This culminates a week of grading the Mets’ disappointing first half of the 2026 season. Here are some individual grades for key players, then David Stearns and Carlos Mendoza, and finally a team grade.

JUAN SOTO

Without much protection in the lineup, Soto is putting up big numbers, including a .957 OPS that is second-highest in MLB and a .554 slugging percentage that is sixth. The only knock (besides missing 19 games due to injury) is that, like last year, he hasn’t been great in the clutch. Hitting only .205 w/RISP, but does have .421 on-base, and .500 on-base with two outs/RISP, which tells you he’s not getting much to hit in big spots.

Grade: A

CARSON BENGE

His growth as a hitter has been remarkable. The rookie went from being overmatched in April to a major contributor in May and June, learning to catch up with high velocity and gets the barrel to fastballs up in the zone. Should be a mainstay for years.

Grade: B +

A.J. EWING

Like Benge, one of the only reasons to watch the Mets since they nosedived. He brought energy upon his call-up in May with his speed and his defense in center field, and impressed at the plate with his short, quick swing. Early success leveled off when pitchers stopped trying to get him to chase, challenged him more in the zone, though his .855 OPS in his last 15 games is an indication he’s figuring it out. Leadoff hitter of the future.

Grade: B

FRANCISCO ALVAREZ

Likely will never reach his once-hyped potential as long as he’s going to chase high fastballs, which he seems prone to doing in big spots, but he’s also not a bust. Great work ethic helped Alvarez return quickly from knee surgery. Provides some much-needed pop; has nine home runs in 57 games, including five in 20 games since his return. Still a young catcher at 24, with great energy behind the plate. But his bad habit of backhanding balls in the dirt has returned -- needs to clean that up again.

Grade: C

BO BICHETTE

Bat has come to life the last month or so, but numbers are still way down across the board. OPS is just .676 and his slow start was a huge reason the Mets’ offense tanked when the season fell apart early. Came with a rep as a clutch-hitting savant, with spectacular RISP numbers, and after a horrendous start, he’s started to deliver. Hitting .246 w/RISP, .721 OPS. And w/ 2 outs RISP, .270, .931 OPS.

Grade: D

MARCUS SEMIEN

However you want to frame the trade for Brandon Nimmo, as a needless salary dump or a way to clear space for young outfielders, Semien has been a major disappointment. His OPS + of 71 (major league average is 100) sums it up offensively. And metrics say his range at 2B has slipped dramatically. Only saving grace: he’s been pretty good in the clutch, with a .292 BA, .708 OPS.

Grade: D

FRANCISCO LINDOR

Has only played 30 games due to a calf injury. Got off to his typical slow start offensively. Weird part was the mental mistakes he was making early in the season, forgetting how many outs, mistakes on bases, etc.

Grade: Incomplete

CLAY HOLMES

The only pitcher who was dependable from start to start. Holmes’ outstanding first half was cut short by the line drive that fractured his right fibula. Had a 2.39 ERA, was perhaps on his way to an All-Star appearance.

Grade: A

NOLAN MCLEAN

Maybe expectations were too high, based on his excellence over eight starts late last season, but his inconsistency has been puzzling. The stuff is clearly there. The opposition is hitting just .204 against him, fourth-lowest among in MLB. Has big strikeout numbers. But has to learn to command his assortment of pitches, especially the high-spin breaking stuff, as mistake-pitches have cost him in many games, causing relatively high 3.78 ERA.

Grade: B –

FREDDY PERALTA

Most shocking underperformance of all for the Mets. Peralta’s ERA is 4.81, more than two runs higher than his 2.70 in Milwaukee last year. Even more notably, his ERA+ number of 157 was Hall of Fame level last year. This year it’s 86, well-below major league average. A lot of theories on why he’s not getting swings and misses at top of zone, as in the past, but too late for the Mets to figure it out. Almost sure to be traded at deadline.

Grade: D

CHRISTIAN SCOTT

He’s been solid in his return from Tommy John surgery, pitching to a 3.20 ERA in 10 starts, has bright future. Averaging fewer than five innings per start, missed time recently with hip impingement, so a lot still to prove.

