Jul 18, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Detroit Tigers third baseman Colt Keith (33) is greeted after scoring a run against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Detroit Tigers (46-52) vs. Chicago Cubs (56-43)
Time/Place: 8:05 p.m., Wrigley Field SB Nation Site:Bleed Cubbie Blue Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: RHP Jack Flaherty (3-8, 4.48 ERA) vs. RHP Jameson Taillon (2-5, 5.19 ERA)
After winning their first series of the second half against the Philadelphia Phillies over the weekend, the Mets continue their road trip with a three-game set against the Milwaukee Brewers starting on Monday night.
Interim manager Andy Green spoke to reporters prior to the series opener with much to discuss, including Luis Robert Jr.’s return from injury and how that affects the rest of the outfield mix, as well as touching on Freddy Peralta being back in Milwaukee for the first time since getting traded to New York over the offseason.
Mets’ plan for outfield alignment
With Robert off the injured list and back with the team, Green said that the center fielder will likely play two out of three days in the beginning before the team decides what changes need to be made to that considering the emergence of the team’s two rookie outfielders in A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge.
To kick things off, Robert is in the lineup, batting seventh and playing center field, bumping Benge to the bench and Ewing to right field.
“He’s gonna be a part of the outfield mix,” Green said of Robert. “I think realistically two out of the three days is probably what we’re looking at at the outset here. We’ll get a couple weeks down the road and decide what changes need to be made to that. But I think right now we’re just excited to have him back in the mix.”
It’ll be interesting to see how things play out because in Robert’s absence Ewing and Benge had been playing great, alongside Juan Soto in left field. On the other hand, Robert was traded during the offseason to be the team’s everyday center fielder and the Mets are paying him $20 million this season.
However, before getting injured Robert was not playing great, hitting .224 with a .656 OPS in 24 games. New York was even giving the often-injured 28-year-old some scheduled days off to try and mitigate potential injuries.
Obviously that didn’t work as Robert went down with lumbar spine disc herniation in late April which took him more than two months to recover from. Despite his injury history, the plan is for the Mets to keep Robert in center field when he does play and move around the rookies. It’s also possible but unlikely he will see time at DH, per Green.
“The other guys have moved around a lot in their minor league careers and they’re comfortable playing other positions,” the skipper said. “[Robert] hasn’t, so on the fly in the middle of the season you do factor in the comfort level of the players and where they’ve played consistently and believe all those guys in the outfield can excel for us out there.”
What also must be considered is that Robert is a potential trade candidate for New York and the Mets clearly want him to play to bring his value up. So, until the trade deadline in a couple of weeks, Ewing and Benge will get the short end of the stick.
Still, Green mentioned there are multiple ways to get them in the game even if they don’t start such as pinch-hit or pinch-run assignments, and coming in as a defensive replacement.
“Games have a way of getting guys into them so he’ll be ready,” Green said of Benge for Monday’s game.
He continued: “You want them to be able to play a lot and at the end of the year they’re gonna have as many at-bats as they’ve ever had in their entire careers so they are playing a lot.”
Revisiting the Peralta trade
What was a blockbuster trade in the offseason hasn’t exactly worked out in the Mets’ favor with Peralta struggling at times in his first season not only in New York, but away from Milwaukee.
The right-hander is 5-8 with a 4.66 ERA over 20 starts after a dominant season for the Brewers in 2025 where he had spent his entire career before getting traded. Green spoke about what’s gone wrong for Peralta and how it feels for him to be back in the city that he spent so much time in.
“I think he feels a strong desire to be great for the team that traded for him,” Green said. “And we all interpret pressure a little differently, but that can be some self-applied pressure that you understand a team believed in you enough to trade for you and you want to be great for that team. And I think those feelings are real and those feelings are there for the first time in a player’s life and it takes a bit to sort through them. I think he’s in a good mental space right now and just wants to go compete and be great.”
Green continued: “He acknowledged the weirdness of walking into a different spot in a place that was home for him for a long period of time, so I just wanna see him go do what I saw him do on this mound so many times which is beat the opposition. I was always in the wrong dugout so being in the same dugout, I’d like to see him take it to his old team.”
Still, Green said on the outside Peralta doesn’t seem affected by his first start against the Brewers.
“He seems his typical upbeat, great teammate, ready to compete self. Doesn’t seem any different,” Green said. “I would have to imagine that there’s some emotions under the surface that he’s probably controlling very well right now and I’m sure there will be some emotions when he steps on that mound again.”
It’s not possible to talk about the Peralta trade without talking about the prospects that the Mets gave up to acquire him in Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat, both of whom were top prospects and players that Green knew well as senior vice president of player development before he became the interim manager.
While Williams has yet to make his MLB debut, Sproat, who made four starts for New York at the end of last season, has pitched all season for Milwaukee with middling results. The right-hander is 3-4 with a 5.16 ERA in 18 games (16 starts) and will pitch against his former team on Tuesday night.
“I think you never want to trade your prospects away when you run a farm system,” Green said. “I think in Jett and in Brandon, they were two guys that we did like a lot and I always wished him well, wanna see him do well. Obviously that changes for one day tomorrow, we wanna go out and beat [Sproat], but for us he was a guy that we drafted in the [second] round and liked the entire time we had him and those are tough decisions. When you’re gonna get a front-line starter it always costs you something.”
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 11: Kyle Freeland #21 of the Colorado Rockies pitches during the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on July 11, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
If the Rockies offense can be anywhere near as hot as the weather, then their series against the Washington Nationals should be an exciting high-scoring affair.
With temperatures hitting 100 in Denver on Monday, the Rockies will play host to Washington starting tonight and will need their offense to be on. The Nationals (50-50) lead MLB in runs scored (545) and are tied for first with the Yankees in homers (144). The Rockies (40-61) rank No. 7 in runs (484) and No. 17 in home runs (116).
For any fans planning on going, stay hydrated and bring your fans and misters. It’s the hottest day of the year in Denver.
It's official: Denver (DIA) hits 100° for the first time in 2026. Context:
🌡️ First 100°+ since July 9, 2025 (376 days) 🌡️ 113th day of 100°+ temps in 154 years of official Denver weather records 🌡️ 3rd-straight year with at least one 100°+ in Denver, 10th of 11 years #COwx
LHP Kyle Freeland (2-8, 7.36) is coming off a decent start against the Giants when he gave up four runs on six hits with no walks and nine strikeouts in six innings on July 11. He didn’t get much run support as Colorado lost 4-2 in San Francisco.
