Chicago, IL

First pitch: 2:10 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES, Chicago Sports Network

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280, ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM, 107.9 La Ley

Online stream: MLB.tv

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With the adrenaline still flowing from last night’s extra-inning comeback win (sure, it was only possible because of some odd managerial decisions and a completely brain-dead defensive play by the Yankees — their catcher tried to pick Munetaka Murakami off third with two outs in the 11th and threw the ball away), the White Sox will try to even the series this afternoon behind what appears on paper to be their best pitching matchup.

That’s because the Sox will start Sean Burke, who has been solid all season and absolutely outstanding in July, allowing just four earned runs in 25 2/3 innings while striking out 35. He faced the Yankees in New York in June and overwhelmed them — 7 1/3 innings, five hits, one run, no walks, eight strikeouts.

Meanwhile, the Yankees are at the back end of their rotation with lefty Ryan Weathers, who has a 4.25 ERA, including 19 2/3 innings in July in which he gave up 11 runs, though K’ing 24. That would make for a very nice matchup were it not for the fact that the Sox have struggled against mediocre lefties lately, including against Weathers, who held them to one run in 6 1/3 innings in June.

Weathers will face a White Sox lineup with only Murakami and Colson Montgomery batting from the left side, and Colson has big reverse splits. That puts Everson Pereira, who has three strikeouts in three trips to the plate since coming off the IL, in center.

Burke will face basically the same Yankees as last night, but with Austin Wells behind the plate instead of Ali Sanchez, who made the brain-dead throw yesterday.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. Central on a beautiful day for baseball — mostly sunny, low 80s, very light wind toward left. Usual broadcast suspects.

Shane McClanahan, the Tampa Bay Rays' two-time All-Star left-hander, left his start against the Texas Rangers Thursday, July 30 with lower mid-back tightness, a development that could affect the first-place Rays' approach as the Aug. 3 trade deadline approaches.

McClanahan, 29, issued a walk to Brandon Nimmo in the top of the fourth inning and then bent over as if to stretch and touch his toes. Rays manager Kevin Cash and a trainer came to the mound and McClanahan abruptly exited. The club later announced he is day-to-day with the back tightness.

Cash said after the Rays' 3-2 victory that McClanahan complained his back was tight but could pitch through it. Once his velocity began to dip, it was an easy decision to remove him. Six relievers combined to cover the final three innings.

"Any time it’s a back and not an arm, I think we feel better about it," Cash told reporters in his postgame press conference. "But we’ll check him out and go from there."

McClanahan missed the 2024 and 2025 seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery and a triceps injury he suffered just before the '25 season that kept him sidelined all year. He's come back strongly this season, posting a 3.09 ERA in 19 starts as the Rays have taken control of the American League East, building a lead over the second place New York Yankees.

Tampa Bay was already considered a strong candidate to enter the sweepstakes for Tarik Skubal, the Detroit Tigers ace expected to land on the trading block. The Rays enjoy significant payroll flexibility and have as clear a path to their third World Series berth as possible.

The extent of McClanahan's injury could frame how vigorous efforts to acquire Skubal - or any other starting pitcher - will be come deadline time.

Shohei Ohtani's balky knee isn't the Los Angeles Dodgers' only concern.

The FBI seized a phone from Dodgers owner Mark Walter last year, according to Bloomberg, and this week attorney Robbin Itkin read with unique perspective about a financial investigation targeting Walter.

Itkin represented Dodger season-ticket holders in 2011 after Frank McCourt, the team's former owner, took the franchise into bankruptcy.

“I love the Dodgers," Itkin told USA TODAY Sports this week. “My husband and I are huge Dodgers fans. We're season-ticket holders, and I want nothing more than the Dodgers to succeed.

“I don't know what, if any, effect this may have on the team at this point."

By this, Itkin was referring to the investigation being led by U.S. prosecutors in Manhattan into potential financial improprieties at two insurance companies controlled by Walter and at Guggenheim Partners. Guggenheim Partners bought the Dodgers in 2012 out of bankruptcy for a then-record $2.15 billion.