Grade: B

KODAI SENGA

Mets gambled he would rebound. Instead looks like a lost cause, with his 9.09 ERA. Weird that he can be dominant for an inning here and then fall apart the next. Seems to be the definition of in his own head.

Grade: F  

SEAN MANAEA

Give him credit for at least getting himself back to being useful, recovering lost velocity along the way. But at best he’s a fifth starter making $25 million a year. Turned out his 2024 dominance was lightning in a bottle.

Grade: D

DEVIN WILLIAMS

Early struggles contributed to Mets’ lost April, but he has turned his season around in a big way, looking like a lock-down closer again. Hasn’t had many save opportunities since the Mets haven’t had many late leads, but the air-bender change-up has been a dominant pitch again.

Grade: B +

LUKE WEAVER

On an all-time heater, with a streak of 24 straight scoreless innings. Hasn’t given up a run since April. With another year on contract, big question now is whether the Mets will trade him when his stock is high.

Grade: A  

CARLOS MENDOZA

There wasn’t much Mendoza could do about the injuries and underperformance from several high-profile players, which is why he deserved the chance to weather the early-season storms, including that 12-game losing streak. But by last week, when the Mets fired him, it was clear something had to change.

And while Mendoza wasn’t the cause for all the losing, I thought he missed opportunities to hold players accountable, from Mark Vientos running through a stop sign and bragging about it, to David Peterson failing to back up a play (which brought strong criticism from Ron Darling on SNY), to stopping players from making poor challenges of the ABS system early in games, something that became a major issue. Perhaps Mendoza held guys accountable in private, but at some point I thought there needed to be some sign of strength publicly as the team was failing. Also, he seemed to manage more cautiously after his first season, going less by feel of individual games at times and more by the book regarding lefty-righty matchups, etc. I still thought he had a good feel for his players and communicated well with them, but he wasn’t without flaws.

Grade: C-

DAVID STEARNS

There’s no getting around it: the blame falls heavily on Stearns for this disastrous first half. 

If he was going to break up the core, most notably by not re-signing Pete Alonso, he needed to make the right decisions on new players. Instead, he whiffed on key acquisitions, and perhaps most egregiously, gambled on players with a history of injuries like Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr., who both spent most of the first half on the IL. He proclaimed run prevention would be a priority, but then wound up with key players playing new positions, most notably at first base, the position that hurt the Mets most both offensively and defensively.

In addition, he didn’t want to commit to long-term contracts via free agency to upgrade a starting rotation that fell apart in 2025, gambling instead on bounce-backs from Senga, Peterson, and Manaea -- another whiff. He did trade for Peralta, and while it wasn’t Stearns’ fault that the former Milwaukee Brewers star lost his mojo as a Met, it’s fair to say the President of Baseball Ops paid for not doing enough to change the makeup of the starting pitching. He did get the bullpen right, though that’s not very impactful when the Mets infrequently have leads in the late innings.

Grade: F

OVERALL

Finally, the team grade. I really try to avoid giving out failing grades because I think it diminishes the contributions that even the worst teams in baseball get from players who mostly work their tails off trying to produce and win games. But there’s no way around it in this case. The team with the second-highest payroll in baseball, the only team in the same financial stratosphere as the Dodgers, fell on its face in the first half, to the point where Steve Cohen said he fired Mendoza as much to put him out of his misery as anything else. As such, this is perhaps the most embarrassing half-season in team history, which is saying a lot for a franchise that unfortunately is known more for making the term “LOL-Mets” a part of our sporting lexicon than for its achievements.

Grade: F

Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below. Check out the previous day’s recap here.

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (39-44) won 3-2 (BOX SCORE)

Hendrickson started for Sugar Land and was solid allowing 2 runs over 5.2 innings. Sugar Land got on the board in the 6th inning scoring a run on a Salazar bases loaded walk. In the 7th, they took the lead on a Ferreras 2 run double. The pen was great tossing 3.1 scoreless innings as they closed out the 3-2 win.

Note: Ferreras is hitting .375 in Triple-A.