LHP Andrew Alvarez (2-3, 4.04) will be on the mound for Washington, a team that has played remarkably well on the road this season with a 30-19 record. Alvarez, who has 13 appearances this season, six of which are starts, last pitched on July 12 when he gave up three runs in two innings out of the bullpen. He has gone 0-2 with a 4.05 ERA in 26.2 innings as a starter this season. This will be Alvarez’s first career appearance against the Rockies.
Earlier on Monday, the Rockies front office was busy, dealing away RHP reliever Seth Halverson to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a pair of minor league players: right-handed pitcher Nick Frasso and outfielder Landyn Vidourek. Read more about the trade here.
First Pitch: 6:40 p.m. MDT
TV: Rockies.TV
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM KOA Rockies Radio Network; KNRV 1150 AM (Spanish)
Miguel Vargas is the lone righty facing Jacob deGrom tonight. | Getty Images
Another series win is in the books, and there’s no doubt the AL Central leaders would like to notch another one before heading into a soon-to-be-rare off day later this week.
Tonight, there’s just one problem with that. His name is Jacob deGrom.
deGrom is still an elite pitcher, but at age 38 he’s not the unstoppable force that he was into the early part of this decade. His 3.49 ERA in 2026 is still 11% better than league average, but that would be handily the worst mark of his professional career. That makes for a Hall of Fame resumé, but deGrom has been decidedly hittable as of late. He’s allowed exactly two earned runs in four of his last five starts, with a six-run blowup being the exception. He’s still liable to rattle off seven shutout innings at any given time, but his fearsomeness is diminished all the same.
Whether Sox hitters can continue the trend is another story. Today’s lineup is fully stocked with lefties, with Miguel Vargas being the exception. While he’s generally taken a slider-heavy approach as of late, deGrom still leads with the four-seamer against lefties. Though he’s not routinely pumping 100 mph anymore, he still sits a sizzling 97 mph.
Sox lefties have been middle-of-the-road against high-velocity fastballs by most metrics, but they’re almost dead last in whiffs, coming up empty on 30% of their swings against four-seamers at 96 mph or faster. This game could hinge on whether they can take advantage of mistakes deGrom may make with his breaking balls. Sox lefties are better against middle-of-the-road against sliders of 90+ mph, which the righty still possesses, but deGrom has allowed three doubles and homer on the pitch, as well as two more longballs on his curveball, which lefties have smashed this year. If Sox hitters can capitalize on mistakes, they can probably scratch through enough runs to win. If they don’t, with this lineup deGrom may wind up with a line like the one Shane Bieber trotted out last weekend.
Among those hitters, only Randal Grichuk and Andrew Benintendi have more than a pocketful of ABs against deGrom. Benintendi is 0-for-8, while Grichuk has gone deep twice in 13 trips to the plate against the 2018-19 NL Cy Young winner. Guess which one is in the lineup tonight.
Nonetheless, with Erick Fedde on the hill, the Sox are going to need some runs, and this is more or less the best lineup they’re capable of fielding at the moment. With deGrom being the exact kind of pitcher they’d be likely to face in Game 1 or 2 of a playoff series a few months from now, this one should be a good test of how ready for prime time the White Sox are against competition in roughly the same place as they are.
Fedde gets his first start sans opener in three weeks, and for just the third time in his last 11 appearances. That may be because the Rangers have one of the more righty-heavy lineups in the league right now, with most of their key hitters — Wyatt Langford, Josh Jung, Ezequiel Durán and slugging rookie Justin Foscue — hitting from the right side with no viable replacement on the bench. With Corey Seager injured and Evan Carter struggling, the Sox bullpen should be able to navigate through to the end of the game if Fedde can keep them in it long enough to grab a lead.
This is a lineup with Nicky Lopez in it, in the year 2026. I’ll leave it at that.
There’s also an old friend to see, at the very least. It’s been a solid bounce-back season for Jake Burger down in the Lone Star State, putting up a 107 OPS+ and slugging his 100th career home run last month, an outcome that would have seemed quite remarkable just a few short years ago.
We’re back on the regular airwaves today, with first pitch coming at 7:05 p.m. CT and standard broadcasts on CHSN (TV) and ESPN 1000 AM (radio). We’ll see you there!
MESA, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 28, 2026: Parks Harber #89 of the San Francisco Giants bats during the second inning of a spring training game against the Athletics at Hohokam Stadium on February 28, 2026 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Just like in the Majors, Minor League Baseball had the All-Star break last week. But they got back in action on Friday and my word is there a lot to talk about. So let’s talk about it!
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
News
There were so many promotions over the All-Star break. Some were covered in the last MiLB roundup and some were not, so let’s just list them all here.
Moving from AA Richmond to AAA Sacramento are outfielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) and third baseman/outfielder Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL). Heading from High-A Eugene to Richmond are center fielder Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL), shortstop Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL), and outfielder Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL). Moving up from Low-A San Jose to Eugene are outfielder Jose Astudillo, and second baseman Isaiah Barkett.
A few demotions, as RHP Marques Johnson moves down from Sacramento to Richmond, while infielder Jose Ramos heads from Eugene to San Jose. Richmond RHP Logan Martin was activated off the Injured List.
AAA Sacramento (51-42)
Friday: Sacramento River Cats beat the Albuquerque Isotopes 5-2 [box score] Saturday: Sacramento River Cats lost to the Albuquerque Isotopes 11-7 [box score] Sunday: Sacramento River Cats beat the Albuquerque Isotopes 5-1 [box score]
Needless to say, the story and excitement for Sacramento surrounded the pair of top prospects who were promoted: outfielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) and third baseman Parks Harber (No. 17 CPL). And they both began their AAA tenure in style, with Davidson collecting a 3-hit day in his debut, while Harber smacked a very long and very loud double.
In all, a very successful opening weekend with the River Cats for that duo, who will hopefully be anchoring San Francisco’s lineup by this time next year. Over the 3 games, Davidson hit 5-15 with 5 strikeouts and an outfield assist, while Harber went 4-12 with a double, 2 walks, a hit by pitch, and 3 strikeouts.
Interestingly, Davidson, who was used almost exclusively as a center field while rising the ranks (including playing center in AA while forcing Jonah Cox to a corner), didn’t play in the middle of the grass in this series, getting a pair of starts in right field and one in left. I’m not sure what the reason for that is, given that Cox and Harrison Bader are injured, while Heliot Ramos and Jung Hoo Lee are healthy … if the Giants are prepping Davidson for a short AAA stay and a quick MLB debut, it would seem like center field would be the place for it to happen. Something to monitor!