Last year, Walter bought a controlling stake in the Los Angeles Lakers. He also owns Chelsea in the English Premier League, as well as the Professional Women's Hockey League.

But now the focus is on the Dodgers and, as the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline approaches, their pursuit of a third straight World Series.

“Well, there's always concern when you see an investigation going on with an owner of a business that you care about,’’ Itkin said. “And the Dodgers are a business. So it's unclear at this point what it is, but I'm certainly following it and hope that it's not going to be something that adversely affects the team.’’

Los Angeles has endured sports owner sagas

Major League Baseball accused McCourt of “looting" $190 million from the Dodgers and using the money to pay personal debts and for personal distributions, the Los Angeles Times reported.

That sports owner saga was not the first for Los Angeles.

In 1988, Bruce McNall gained full control of the Los Angeles Kings, then a long-underachieving NHL team. That same year, the Kings acquired Wayne Gretzky from the Edmonton Oilers. The city grew enamored with the team, and Gretzky delivered.

In 1993, the Kings reached the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history.

The next year, McNall admitted to having defrauded banks, the Kings and other entities out of more than $230 million. He served 13 months in prison and had to sell the hockey team that hit hard times.

Attorney Richard Wynne, who represented McNall when McNall filed for bankruptcy in 1995, said he is not involved in Walter's situation but has insight into what can go wrong financially for sports owners.

"Broadly in sports, liquidity is often the constraining factor," Wynne told USA TODAY Sports. "When you look at when people have gotten into financial troubles, it's been more liquidity than asset value."

McCourt, for example, fell behind on payroll demands.

The Royals have a chance to win their first road series since they beat the Twins in their last visit to Minnesota in early June.

Noah Cameron will start today with no opener, even though he had a pretty good outing as the “bulk” guy last time. He spun seven shutout innings, but the Royals couldn’t get him the win because Beck Way gave up two runs as the opener and the offense managed just one run. Cameron has never lost to the Twins – he is 3-0 with a 0.77 ERA in four career starts.

The Twins start Bailey Ober, who lasted just four innings in his last start, with a fastball sitting in the upper 80s. He has a 4.74 ERA in 14 career starts against the Royals.

The game airs on Royals.TV and you can list on 96.5 The Fan in Kansas City.

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I stacked another winning day last night with +2.72 units and am looking to make it three in a row today on a short Thursday slate that still has tons of MLB player prop potential.

Esmerlyn Valdez is the best rookie hitter in baseball and will see plenty of Rhett Lowder and Cincinnati's lefty relievers today at GABP. He joins our card that already includes fellow unsung names like Chase Meidroth and Andruw Monasterio.  

These are my favorite MLB home run props for Thursday, July 30.

MLB home run props for today

Player to hit a HR	Odds
Chase Meidroth	+1100
Andruw Monasterio	+546
Esmerlyn Valdez	+356
💲Today's HR parlay	+33481

Home run prediction: Chase Meidroth (+1100)

This matinee might have the best home run matchup on the board. New York Yankees starter Ryan Weathers is one of the hardest-hit pitchers on today's slate, and his home run luck could finally run out against Chase Meidroth at a massive price.

Weathers has been especially vulnerable to right-handed hitters, with 29 of the 35 home runs he has allowed coming in righty-on-righty matchups. That's where I'm finding value today.

Meidroth is slugging .564 over the last two weeks, just 17 points behind Chicago White Sox leader Munetaka Murakami. His 44% hard-hit rate is the real deal, and his .398 xwOBA ranks second on the club over that stretch, suggesting this isn't just a hot streak.

The middle-of-the-order bat already has three hits in this series, all of them for extra bases. The Yankees' bullpen has also shown some cracks, allowing seven runs and three home runs over the first two games.

On a short slate, this is the type of long shot I'm willing to back. I'd play it down to +750.