• Zach Cole, RF: 1-for-2, SB
• Shay Whitcomb, 3B: 1-for-4, BB
• Zach Dezenzo, DH: 1-for-5, R, SB
• Trenton Brooks, 1B: 1-for-4, R, BB
• Cesar Salazar, C: 1-for-2, RBI, 2 BB

• Josh Hendrickson, LHP: 5.2 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• Sam Carlson, RHP: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (WIN)
• Logan VanWey, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Roddery Munoz, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K (SAVE)

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (36-41) lost 5-4 (BOX SCORE)

The Hooks got on the board in the first inning scoring a run on error. They got another run in the 2nd inning on a Holy solo home run. Hertzler got the start for the Hooks and tossed 4 no-hit innings. The game stayed 2-0 until the 7th with the Naturals scored 5 runs to take the lead. The offense got 2 runs back in the 8th on a Bush 2 run single but that would be it as the Hooks fell 5-4.

Note: Brutcher is hitting .354 in Double-A.

• Drew Brutcher, DH: 1-for-3, 2 R, 2B, BB, SB
• Will Bush, C: 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI
• Yamal Encarnacion, RF: 1-for-3, 2B, BB
• Max Holy, SS: 1-for-4, R, HR, RBI
• Jax Biggers, 3B: 1-for-4, R

• Cole Hertzler, RHP: 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
• Jose Guedez, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• Jack Dashwood, LHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• Julio Rodriguez, RHP: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• Alejandro Torres, RHP: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

A+: Asheville Tourists (25-52) won 17-3 (BOX SCORE)

Asheville got on the board scoring 3 runs in the first inning on a Moss sac fly and Hernandez 2 run single. They blew it open in the third inning scoring 9 runs on a Moss RBI single, Daudet RBI single, Garcia hit by pitch, run on a passed ball, Thomas bases loaded walk, Ochoa groundout, Call 2 run double and Moss RBI single. They scored 4 more runs in the 5th on a Moss RBI single and Brown 3 run home run. Oakes got the start and had his best outing in Asheville allowing 1 run over 6 innings while striking out 4. In the 8th inning, Thomas connected on a solo home run. The pen allowed a couple of runs but the offense did more than enough as Asheville won 17-3.

Note: Thomas has a .942 OPS this season.

• Kyle Walker, 2B: 2-for-4, R, 2B, BB
• Justin Thomas, LF: 2-for-4, 3 R, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB
• Nehomar Ochoa, CF: 2-for-5, 3 R, 2B, RBI, BB
• Chase Call, RF: 1-for-3, 3 R, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 BB
• Jack Moss, 1B: 3-for-5, 2 R, 4 RBI
• Cesar Hernandez, RF: 1-for-5, 2 RBI, BB
• Zach Daudet, 3B: 1-for-4, 2 R, RBI, BB
• Marcus Brown, SS: 1-for-4, 2 R, HR, 3 RBI, BB
• John Garcia, C: 1-for-3, R, RBI, BB

• Kellan Oakes, RHP: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K (WIN)
• Colby Langford, LHP: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
• Anthony Cruz, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (39-38) won 11-5 (BOX SCORE)

Potter started for the Woodpeckers and went 3.2 innings allowing 3 runs. The Woodpeckers got on the board in a big way in the 4th inning scoring 6 runs on a Luciano solo home run, Wakefield bases loaded walk and an Alvarez grand slam. They got 4 more runs in the 5th inning on a Luciano RBI double, Vasquez RBI double and Wakefield 2 run single. Luciano added an RBI single in the 7th inning. Shoemaker allowed 2 runs over 4 innings in relief and Cassedy tossed a scoreless 9th as he closed out the 11-5 win.

Note: Alvarez is hitting .266 this season.

• Anthony Huezo, LF: 0-for-3, R, 2 BB
• Josh Wakefield, CF: 1-for-4, R, 3 RBI, BB
• Kevin Alvarez, DH: 1-for-4, R, HR, 4 RBI, BB
• Carlos Cauro, 1B: 1-for-4, R, BB
• Brandon Nigh, SS: 0-for-2, R, 3 BB
• Waner Luciano, 3B: 3-for-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB, SB
• Hector Salas, 2B: 0-for-2, 2 R, 3 BB
• Yosweld Vasquez, C: 1-for-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI, BB

• Nick Potter, RHP: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
• Ryan Mathiesen, RHP: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K (WIN)
• Adam Shoemaker, LHP: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
• Brandon Cassedy, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: Ryan Weiss – 7:05 CT

CC: James Hicks – 7:05 CT

AV: Parker Smith – 5:35 CT

FV: TBD – 5:30 CT

With the playoffs expanded to six teams, it’s not surprising for the final spot to go to a team near .500. Just last year, the Cincinnati Reds won a tiebreaker over the New York Mets to grab the final spot at 83-79. In the good old days (before 2022), the San Diego Padres would have had the final spot at 90-72. The 88-90 win range just feels like an appropriate cutoff. Back in May, Matt outlined why the sixth playoff spot is “an abomination” and why the Red Sox were still very much in the playoff race.