For most of his Minor League tenure, Davidson has shared an outfield with Scott Bandura, and now they’re reunited again after Davidson caught up to Bandura, a left-handed hitter taken in the 7th round in 2023. Bandura has taken his time acclimating to AAA following an early-season promotion, but this was a dynamic weekend for the soon-to-turn 25-year old, who hit 7-12 with 2 doubles, 2 walks, and 0 strikeouts, while getting a start each at all 3 outfield spots. With that, Bandura saw his season numbers rise to a .772 OPS and a 106 wRC+ … add in the 16.8% strikeout rate and the strong defense, and Bandura’s first pass through AAA has been an unequivocal success.
Bandura could be headed for an MLB debut this year, especially since he will be Rule 5 eligible. If the Giants plan on protecting him, then why not get his feet wet at the level, too? Then again, they have a lot of outfielders, so whether or not to protect Bandura could be quite a discussion … unless he keeps hitting like this!
The best offensive weekend, however, belonged to catcher Zach Morgan, who hit 4-10 with a home run, a double, 2 walks, a sacrifice fly, and a strikeout. With the Giants currently running a trio of rookie catchers in the Majors — and having DFA’d Logan Porter and Eric Haase — the team’s depth behind the plate is hilariously thin. Currently Sacramento has just a pair of catchers: Morgan, a 2022 7th-round pick who is more of a logistical fill-in than a true AAA player (he had a 74 wRC+ in AA last year), and Thomas Gavello, a 2022 13th-rounder in the same boat, who is more of a utility player who occasionally catches than a full-time catcher. As such, Morgan caught all 3 games this series — you don’t see catchers catch 3 days in a row very often anymore, at any level — though he did commit a pair of errors.
The star on the mound was LHP Carson Whisenhunt (No. 8 CPL) who shined on Sunday in what could be one of his final AAA appearances. Whisenhunt pitched 5 shutout innings while allowing just 3 hits (all singles) and 1 walk, and striking out 8. Sensational!
The strikeouts and walks were both great to see, as Whiz had been struggling in that category: over his prior 5 starts (4 in Sacramento and 1 in the Majors), Whisenhunt had 16 strikeouts against 17 walks in 24 innings. Very nice to see him right the ship, and just in time: with the trade deadline around the corner, Whisenhunt figures to enter San Francisco’s rotation soon, and he’ll likely stay there through the end of the year.
Things didn’t go so well for the other starters, as RHP Blade Tidwell (No. 9 CPL) was so-so, allowing 7 baserunners and 2 earned runs in 4 innings, with 5 strikeouts, while LHP Cesar Perdomo got rocked in his 2nd AAA appearance, ceding 10 hits, a walk, 10 runs, and 7 earned runs while making it through just 2 innings. Shake it off! That’s the PCL for you!
LHP Joe Whitman (No. 26 CPL) had another appearance as a reliever, and threw a no-hit inning with a walk and a strikeout. His move to the bullpen continues to be a little confounding but, combined with his impending Rule 5 eligibility, certainly seems to be setting him up for an MLB debut someday soon.
AA Richmond (54-34)
Friday: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Erie SeaWolves 5-2 [box score] Saturday: Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Erie SeaWolves 7-6 (10 innings) [box score] Sunday: Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Erie SeaWolves 10-5 [box score]
Just as with Sacramento, the story of the weekend for Richmond was the debuting players, as the Squirrels welcomed a trio of top prospects from High-A: outfielders Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) and Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL), and shortstop Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL). That is a tremendously exciting group of players!
Jordan and Kilen really made quite a first impression. Jordan, the team’s 4th-round pick in 2024 who is flying up prospect lists as his power starts to take off, collected hits in all 3 games, going 4-12 with a double, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, and a stolen base. Unlike Davidson in AAA, Jordan kept his middle of the grass assignment with him, as he started twice in center field, though he was in right field in Sunday (dating back to the end of their Eugene tenure, it seems the Giants are giving Jordan starting center field reps, but making sure that Cohen gets some run there as well).
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) July 19, 2026
Kilen, who lost his status as the organization’s reigning 1st-round pick when Jackson Flora was selected last weekend, also collected hits in each game, with the lefty going 4-13 with a triple, a double, and a walk. No longer sharing an infield with Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL), Kilen is able to play shortstop every day, though that’s now coming at the expense of Maui Ahuna (No. 33 CPL), who was limited to just 1 game this weekend, and at DH.
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) July 18, 2026
It was a little less smooth of a start for Cohen, last year’s 3rd-round selection, who played right field on Friday and Saturday and had an 0-5 in each game (albeit with just 1 strikeout). Sunday was much nicer for Cohen, who played center and hit 2-5 to give himself a AA batting average.
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) July 19, 2026
Outside of those exciting debuts, it was a mostly quiet weekend for Richmond on both sides of the ball. The only other notable hitting performances belonged to third baseman/first baseman Charlie Szykowny, who hit 5-13 with 2 doubles and 3 strikeouts, and second baseman/third baseman Diego Velasquez (No. 31 CPL), who went 4-10 with 2 walks, a sacrifice bunt, and a strikeout. Among his quartet of hits was a 2-out walk-off knock in the 10th inning on Saturday. Clutch!
Szykowny now has a .737 OPS and a 93 wRC+, while Velasquez has a .799 OPS and a 119 wRC+.
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) July 19, 2026
There was really just one good pitching performance, and it belonged to RHP Yunior Marte (No. 25 CPL) who was sensational on Friday, giving up just 3 baserunners (2 singles and a walk) in 5 innings, while allowing 1 run and striking out 6. It’s been an up-and-down start to AA for Marte, a soon-to-turn 23-year old who came over a year ago in the Mike Yastrzemski trade. He only has a 5.20 ERA and a 4.34 FIP since getting promoted, but his electricity is showing up as much, if not more, than ever. Marte has always had strikeout numbers that aren’t as impressive as his stuff would indicate, but so far through 8 starts with Richmond he’s striking out 10.4 batters per 9 innings, which is a nice figure. Great to see.
Speaking of players who came over in trades with the Royals, RHP Logan Martin (who came over in the Mason Black deal) made his return to Richmond after nearly 2 months (and 6 rehab appearances). Martin’s still getting stretched out again, so he worked in relief in his return on Sunday, throwing 2.1 shutout innings with 1 hit, 2 walks, and a strikeout.
RHP Christian Alvarado, who had been nearly perfect in 6 games since the Giants signed him, finally had a tough day, ceding 3 hits and 2 runs in an inning of work. Pobody’s nerfect, I guess.
High-A Eugene (54-36)
Friday: Eugene Emeralds beat the Hillsboro Hops 6-2 [box score] Saturday: Eugene Emeralds beat the Hillsboro Hops 3-1 [box score] Sunday: Eugene Emeralds lost to the Hillsboro Hops 12-2 [box score]
The big-name prospect movers were in AA and AAA, but there were still some names that debuted in High-A as well, as second baseman Isaiah Barkett and right fielder Jose Astudillo both moved their prospect journeys from California to Oregon.