• Time: 2:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: YES, Chicago Sports Network

Home run prediction: Andruw Monasterio (+546)

Let's take another big swing, this time at Sutter Health Park, where the ball flies, and the Athletics' pitching staff is hanging on by a thread. Mason Barnett is making his first start of the season after working in a bulk relief role.

The rotation injuries continue to pile up with Luis Severino, JT Ginn, Jeffrey Springs, and Gunnar Hoglund all sidelined. Barnett is a home-run-prone arm with just a 33% ground-ball rate and will eventually hand things over to a bullpen that owns an MLB-worst 8.14 ERA over the last two weeks.

Andruw Monasterio crushes left-handed pitching and more than holds his own against righties. With three left-handed relievers available in the Athletics' bullpen, he should see favorable matchups throughout the game. He already took Jose Suarez deep in extra innings last night.

Monasterio also leads the Boston Red Sox with a .714 slugging percentage over the last two weeks, while his .511 wOBA ranks sixth in baseball during that span.

There should be plenty of balls leaving the yard at Sutter Health Park today, and Monasterio's hot bat is a play down to +450.

• Time: 9:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NBCSCA, NESN

Home run prediction: Esmerlyn Valdez (+356)

This price could easily be closer to +250, and it already is at some books. That's what happens when you combine the home-run boost of Great American Ballpark with a matchup against Rhett Lowder.

Rookie Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Esmerlyn Valdez is a human weapon who can handle both sides of the plate and launch baseballs 110 mph. He leads MLB in barrel rate at 26.9% (min. 50 PA) and owns a higher slugging percentage than Yordan Alvarez. His 34% HR/FB rate ranks second in baseball.

He is still available around 10/1 for NL Rookie of the Year, but has played half as many games as St. Louis' JJ Wetherholt, so there is still value in the market.

The Reds could be down to just four bullpen arms today, with two of them being left-handed. That creates plenty of opportunities for the man missile against Lowder and the Cincinnati bullpen.

• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SportsNet Pittsburgh, Reds.TV

Best home run combo for July 30

Chase Meidroth	Trade Now +33481
Andruw Monasterio
Esmerlyn Valdez

Want more baseball parlays? Check out our MLB parlay picks page!

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

How bold do you think the Red Sox are going to be this trade deadline? The team is no doubt in a tricky situation, with a playoff berth currently in hand, but a roster that likely presents too many challenges to genuinely contend. But one ESPN insider isn’t mincing words: “They are going big,” says Jeff Passan. “Maybe that means getting Zach Neto from the Angels. They could try to convince Houston to move Jeremy Pena, even as the Astros try to win now, or wheedle [CJ] Abrams from Washington. The best opportunity, though, could be [Otto] Lopez, the Marlins’ All-Star shortstop.“ (Jeff Passan, ESPN)

Lopez is having a fine season, but the shortstop that really gets the mouth watering is Bobby Witt, Jr. Is he a total pipedream? “Acquiring Witt, Kansas City’s 26-year-old All-Star shortstop, would require a haul, and yes, I’d have to imagine the Royals asking price starts with Anthony and Arias. Starters Payton Tolle and Eyanson would probably also be part of the Royals’ asking price.” (Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic)

Otto Lopez may or may not be the answer in the middle of the diamond, but there is little question that the Red Sox need to beef up the offense. “There’s been a through-line among teams that have advanced in the playoffs and particularly among those that have won: the ability to mash… Since 2020, 24 teams have reached the League Championship Series … On average, those teams have ranked sixth among all teams in regular-season runs, with 13 of the 24 ranking in MLB’s top five in runs per game, and 19 finishing in the top 10.” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)

There is a slight chance that Curtis Mead will be around to help out that offense at some point this season. After returning to Boston, a specialist ruled out the need for surgery to repair his fractured wrist. “One source said that Mead was given a ‘tentative’ timeline of 6-8 weeks. The regular season ends eight weeks from Sunday, on September 27.” (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

Having enough offense to take an early lead could be particularly valuable for this team because, thanks to the emergence of Tyron Guerrero, the Red Sox bullpen is suddenly shortening games for the opposition. (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)

When Guerrero was first promoted we heard a lot about his velocity. But what has made him really effective is his control, as he currently carries just a 3% walk rate. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)

SAN FRANCISCO — Growing up, Jackson Flora was always in the seats, Buster Posey was usually behind the plate and a pitcher such as Ryan Vogelsong would be on the mound.