Since May 21st, when this was written, the Sox have fallen from five-under .500 to eleven-under .500 after losing two of three to the Washington Nationals. They are 37-48 with 77 games to play. Out of context, that’s an insurmountable number of wins to make up from Independence Day forward. However, the fact that four of the six playoff spots in the American League are currently on pace for 85 wins or less is making this a wildly unique and extreme scenario.

• Chicago White Sox: T-1st AL Central – 45-41, .523 (Pace: 85-77)
• Cleveland Guardians: T-1st AL Central – 46-42, .523 (Pace: 85-77)
• Texas Rangers: T-1st AL West – 45-43, .511 (Pace: 83-79)
• Seattle Mariners: T-1st AL West – 45-43, .511 (Pace: 83-79)

Beyond that, the only two teams that feel like “a threat” are the Houston Astros (43-46, Pace: 78-84) and the Toronto Blue Jays (41-46, Pace: 76-86).

If there were only one playoff spot up for grabs that felt attainable, you’d have to assume that some team would go on a “19-and-4 in September” style run in the second half to make that spot unattainable like the Guardians did a year ago. The multiple spots available have somehow still kept the Red Sox projected playoff odds at 14%, according to Fangraphs. They are projecting the White Sox and Astros to tie for the final wild card spot at 79-83! Their projected win total for the Red Sox is 77-85, two games off of that pace.

If we go off of the current pace, the Red Sox would need to get to 83 games to tie, and 84 games to win the final playoff spot. It would take a record of 47-30 to get to those 84 wins. Of course, outside of a four-game sweep of the Yankees last weekend, there hasn’t been a single week this season that the team has given us reason to think that they could go on a run like that. Perhaps a road trip against the (slightly more) pathetic Angels and Mets can be a catalyst going into the All-Star Break.

In terms of the “worst” teams to ever make the postseason, MLB.com did a great recap a year ago of all of the teams that have made it with 85-wins or fewer. Never forget the 2006 Cardinals, who won their division with 83 wins back when only four teams made the playoffs in each league, and then went on to win the World Series.

Discuss in the comments, be good to each other, and Happy Fourth!

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Pitching will be the focus in my MLB same-game parlay predictions for tonight's action. 

I'm expecting both Trevor Rogers and Jake Bennett to throw gems, while Trevor Larnach should stay hot at the dish against the New York Yankees. 

Read more inn my MLB picks for Friday, July 3. 

Today's best MLB SGP picks

Game	SGP Odds
MIN vs NYY	+264
BAL vs CIN	+500
BOS vs LAA	+260

Twins at Yankees SGP: Larnach Steals The Show

Minnesota Twins outfielder Trevor Larnach is hitting .417 over the last week, and he's came across the plate in four of his last six games. The Twins' leadoff hitter is a sparkplug, and he's reached base safely in six straight contests as well. 

Larnach is coming off a three-hit performance, and, for what it's worth, the 29-year-old is also 2-for-7 lifetime against Gerrit Cole with a home run. The Twins also have 113 wRC+ over the last week. This lineup is producing, and Larnach is consistently putting himself in scoring position.  

As for Cole, he hasn't been great since returning from injury, but the veteran consistently pounds the strike zone. He's cashed the Under in walks allowed in back-to-back outings.

• Time: 7:05 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: YES, Twins.TV

See full analysis of this game in our Twins vs. Yankees predictions.

Orioles at Reds SGP: Another Gem From Rogers

Baltimore Orioles starter Trevor Rogers is really settling in lately after a rough start to the season. The left-hander owns an impressive 2.52 FIP across his last five outings. During that span, Rogers has allowed just 0.29 HR/9 and 1.76 BB/9. He's consistently pounding the strike zone and inducing weak contact. 