Neither had great debut weekends, but both players showed some things. Barkett, a 22-year old righty who was taken in the 10th round last year, and who had an .886 OPS and a 125 wRC+ with Low-A San Jose, hit 2-11 over the weekend, with 2 walks and 0 strikeouts. Astudillo, a 22-year old righty who signed out of Venezuela in 2021, and posted an .891 OPS and a 121 wRC+ with San Jose, went 2-12 with 2 doubles, a walk, a strikeout, and a caught stealing. Welcome to the Northwest League, both of you!
But it was the High-A veterans who performed the best. Left fielder Carlos Gutierrez (No. 18 CPL) had a lovely weekend, hitting 4-10 with 3 doubles, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts, and an outfield assist. The 21-year old lefty has recovered brilliantly from a little midseason slump, and is back up to an .817 OPS and a 121 wRC+. The contact is still way down from previous seasons, but the power is way up, and his defense is quite nice (as is the 20 stolen bases in 22 attempts). In his last 11 games, Gutierrez is hitting 15-38 with 5 doubles, 10 walks, and 9 strikeouts.
Home runs for a trio of infielders: first baseman Jakob Christian (No. 40 CPL) hit 2-8 with an absurdly long homer, 3 walks, and 2 strikeouts, bringing his OPS to .839 and his wRC+ to 124; shortstop/third baseman Walker Martin went 5-10 with a solo blast, a double, a hit by pitch, and 3 strikeouts, raising his OPS to .713 and his wRC+ to 88; and third baseman/first baseman Zander Darby hit 3-11 with a 3-run home run, a double, a walk, 4 strikeouts, and an error, bringing his OPS up to .753 and his wRC+ to 102. All 3 players are showing signs but striking out in a third of their plate appearances.
Yet another dominant pitching performance by LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 11 CPL), who has put his slow start to the season way, way, way behind him. Bresnahan started Saturday’s game and gave up just 4 hits, 0 walks, and 1 run in 5 innings of work, while striking out 7 batters, which brought his ERA all the way down to 2.92, though his FIP still sits at 4.16, largely due to giving up nearly a home run per inning.
Jacob Bresnahan stays hot with another strong outing. He lowers his High-A ERA to 2.92. Final line:
Bresnahan, who turned 21 less than a month ago, is on an absolute heater. Over his last 5 starts, the southpaw, who came to the Giants in the Alex Cobb trade, has pitched 29.1 innings, and allowed just 13 hits, 7 walks, and 3 runs, while striking out 35 batters. He has officially found his groove following an injury that delayed his season, and an adjustment to a new level. Only the drafting of Flora last week is standing in the way of Bresnahan having a pretty solid argument as the best pitching prospect in the system.
The other great pitching performance came from the bullpen, where LHP Esmerlin Vinicio dealt a masterpiece, throwing 3 no-hit innings with 4 strikeouts, and only allowing 1 runner via a hit batter. Hopefully this is the start of a 3rd act of the season for the 23-year old, who has a 3.12 ERA and a 3.52 FIP. In his first 11 games of the year, Vinicio allowed just 1 run, while pitching 25.2 innings. Then, shockingly, he allowed runs in 7 straight outings — 14 total earned runs in 14.2 innings. And then this outing, which hopefully is him getting back on track!
RHP Liam Simon is hoping for the same, as he tossed 2 shutout innings with no walks and just 1 hit allowed, though he didn’t strike anyone out. Simon, who has a 5.97 ERA and a 5.23 FIP, entered the game with more walks than innings pitched, so a very nice performance to see. RHP Gerelmi Maldonado (No. 21 CPL) had an extremely Gerelmi Maldonado outing, with a no-hit inning that featured a walk and 2 strikeouts. That’s been the year for the 22-year old, who has 13.1 strikeouts per 9 innings … but 11.5 walks, en route to a 3.57 ERA and a 6.44 FIP.
RHP Mauricio Estrella struck out 4 batters in 2.1 scoreless frames, with 1 hit. It was only Estrella’s 3rd game at the level, and so far he’s been brilliant: in 6.1 innings he’s allowed 5 hits, 1 walk, and 1 earned run, with 11 strikeouts.
Low-A San Jose (54-36)
Friday: San Jose Giants lost to the Stockton Ports 7-6 [box score] Saturday: San Jose Giants beat the Stockton Ports 6-2 [box score] Sunday: San Jose Giants beat the Stockton Ports 6-3 [box score]
There’s a clear top 3 on the organizational shortstop depth chart … a trio that was, until Flora’s arrival in the system, not just a clear top 3 shortstops, but a clear top 3 prospects, point blank. But just because Josuar González (No. 2 CPL), Luis Hernández (No. 6 CPL), and Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL) exist, doesn’t mean we should forget about the other shortstops in the system. And here to remind you is none other than last year’s 4th-round pick, Lorenzo Meola (No. 23 CPL).
The Giants, you might recall, have had some prior success drafting shortstops in the 4th round. And while the odds of Meola replicating Brandon Crawford’s career are slim, he’s doing everything in his power to emerge as a top prospect right now. The right-handed hitter had a blissful weekend, hitting 6-14 with 2 home runs, 3 doubles, a stolen base, and a strikeout.
Meola’s overall numbers are still fairly run of the mill, as he has an .818 OPS and a 102 wRC+ on the year. That’s due mostly to an ice cold start … he’s been heating up throughout the season, and in July he’s been absurdly hot: he has an 11-game hitting streak, and in 14 games this month is 24-56 with 5 home runs, 13 total extra-base hits, 8 walks, and just 10 strikeouts. Add in some really fantastic defense at shortstop, and 12 stolen bases on the year (in 15 attempts), and Meola’s prospect status is threatening to take off.
Center fielder Andy Polanco had a nice offensive weekend as well, which sadly isn’t something we can say all that often. A tremendous defensive outfielder, Polanco has struggled at the plate this year, but hit 5-12 in this series, with a home run, 2 doubles, and 2 strikeouts. The 21-year old, taken in the 11th round in 2024, combines his great defense with great speed (he has 25 stolen bases), but unfortunately he’s a bit of a 3 true outcomes bust … he has just a 3.6% walk rate and a 32.0% strikeout rate, and this was his first home run of the season (his ISO is just .101). As such, he has just a .669 OPS and a 66 wRC+ this year.
A painful weekend for left fielder/right fielder Oliver Tejada, who was recently promoted. He hit 2-10 with 2 doubles and was hit by a pitch on 3 separate occasions. Tejada, who also struck out twice, has a .793 OPS and a 95 wRC+ through 13 games at the level.