On Wednesday morning, Flora and Posey were both on the grass in front of the home dugout as the Giants’ president of baseball operations and onetime top draft pick introduced one of the five other highest selections in franchise history.

The 21-year-old from nearby Pleasanton was joined by his parents, grandfather and two siblings, including one who wore a jersey-style shirt with Posey’s name and No. 28 on the back.

“I was just telling them I’ve sat in just about every seat in this ballpark, but I’ve never been on the field before,” Flora said, shortly after introducing himself by name and shaking the hand of every individual media member. The first hand he shook was Posey’s.

“Crazy. I grew up watching him play. I’m a huge fan. It’s kind of still settling in a little bit, but it’s exciting. … Hopefully in a few years somebody’s sitting down here talking about me pitching in those games.”

Soon enough, the Giants hope that Flora will call the dugout home permanently. There’s not a whole lot on the horizon in terms of in-house pitching help, and manager Tony Vitello reiterated the organization’s belief that the college arm and first pitcher selected in this month’s draft (fourth overall) can move quickly.

The skipper was asked before the Giants wrapped up their series against the Brewers if he believed the UC Santa Barbara product could be a big-league contributor within a year or two.

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“I do,” Vitello said. “First thing’s first, he’s durable. He’s got a really good frame. The athleticism, I think, too, matches up with the guys that are on the field out here. And then the stuff is there. 

“To take a guy at four, it means you don’t see a whole lot of changes that need to be made. So really it’s about him staying in a rhythm with his throwing program, coming in and seeing what he can do.”

It remains to be seen what’s in store for Flora the remainder of this season. He already threw 102 innings for the Gauchos while posting a 1.06 ERA in 16 starts this spring, and there’s no reason for the Giants to rush him given the big-league team’s place in the standings.

His first assignment after agreeing to a reported $7.9 million bonus sent him to the team’s facilities in Arizona, where he joined up with the high school arms they took with their next two picks, Carson Bolemon (No. 29 overall) and Kaden Waechter (No. 55 overall).

“We’ve only been at it for a couple weeks. Nobody’s throwing too much in a game or off the mound or anything. Those are awesome dudes and fun to hang out with. I’m excited to get to work and learn from them, and hopefully they can learn from me.”

Awaiting him in Arizona was another pinch-me moment for the Bay Area native.

The person he’s been primarily working with has been none other than Vogelsong, who now serves as a roving pitching instructor based out of Arizona. Flora named him as well as Madison Bumgarner and Tim Lincecum as his inspiration once he moved from shortstop to the mound.

“He’s somebody who I grew up watching all of his starts,” Flora said. “Just his mindset, how he goes about pitching, how competitive he is — it’s been awesome to learn from him.”

There hasn’t been much time to get into specifics, but Flora said the focus so far in Arizona has been “getting bigger and stronger” as well as “polishing” his pitches. His fastball that can touch triple digits needs to get “more consistent,” and there’s still work to be done on the changeup that he added this year to an arsenal that also includes a sweeper, a cutter and a curveball.

“My fastball’s fun to throw,” he said. “And when it’s good, it’s really good.”

College hitters were no match for the heater, but it’ll now be put to the test against professional competition. Flora is eager to begin his journey, but he knows the pace at which it proceeds is out of his control. Posey was an advanced college hitter who only needed 172 minor league games under his belt, and now he’ll be the one who decides when Flora is ready.

“I try not to think about that stuff and put too much pressure on myself,” Flora said. “I kind of just like to focus on what’s in front of me and try to get better. I’m doing everything I can to make that decision easier for the people who have to make those decisions.”