Rogers has cashed the Under in earned runs allowed in three straight appearances, and he's up against a Cincinnati Reds offense that is hitting just .230 over the last two weeks. Rogers also has hit the Under in hits surrendered in three straight outings. 

Brady Singer is coming off a start where he allowed nine hits, and Gunnar Henderson enters this matchup swinging the bat well with two multi-hit games in his last three contests.

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

See full analysis of this game in our Orioles vs. Reds predictions.

Red Sox vs Angels SGP: Bennett Dominates Halos

Boston Red Sox rookie Jake Bennett has impressed since earning his call-up, posting a 3.27 ERA while compiling a stellar 1.51 xERA across his last two starts. Bennett hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in three consecutive outings. 

He's also consistently limiting hard contact. The southpaw has allowed Under 4.5 hits in three straight, and opponents have just a 29% hard hit rate against him over the last month. 

His ability to consistently pound the strike zone has also allowed the youngster to work deep into games, tossing six innings in back-to-back starts. He'll face a Los Angeles Angels lineup with just 67 wRC+ over their last six games and a poor .268 wOBA. 

• Time: 9:38 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NESN, ABTV

See full analysis of this game in our Red Sox vs. Angels predictions.

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.

Good morning, LSB.

The Rangers beat the Tigers last night, 10-4.

Shawn McFarland says the Rangers finish their 15-games-in-15-days stretch by winning 10 of them.

It was another night of Texas’ unsung heroes leading the way to a win, writes Kennedi Landry.

In other news Brandon Nimmo is OK after slamming into the wall the other day and expects to play this weekend.

Newest Ranger Ben Peoples had a hectic week that finally saw him land in Arlington.

Jordan Montgomery and Cody Bradford, the elbow surgery bros, continue to progress.

The Socceroos took over the ballpark last night.

And Bobby V is the latest guest on Evan Grant’s Rangers podcast

That’s all for this morning. The Rangers are weirdly off today so have a nice baseball free Friday.

The Mets open a three-game series against the Braves on Friday night at 7:15 p.m.

Mets Notes

• Christian Scott owns a 3.18 ERA with 38 strikeouts over his last seven starts, including six against the Phillies last time out on June 27
• Francisco Lindor has homered twice in his last three games as he looks to get back on track since returning on June 24
• A.J. Ewing is hitting .304 over his last seven games with four RBI and three walks

Today's Lineups

As Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy moved fluidly through a chopper at the edge of Camelback Ranch’s infield grass and made a running throw to first, his offseason work started to snap into place.

He wasn’t thinking about the angle he took to the ball, or how to get into the right position to throw — or anything, really. He was just moving instinctively.

“That’s how I like to field it in my work, is not necessarily traditionally,” Muncy told The Times on Thursday. “I like to field it one-handed, sometimes off the wrong foot, sometimes off balance, and that’s what works for me really, really well. I just couldn’t get that into the game. And finally getting those first couple of balls [this spring] to go that way just made everything click in my head and gave me the freedom to know that I can do it when it matters.”

Muncy has put together an impressive all-around first half. His .871 OPS through Thursday leads NL third basemen. He’s on pace for his highest slugging percentage (.513) in five years. But he’s most proud of the work he’s put in on the defensive side.

Read more:Dodgers overcome Roki Sasaki's poor performance to rout Padres

“I felt like I would show flashes of this, but never the consistency,” Muncy said. “And so to be able to just do it on the consistent daily basis that I’ve been doing this year, that’s easily what I’m most proud of.”

Now, with that well-rounded body of work, he’s in position to claim the third All-Star selection of his career and first since 2021.

Muncy entered Stage 2 of All-Star fan voting this week as the favorite to claim the starting nod at third base, up against fellow finalist Alec Bohm. But voting totals reset, adding some unpredictability to the process. The All-Star starters are set to be revealed Saturday at 4:30 p.m. on Fox.

“In total, the player, the defense, the hitting, the slugging, I think this is the best version of Max,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I’m so happy that he’s leading the All-Star voting.”