One of the top pitching prospects in the system had a nice start, as RHP Keyner Martinez (No. 10 CPL) struck out 5 batters in 4 strong innings, allowing just 3 hits, 0 walks, and 1 run. Martinez was fairly efficient despite only pitching 4 innings, as he threw just 59 pitches, 44 of which were strikes. It did not seem like Martinez was dealing with any ailments, so the lack of innings pitched is almost certainly just the case of starting to cool down given his workload this year.
It hasn’t always been smooth this season for Keyner, as he’s issued 5.1 walks per 9 innings and nearly a home run per 9, en route to a 4.36 ERA and a 4.69 FIP. But he has been nearly unhittable save for those dingers … his 14.2 strikeouts per 9 innings is one of the best marks in all of Minor League Baseball, and in 64 innings he’s allowed a mere 47 hits. There are certainly some pinkish flags, but it’s certainly a season that looks better the deeper you get under the hood. And, despite some hiccups, Martinez has done nothing to lose his spot as one of the best pitching prospects in the organization.
LHP Jordan Gottesman, last year’s 6th-round pick, also had a stellar start, striking out 7 batters in 5 innings on Saturday, while allowing just 2 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run, and throwing just 64 pitches (including 41 strikes). Gottesman has had the opposite issue as Martinez lately … too many hits, despite doing a great job suppressing walks. In his prior 5 starts, the southpaw had 27 strikeouts against just 6 walks … but had allowed 32 hits in just 22.1 innings, resulting in 21 earned runs. Nice to see him bring the hits down (though 1 of his 2 hits cleared the fence).
That’s been the season for Gottesman, who has a 4.29 ERA and a 5.22 FIP in his debut season … he’s issued nearly a hit per inning, and 1.26 home runs per 9 … but has 10.1 strikeouts per 9 and just 2.9 walks.
RHP Chen-Hsun Lee made his 2nd appearance for San Jose and pitched 1.2 no-hit innings, with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts. Mostly it’s just great seeing him healthy.
Arizona Complex League (33-24)
Friday: ACL Giants beat the ACL Athletics 3-0 (7 innings) [box score] Saturday Game 1: ACL Giants lost to the ACL Angels 13-2 [box score] Saturday Game 2: ACL Giants lost to the ACL Angels 10-6 (7 innings) [box score]
A funny one if you’re looking at the box scores, as the 1st game of the doubleheader on Saturday was a completion of a game that was postponed in the 2nd inning a week ago. So the stats get a little bit funny, since it technically counts as a game played then, instead of now. It also meant that rehabbing RHP Darien Smith started on Friday and Saturday, since he was the starter before the game got postponed!
The most exciting thing to come out of these games was that left fielder/right fielder Rayner Arias (No. 38 CPL) had a fantastic Saturday … after not playing on Friday, the righty hit 2-6 with 2 home runs and a walk on Saturday, albeit with 3 strikeouts.
It’s been yet another brutal year for Arias, who recently turned 20 … this is his 3rd straight year of really struggling following a truly dominant DSL debut in 2023. Since then it’s been swing issues and injury issues galore, and his contact problems remain … he has just a .196 average this year and a 31.6% strikeout rate. But the power and the eye are at least starting to make a comeback, as his .174 isolated slugging and 11.4% walk rate both stand as massive gains over recent years. There’s still so much talent in there … let’s hope he can harness it.
As for the top hitting prospects, shortstop Josuar González (No. 2 CPL) went 1-5 with a double, 2 walks, and a strikeout, while third baseman Luis Hernández (No. 6 CPL) hit 3-9 with a double, 2 walks, and a strikeout. González has a .965 OPS and a 140 wRC+, Hernández has a .915 OPS and a 115 wRC+, and the future is oh so very bright.
The pitching was highlighted by rehabs. The aforementioned Smith, who is AA, threw 4.2 innings across the 2 games, with 2 hits, 2 walks, and 2 unearned runs, while striking out 3. Low-A RHP Argenis Cayama (No. 13 CPL) made his 2nd rehab appearance and threw 2 scoreless frames, with 1 hit and 2 strikeouts. Hopefully he’s back in A-ball soon.
A really nice outing from LHP Leandro Rodriguez, a 20-year old in his stateside debut. He threw 4 scoreless innings on Friday, while allowing just 2 hits and 0 walks, and striking out 4 batters. Rodriguez has some really interesting pitches, and while he only has a 4.18 ERA and a 4.40 FIP, he has 11.0 strikeouts per 9 innings and just 2.1 walks, which is tremendous command for a player at his age and level.
Dominican Summer League Black (19-14)
Friday: DSL Giants Black beat the DSL Nationals 7-6 [box score]
A nice day for the DSL Giants Black offense, which registered 11 hits and 7 stolen bases. A trio of great performances to highlight. Left fielder Franco Willias, a 21-year old in his 3rd season, hit 2-4 with a home run, a hit by pitch, and a stolen base. The righty is up to a .997 OPS and a 141 wRC+, with 17 stolen bases in 21 attempts, and just a 16.6% strikeout rate. A tremendous season!
Second baseman Alexander Camacaro, an 18-year old taking huge strides in his 2nd season, hit 2-4 with both a home run and a double, which pushed him up to a .797 OPS and a 106 wRC+. Plus, it was the 1st career homer for the righty!
And finally, center fielder Djean Macares, a recently-turned 18-year old in his 2nd season, hit 2-4 with a walk and 3 stolen bases, though he also had a strikeout and was caught stealing. The lefty has a .749 OPS and a 104 wRC+ on the season, with 16 stolen bases in 20 attempts and just an 11.7% strikeout rate.
An awesome pitching performance from, for lack of a more humane term, the “other” Luis Hernandez, a 20-year old RHP in his 3rd season. Hernandez tossed 5 scoreless frames with 6 hits, 0 walks, 1 hit batter, and 3 strikeouts. It’s been a rough season for Hernandez, who has more walks than strikeouts, but certainly this was a step in the right direction.
Dominican Summer League Orange (20-14)
Friday: DSL Giants lost to the DSL Angels 13-6 [box score]
RHP Alexis Gallego, a 17-year old, made his 2nd career appearance, and it was brutal in a hilarious way that you really only see in the DSL. Gallego’s final line? 0.2 innings, 1 hit, 2 walks, 4 hit batters, 7 earned runs. Oops!
It started a very bad day of pitching for the Giants Orange squad, though 21-year old RHP Jesus Lopez pitched 2.1 no-hit innings, with just a walk allowed. Lopez hasn’t had a good season, but he’s been very good as of late.
