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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)

PHILADELPHIA –– It remains unclear exactly how aggressive the Dodgers will be ahead of MLB’s Aug. 3 trade deadline.

But next week, the team is expecting to get a couple key internal reinforcements back from injury.

Closer Edwin Díaz is on track to be activated next Tuesday, when the Dodgers return home from their current nine-game, East Coast road trip. The $69 million offseason signing has been out since April, when he underwent a surgical procedure to remove loose bodies from his elbow. However, he is set to follow up his latest rehab outing with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday afternoon with two more minor-league outings on Thursday and Sunday. After that, he should be ready to return for Tuesday’s series-opener against the Mariners.

“We feel very confident right now if he continues to trend the way he has, the back-to-back to check that box, to then go Sunday, we feel like he’d be in a good spot,” Roberts said of Díaz, who had an ERA over 10.00 while battling his elbow injury earlier this year.

Utilityman Kiké Hernández is also nearing the end of his recovery process from an oblique strain, which sidelined him in May just two games into a return from offseason elbow surgery.

Hernández began his own rehab stint in OKC at the start of this week, and is also on track to return during the Dodgers’ upcoming homestand –– though it remains unclear if he will be ready to be activated as soon as Díaz.

“He’s in a good spot,” Roberts said. “So Tuesday could probably make sense. I just don’t know for certain.”

The returns of Díaz and Hernández will represent a mid-season boost to the Dodgers, who have gone closer-by-committee without Díaz (Tanner Scott has gotten the most save opportunities in his stead) and have missed Hernández’s defensive versatility and veteran bat (Alex Freeland has effectively served in that role off the bench).

As long as they perform as hoped, the Dodgers will likely not have any deadline needs in the bullpen or their lineup.

Their rotation, however, remains another question, with the club still waiting to see how soon Shohei Ohtani (who threw a bullpen session Wednesday as part of his recovery from a knee injury), Blake Snell (who had his own loose-body removal in May but is also on a minor-league rehab assignment in OKC right now) and Tyler Glasnow (who has yet to face hitters since suffering a back injury) will be able to return.

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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.

PHILADELPHIA –– It remains unclear exactly when Shohei Ohtani will get back in the Dodgers pitching rotation.

But on Wednesday, at least, the two-way star took an encouraging step by getting back off the mound in a pregame bullpen session.

Before the Dodgers’ series-finale against the Phillies –– a game that Ohtani was originally expected to start before a lingering left knee injury prompted the team to give him a break from pitching –– Ohtani played long toss in the outfield at Citizens Bank Park, then proceeded to the bullpen for a 31-pitch session in which he used his full pitch mix.

It was the first time Ohtani had thrown off a mound in exactly two weeks, and his first bullpen session since receiving a lubricant injection in his knee during the All-Star break.

“It’s a big sign,” manager Dave Roberts said.

“It went great,” pitching coach Mark Prior added.

Prior and assistant pitching coach Connor McGuiness (who observed Ohtani’s bullpen alongside interpreter Will Ireton) both described Wednesday as a normal bullpen session, similar to what Ohtani would do between starts while he was making regular turns through the rotation.

Prior also said Wednesday’s session had been pre-planned, and that the team will see how Ohtani feels in the coming days before deciding what will be next for him pitching-wise.

“Once he started playing catch, [the plan] was to see how he felt over the three or four day,” Prior said. “If everything felt good, he was going to throw a bullpen today.”

Ohtani last made a pitching start on July 3, before having his final scheduled outing of the first half scratched because of lingering discomfort in his knee.

He has been battling inflammation and irritation in his knee –– the same one he had surgery on in 2019 to address a congenital condition –– since mid-June, when his knee first flared up on him the day after a pitching start in Pittsburgh.

The right-hander said he believed the problem arose because of flaws in his mechanics that put too much pressure on his front landing leg. Roberts has also described the problem as “wear and tear” from his return to a full-time two-way role this season.

Following Wednesday’s bullpen, Roberts still wasn’t sure when Ohtani would return to the Dodgers’ rotation, saying only that it wouldn’t happen during this road trip (which will conclude with a series against the Mets this weekend).

“After I talk to Mark and they get with the training staff, that information is going to be crucial,” Roberts noted.

But Ohtani’s progress to this point suggests his absence from the rotation might only last a few weeks, as opposed to a longer-term break that would force him to completely rebuild his stamina on the mound.

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

Ohtani hadn’t been as sharp in the four starts he made while pitching through his knee injury, posting a 4.38 ERA in those outings compared to his sterling 0.74 ERA beforehand this season.

How much of that was because of his knee, or other flaws in his delivery, is a question the Dodgers are trying to work through as Ohtani ramps back up to full availability as a pitcher.

“I think his delivery got off a little bit, which kind of affected some things,” Prior said. “But at the end of the day, when he gets his delivery right, his execution of his pitches, he’s at a much higher efficiency. I think that’s the goal.”

For now, the Dodgers are simply happy that Ohtani seems to be trending back in the right direction, with the four-time MVP having reported to the training staff that his knee “feels good” in the wake of his All-Star break treatment, according to Roberts.

“We all believe that you don’t know more than the player,” Roberts said. “He knows his body so well. So if he feels he’s ready to get off a mound, then we support it. I think for us it’s more not trying to force him or push him.”

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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!