Not only is this shaping up to be Muncy’s best offensive season since 2021, it’s the best defensive season of his career, regardless of position.

Entering this weekend’s series against the Padres, he had a fielding run value of plus-five runs, tied with the Giants’ Matt Chapman for the highest mark among third basemen, according to Statcast.

“He’s always been a hitter,” first-base/infield coach Chris Woodward told The Times. “And I think he took it upon himself to say, ‘I’m going to prove to everybody that I’m a really good defensive player,’ which he has been in his time here, but he’s just never had the opportunity to play one position.”

Though Muncy is in his 11th major-league season, and has played all around the infield for most of it, 2022 marked his first season making the majority of his appearances at third base. And 2023 was his first season moving there full time.

He was also limited by injuries in that span. For years, he still felt the effects of the elbow injury he suffered toward the end of 2021. And he strained his right oblique in each of the last two seasons.

“Third base was just a new position for me, and it just took time to learn it,” Muncy said. “And so just trying to get my work to translate into the game is a tough thing to do, and that’s kind of the secret to every aspect of baseball.”

Read more:Dodgers let Charlie Barnes get shelled while they prepare for the Padres

Each infield position is unique, with its own quirks in footwork, angles and timing. Each has plays — like a slow-roller up the third baseline that requires a quick throw across the diamond — that no other position will encounter.

“When a righty gets around the ball, it comes off the bat a lot different than when a lefty gets around the ball,” Muncy said. “And it’s weird how that works, and it’s hard to explain, but that’s just the way it is.”

For much of Muncy’s baseball life he played on the right side of the infield, fielding pull-side contact from left-handed hitters and opposite-field contact from right-handed hitters. That was second nature.

“You have to completely flip that,” Muncy said of playing third base, “and understand which way it’s going to bounce, how it’s going to bounce, how it’s going to get to you. It just took years of experience to finally get to that point.”

Woodward has always been impressed by Muncy’s agility, surprised when the Dodgers first promoted him in 2018 (as he returned to the big-leagues for the first time since being released by the A’s the previous spring) and by how he moved at second base, despite an atypical build for a middle infielder.

Now, after an offseason with a new diet and training program, he may have leveled up that part of his game — even at 35 years old.

“In the past it was a good first step, and he couldn’t sustain his speed,” Woodward said. “And this year I think he can sustain the speed through the ball.”

Said Muncy: “I’m still beating the age curve for now.”

Woodward also noted how good Muncy is at staying on top of the mental side of the game, knowing how specific pitches to different types of hitters should change his positioning. That, along with regular communication, are some of the details that make the Dodgers infield look like it’s moving as a unit — or, as Woodward put it, an “NFL defense” because of the way they swarm to the ball.

The Dodgers’ infield defense as a whole has improved even from last season (No. 6 in fielding run value) to sit in the No. 3 spot in the majors (plus-17 runs) a little past the halfway point of the season.

Read more:Dave Roberts gets his 1,000th win as manager in Dodgers' victory over Athletics

Muncy unlocking even more potential in the hot corner is a big part of the Dodgers raising their defensive ceiling. That’s helped the Dodgers, who own the best record in the majors, create separation in the standings. But it’ll be even more vital in the postseason, when the margin for error is at its thinnest.

In All-Star voting, defense won’t be the determining factor. Muncy’s increased power at the plate is the far flashier aspect of his case to start the Midsummer Classic. But a well-rounded resume doesn’t hurt.

Muncy can picture it: his three children — Sophie Kate, who turns 5 this month, Wyatt James, 3, and Macie Grace, who was born in January — taking in All-Star weekend in Philadelphia, watching their dad represent the National League.

“Being able to have my kids experience the whole ordeal with me would mean everything to me,” Muncy said. “My oldest is kind of old enough now to remember these types of things, and so I think it’d be really special to just share that moment with them.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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The Milwaukee Brewers are sizable -155 favorites in their series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

With Kyle Harrison on the mound, my Brewers vs. Diamondbacks predictions and MLB picks are backing the Brew Crew to pick up a low-scoring victory.