Center fielder Jose Valdez hit 1-3 with a triple, a walk, a hit by pitch, and 2 strikeouts, as the 17-year raised his OPS to .845 and his wRC+ to 106 in his debut season; shortstop Yeison Oviedo hit 3-5 with a strikeout, boosting the 18-year old’s OPS to .834 and his wRC+ to 117; and second baseman Yoxander Benitez went 1-3 with a double and 2 walks, as the 19-year old now has a .767 OPS and a 99 wRC+.
Home run tracker
12 — Walker Martin — [High-A] 11 — Lorenzo Meola x2 — [Low-A] 9 — Jakob Christian — [High-A] 8 — Zander Darby — [High-A] 5 — Franco Willias — [DSL] 4 — Rayner Arias x2 — [ACL] 2 — Zach Morgan — [1 in AAA; 1 in AA] 1 — Andy Polanco — [Low-A] 1 — Alexander Camacaro — [DSL]
Apr 28, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs general manager Brian Wright before game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Portland Trail Blazers at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
The Spurs had a rather boring offseason. They loaded up on size at the draft, they retained Harrison Barnes and Jordan McLaughlin, and their biggest addition was 34-year-old Tobias Harris. Victor Wembanyama got a no-brainer of a max contract, and that was it. A solid offseason for a young team coming off a Finals run, but not one filled with major decisions and big swings.
This will likely be the last summer when the front office will get the privilege of not having to make sacrifices, deal with potentially contentious negotiations, and have to make plays for the future. By next offseason, San Antonio might find itself dealing with the type of problems the Thunder and, to a lesser extent, the Knicks and Celtics dealt with this year.
For those who might not be aware, the tax and the second apron really complicated the team-building abilities of several contenders. The Thunder had to salary dump some of their proven deep bench guys in Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins, which wouldn’t have been that impactful on their contention odds. But they also had to drop Luguentz Dort to get under the tax at the behest of ownership, if Sam Presti’s press conference is to be believed. They picked up some second-rounders in the process, but lost one of their starters, a champion and one of their longest-tenured players on what their general manager called “a financial decision.”
In the Eastern Conference, the reigning champions and one of their biggest threats also had to make decisions that weren’t based on what made sense basketball-wise. The Knicks refused to cross the second apron, a decision seemingly spearheaded by their owner, and lost Mitchell Robinson in the process, replacing him with a lesser version of the same archetype, Andre Drummond. The Celtics traded Jaylen Brown for many reasons, according to reports, but his massive contract was apparently one of the biggest drivers for the move. Mind you, Robinson was essential for New York in several postseason runs, and Boston won a title with the Brown-Jason Tatum duo as their core.
Back to San Antonio. While Victor Wembanyama’s potential discount should help with cap balancing, tough decisions loom. First, Stephon Castle will become eligible for an extension next summer. Assuming he continues to improve as a player, he’ll want the max. The Spurs would surely love it if he took less and will have the threat of restricted free agency, which gives them control of Castle’s destiny, as a bargaining tool. The issue with wielding that weapon is that it could damage the relationship with Castle, who was a starter on a Finals team. If the front office thinks he’s a part of the untouchable core going forward, keeping him happy and feeling important will be paramount. Can they do that without offering the 25 percent max?
A Castle extension wouldn’t kick in until the 2028/29 season, so it wouldn’t have an immediate impact on the cap, but it would condition who the Spurs can and can’t afford in the future. San Antonio is so close to the tax line this offseason that a veteran’s minimum would push them over it. The main reason is De’Aaron Fox’s 30 percent max that will pay him $49.5 million this year. Eventually, Fox will get traded (more on that in a second), but there might be a more immediate casualty than Fox to balance the cap. Keldon Johnson is eligible for an extension but has not received one. Once Wembanyama’s extension kicks in next offseason, the Silver and Black will only have around $10 million to spend on three players if they want to stay under the tax. They could carve up some more space while waiving Luke Kornet, but bringing Johnson back could be hard to achieve.
Of course, all these estimates are made with Fox’s contract on the books at least until next season. The Spurs could be looking to move him now, but they made it clear that they won’t do that, which makes sense. Despite the struggles in the Finals and the postseason in general, Fox is one of the best players on the team, and certainly the best game manager. Moving him would likely represent taking a step back in terms of talent, since his current perceived value doesn’t come close to matching his massive salary. But eventually, he’ll have to go, unless the franchise prefers him over Castle and Dylan Harper, which seems extremely unlikely. So if not this season, when is Fox being salary dumped? There’s time until Castle’s extension kicks in to do so, but it might make more sense to do it next offseason, if there’s a buyer, to avoid having to deal from a position of extreme weakness.
We could continue looking towards the future and consider what a potential Harper extension would mean, but it’s too far down the line and too close to a possible CBA change. What’s clear right now is that the incredibly successful rebuild the Spurs have put together will very soon run into the limitations that the punitive repeater tax and the aprons put on team building, which has already forced other contenders to lose talent.
This offseason was a quiet one for San Antonio, leaving no need to veer from continuity and allowing the front office to keep the team that made the Finals together while adding some young, cheap pieces. It wasn’t the most exciting of summers, but soon enough, as the tough decisions become unavoidable and change the team, Spurs fans might find themselves looking back and hoping things could be as simple as they were in 2026.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - JULY 18: Jeremy Peña #3 of the Houston Astros hits a single in the first inning 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 (47-54) will wear their City Connect uniforms tonight as they welcome in the Miami Marlins (52-48) for a three-game series at Daikin Park in Houston, TX.
After undergoing right elbow surgery last season, RHP Ronel Blanco (2026 Debut) is returning to the Astros rotation tonight for his first Major League start since May 17, 2025 at TEX. He’ll be opposed by RHP Jason Junk (4-5, 4.57 ERA) and the Marlins.
BLANCO’S BACK!: RHP Ronel Blanco was a mainstay in the Astros rotation prior to his 2025 right elbow surgery, making 45 starts over the 2023-25 seasons, going 18-11 with a 3.36 ERA (94ER/251.2IP) and a .200 opponent average. After the surgery, Blanco returned to game action this June and has made five minor league appearances, going 1-0 with a 1.06 ERA (2ER/17IP) in those outings.
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 (455) immediately ahead of the Marlins (447).
THE LINEUP: The Astros have used 100 different lineups in their 101 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 88 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 96 games played at 1B. Dating back to last season, Walker has not made an error in his last 124 games at 1B (last error was Aug. 23, 2025 at BAL).
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.
INJURY BUG: The Astros removed both SS Jeremy Peña and 1B Christian Walker from Saturday’s game due to injury. Peña left with a right hamstring cramp and Walker with right hip tightness. Neither player appeared in yesterday’s game.
ASTROS ROSTER MOVES: The Astros have made the following roster moves:
• RHP Ronel Blanco and LHP Bennett Sousa have been reinstated from the 60-day IL.
• IF Raynel Delgado has been optioned to Triple A.
• LHP Bryan King was optioned to Triple A after yesterday’s game.
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 (.319), HR (31), and RBI (73). He currently leads all of baseball in OPS (1.062), OBP (.429), SLG (.633), and total bases (228), and in the AL, he ranks first in hits (115), first in XBH (51), third in runs (65), and fourth in walks (66).
ALL-STAR ALVAREZ: DH Yordan Alvarez started and hit second for the AL in last week’s All-Star Game, going 1×2 with a single and a run scored. This marked the fourth All-Star selection for Alvarez (2022-24, 2026) and the second time that he was voted as a starter (also in 2024).
WHAT A HALF!: DH Yordan Alvarez hit 31 homers prior to the break, which are the most in a first half in club history, topping OF Lance Berkman, who hit 29 homers in the first half of the 2002 season. Alvarez is on pace to hit 29 homers on the season, which would represent a new franchise record, topping the 47 homers hit by 1B Jeff 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 71 ABS challenges and lead the Majors in challenge success rate (61%). 2B Jose Altuve has been successful on 15-of-22 challenges (68%), ranking second 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 1.10 ERA (2ER/16.1IP), 28 strikeouts in 16.1 innings, a .109 (6×55) opponent average, and a 0.86 WHIP in 18 appearances. He has not allowed a hit in 14 of his 18 appearances.
DOWN ON THE FARM: Astros prospect 2B Yamal Encarnacion went 5×5 with two runs scored, a triple and an RBI for Double A Corpus Christi last night in their game at San Antonio. Encarnacion, 22, leads all Astros prospects and leads the Texas League with 40 steals on the season.
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 2011 – 2B Jose Altuve makes his MLB debut in a start at second base, going 1×5 while batting second in the lineup. He picks up his first MLB hit on a single in the 9th off future teammate RHP Tyler Clippard. The Astros beat the Nationals in 11 innings by a score of 3-2 on a pinch-hit walk-off single by PH Jason Michaels.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Monday, July 20, 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)
Moments after Yaxel Lendeborg led the Golden State Warriors to an NBA Summer League Championship, the No.11 pick of the NBA Draft wasn’t shy to call out his opponent.
During his postgame presser, Lendeborg threw the Memphis Grizzlies under the bus and said they weren’t ready for the moment.
“Man, their butts got tight. They puckered up, you know what I mean?” Lendeborg said, “Some of us are built for the moment, and some aren’t.”
Yaxel Lendeborg on their fourth quarter comeback to win against the Grizzlies:
“Man, their butts got tight, man. They puckered up, you know what I mean? Some of us are built for the moment, some aren’t. So when you get those opportunities like that and you go attack the moment,… pic.twitter.com/SvIFNCjDs3
Yaxel Lendeborg doesn’t hesitate to say the Memphis Grizzlies aren’t built for the moment. Getty Images
Lendeborg was crowned the NBA Summer League Championship game’s MVP after leading the Warriors back from a 12-point deficit entering the fourth quarter. The Warriors eventually defeated the Grizzlies, 94-40.
The former Michigan Wolverine finished the game with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 steals, while putting up nine points in the fourth quarter to help wipe away the deficit. He out-dueled Memphis’ third overall pick, Cameron Boozer, who had 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Rick Barry presents the 2026 NBA Summer League Championship trophy to the Golden State Warriors
Following Sunday’s championship game, Lendeborg said, “I’m just very proud of this moment. I’m glad we got to win this. For the Warriors, what a great way to start.”
Performing on the championship stage isn’t an unfamiliar sight for Lendeborg, who scored 13 points in Michigan’s win over UConn to win the National Championship. The New Jersey native was hobbled with an injury, but gutted it out to help the Wolverines win their second title.
Sunday’s Summer League MVP trophy is another one for Lendeborg to add to his trophy case as he was crowned the Big Ten’s Player of the Year last season.
Yaxel Lendeborg could be a crucial piece for the Golden State Warriors this season. NBAE via Getty Images
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 13: Khaman Maluach #10 of the Phoenix Suns prepares to shoot a free throw during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on July 13, 2026 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Stephen Greathouse/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
With the NBA Summer League officially coming to a close yesterday, as the Golden State Warriors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies to capture the Summer League championship, it’s time to take one final look back at what unfolded in Las Vegas.
By this point, the league has typically announced its All-Summer League First and Second Teams, but we’re still waiting for the official selections. The last Suns player to earn that honor was Jalen Smith back in 2021. There’s little doubt Khaman Maluach will end that drought.
In four appearances, Maluach averaged 19.5 points and 12.8 rebounds, recording a double-double in every game he played before the Suns shut him down for the remainder of the event. His dominance has made him one of the clear favorites to earn All-Summer League recognition whenever the league announces the team.
While we’re still waiting on the official announcement, that hasn’t stopped national writers from putting together their own All-Summer League teams and standout lists. Across the board, the reviews of Maluach have been overwhelmingly positive, reinforcing what Suns fans watched over the past two weeks. The rest of the basketball world appears to have noticed, too.
Maluach was one of the best sophomores at the event. After playing only limited minutes as a rookie, Maluach showed why he’s ready for a massive Year 2 jump. He showcased an ability to stretch the floor on offense while also disrupting shots at the rim on defense.
With the celebrated and wildly anticipated 2026 draft class largely living up to the billing, rookies are unsurprisingly well represented on this first team.
But credit Suns sophomore Khaman Maluach, last summer’s 10th overall pick, for ensuring this wouldn’t be a freshman-only outfit.
Phoenix slowplayed the 7-footer as a rookie, which made sense given how raw he appeared coming out of college. That option might be off the table already, though, given the apparent magnitude of the growth in his game.
Besides pumping in 19.5 points on 53.2 percent shooting and grabbing a Vegas-best 12.8 boards per game, Maluach showcased his unicorn blend of shot-blocking and floor spacing. In four games (all double-doubles, by the way), he actually had an identical number of blocks and triples (eight apiece), plus a 40 percent splash rate from long distance.
What does it mean? On the surface, not much. Summer League is a proving ground, but at the end of the day, you’re still playing Summer League competition. It can serve as an important mile marker on the road to development, and that’s ultimately how this experience should be viewed for the Phoenix Suns.
We did our best throughout the event to remind everyone not to overreact. As the days fall off the calendar and Las Vegas fades into the rearview mirror, reality sets in. The roles these players were asked to fill in Summer League are not the roles they’ll occupy once they rejoin the Suns. The offense they ran in Las Vegas won’t be the offense they’re playing in when the regular season begins.
That said, I’d much rather be discussing the results we saw than the alternative. I’d much rather watch Khaman Maluach perform the way he did, both from a statistical standpoint and through the intangibles he displayed, than spend the summer wondering why he underperformed or looked disengaged. He embraced the moment. He played with confidence. He led with his energy.
The future is bright for the young center. Perhaps we’ll look back on the summer of 2026 as the launching point for everything that followed.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 12: Trevor McDonald #72 of the San Francisco Giants pitches at Oracle Park on July 12, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Andy Kuno/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants head to Missouri today to take on the Kansas City Royals.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Trevor McDonald, who enters tonight’s game with a 5.02 ERA, 4.05 FIP, with 54 strikeouts to 21 walks in 66.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 3-1 loss to the Colorado Rockies on July 12th, in which he allowed one run on three hits with four strikeouts and a walk in seven innings.
He’ll be facing off against Royals right-hander Michael Wacha, who enters tonight’s game with a 3.77 ERA, 4.00 FIP, with 96 strikeouts to 34 walks in 119.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Royals’ 7-3 loss to the New York Mets on July 9th, in which he allowed six runs on six hits with five strikeouts and three walks in four and two thirds innings.
Jul 7, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob Degrom (48) delivers a pitch to the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-Imagn Images | Jim Cowsert-Imagn Images
The Buffalo Sabres had a terrible start to the 2025-26 regular season, going 5-8-4 out of the gate. The start cost Sabres GM Kevyn Adams his job, but for the remainder of the season, Buffalo went 45-15-5 to be the best team in the highly–competitive Atlantic Division.
The Sabres beat the Boston Bruins in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs before they fell in seven games to the Montreal Canadiens in the second round, so there was a lot of good from Buffalo this past season. And in this year’s batch of TheHockeyNews.com’s grades for Buffalo players, coaching and management is largely going to be positive. But everyone is different, so we’re going to see variance in the grades we hand out.
So, let’s get to it. Today, we’re grading someone who might’ve been fired had Buffalo not rebounded early in the season – head coach Lindy Ruff:
Lindy Ruff
Position: Coach
Grade: A-
The Skinny: It’d be a massive understatement to say Ruff was feeling pressure to produce above-average results in 2025-26. As one of the NHL’s oldest coaches at 66 years old, Ruff was vulnerable when the season began. And the truth is he may have been only a loss or two away from being fired by new Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen. But Buffalo went on to win 13 of their next 14 games, and from that point on, Ruff was pushing all the right buttons to get the most out of his players.
Ruff wound up nominated for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top bench boss in 2025-26 – the fifth time in his career he was a Jack Adams nominee. Ruff won a Jack Adams in 2005-06, and although he hasn’t won the Jack Adams again, the fact he’s still coaching more than two decades later is a testament to his staying power and lasting influence on the game.
If we’re nitpicking, the reason Ruff doesn’t get an ‘A’ or ‘A+’ grade is about a couple of things: the poor start to the season counts against Ruff, even if he eventually figured out how to turn things around. And the Sabres’ power play ranked 21st in the league at 19.5 percent efficiency. It wasn’t a perfect season, and that’s essentially what you need to get an ‘A+’ out of this writer.
Ruff is a Buffalo legend, and if you’re a Sabres fan, you want a Buffalo legend to be a key contributor to a reinvigorated Sabres organization. Ruff got a two-year contract extension out of Kekalainen, and he was completely deserving of having job security – at least, as much job security as any NHL coach can have in the churn-and-burn coaching business.
There’s no guarantee the Sabres will be as strong as they were most of last season. And if things go down the tubes, the end will come swiftly for Ruff. Buffalo can’t afford a step backward next season, so the pressure on Ruff isn’t going to dissipate anytime soon.
The existence of a coach in this day and age is transitory in the extreme. If you’re a coach and your team reels off a dozen great games in a row, you’re going to be lauded. And if your team has a stretch where it can’t beat anybody, you’re going to hear whispers you’re about to be replaced. There’s never really a happy medium for coaches, so you can forgive Ruff if he’s grown tired of worrying about his job security.
You have to live in the moment if you’re a coach, and Ruff has to enjoy the ride – especially the pleasant ride as it stands right now. Father Time eventually shepherds in change, and if Ruff and the Sabres aren’t at least as successful as they were last season, the end could come for him before he’s fully prepared for it. But right now, Ruff deserves the ‘A’ for what he did last year.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 06: Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts #50 at bat during the NLDS game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers on October 6th, 2025 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Dodgers return to a park they last visited during that historic 2025 postseason campaign.
The Atlanta Braves and their red hot offense will be facing another top ten offense in the month of July in the San Diego Padres. Both teams will be bringing in starters who have struggled as of late on the mound.
The Braves have scored the most runs in MLB over the month of July, but Bryce Elder, who is starting tonight, has an ERA of 11.00 in his last four starts. The Padres have been a top ten in runs scored as well, and are in a similar situation with their starter. JP Sears made his season debut four starts ago, against Atlanta, and has a an ERA of 5.03 thus far this season.
This game has the makings of an offensive shootout. Here is to hoping the Braves come out on top.
Follow along in the comments. First pitch is at 7:15 EDT.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 19: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers walks back to the dugout after striking out during the first inning against the New York Yankees in game one of a double header at Yankee Stadium on July 19, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani is expected to pitch off a mound sometime later this week, but there is no timetable for his return to the rotation.
Ohtani had been scheduled to start against the Phillies in the finale of the three-game series in Philadelphia on Wednesday. But left knee irritation that kept him out of last week’s All-Star Game scrapped those plans.
The four-time MVP last pitched on July 3. He received a lubricant injection in his balky knee, which does not bother him while batting.
Manager Dave Roberts said the injection, bypassing the All-Star game and skipping the scheduled start is not because the issue is worsening. Rather, that it has “not gotten better.”
“All that stuff is trying to give us the best chance to be out of the woods entirely,” Roberts said before Monday’s game against Philadelphia.
Roberts indicated that Ohtani would try to throw off the mound later this week, saying it could happen on Thursday or Friday. The two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers are scheduled to visit the White House on Thursday, an off day. They begin a three-game series at the New York Mets on Friday.
Asked if Ohtani could return to the rotation sometime in the near future, possibly as early as next week, Roberts said, “I don’t know. He’s got to play catch again and then we’ll see.”
Asked if Ohtani could return to the rotation sometime in the near future, possibly as early as next week, Roberts said, “I don’t know. He’s got to play catch again and then we’ll see.”