Who will win Brewers vs Diamondbacks today: Milwaukee Brewers (-155)

Kyle Harrison gives the Milwaukee Brewers a pitching advantage almost every time on the bump. His consistency has been almost shocking, with the talented lefty conceding more than two earned runs once all season – in an extreme hitter-friendly park against the Athletics.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are excellent against lefties and yet it likely won’t matter. Harrison has allowed two or less in five of six games vs. Top-10 teams in OPS against lefties.

The Brewers rank fifth in wOBA vs. righties and Jose Cabrera’s indicators are worse than his counting stats. Harrison should get run support.

Back Milwaukee to -165.

COVERS INTEL:The Brewers own a 35-22 record vs. right-handed starting pitchers, trailing only the Dodgers.

Brewers vs Diamondbacks Over/Under pick: Under 9.0 (-120)

Harrison ranks in the 93rd percentile in Pitcher Run Value and has held opponents to two or less in 14 of 15 starts. 

He has a solid, right-handed heavy bullpen behind him. That is important as the Diamondbacks are much more potent against left-handed pitching.

The Brewers are well-equipped to slow the Diamondbacks down. They will likely need a ceiling offensive performance to push this total Over the number, and we haven’t seen that as often of late – Milwaukee is tied for 20th in runs scored over the past two weeks.

Play the Under to -130.

Brewers vs Diamondbacks weather

Arizona plays in a rarely opened dome so the weather has little to no impact.

Brewers vs Diamondbacks odds

• Moneyline: Brewers -155 | Diamondbacks +135
• Run line: Brewers -1.5 (+105) | Diamondbacks +1.5 (-125)
• Over/Under: Over 9.0 (+100) | Under 9.0 (-120)

Brewers vs Diamondbacks trend

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Among a flurry of moves the New York Yankees made Thursday involving the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, one jumped off the page:

Right-handed pitcher Carlos Lagrange placed on the seven-day injured list.

Lagrange is the Yankees’ No. 4-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline. He has spent the last month transitioning from the starting rotation to the bullpen with New York considering him as a possible big-league relief addition. Now, that has been put on hold with his trip to the IL.

Various reports indicate that Lagrange is dealing with a shoulder injury and set for an MRI. But after Thursday’s game against the Norfolk Tides at PNC Field in Pennsylvania, RailRiders manager Shelley Duncan said he didn’t think it was anything serious.

“With a guy like Lagrange, anything pops up, you’re protective of the guy,” Duncan said. “I don’t know the details, the little ones. But it’s nothing alarming.”

During the first two months of the season, Lagrange made 11 starts and had an 0-3 record with a 4.41 ERA]. He allowed 25 runs (24 earned) and 40 hits in 49 innings with 25 walks and 63 strikeouts. He impressed with a fastball that could reach 100 mph.

Lagrange was moved to the bullpen in June and the process of making him a reliever began. He earned his first Triple-A win at Syracuse on June 3rd, pitching four shutout franes with one hit, two walks, and seven strikeouts. He notched his first Triple-A save at Indianapolis on June 25th, working the final 1.1 innings and allowing one hit with two strikeouts.

However, in his last relief outing, also at Indianapolis on June 28th, Lagrange entered the game in the bottom of the seventh inning and the RailRiders leading, 4-1. He recorded just two outs and gave up five runs and four hits with two walks and one strikeout and took the loss, 6-5.

In seven relief appearances, Lagrange was 1-1 with one save and a 5.02 ERA. He allowed 12 runs (eight earned) and 13 hits in 14.1 innings with 8 walks and 20 strikeouts. Overall this season, he is 1-4 with a 4.55 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 63.1 innings. That K total ranks fifth in the International League.

Throughout the month, the Yankees and RailRiders were careful to space out Lagrange’s appearances. He pitched June 3rd, June 9th, June 14th, June 18th, June 21st, June 25th, and then June 28th. Duncan wasn’t sure if that contributed at all to his injury.

“It could be, but we don’t know,” Duncan said. “I’m sure it’s some we’ll dig into. When you transition from starter to bullpen, bullpen to starter, you have a different routine, different things. But we don’t know. We’ll look into it.”

Duncan also provided an update days earlier on the status of infielder George Lombard Jr. The Yankees’ top prospect has been on the injured list since June 18th. During a game June 16th in Columbus, he reached for a throw into a sliding runner on a stolen base attempt and suffered two sprained fingers on his left (catching) hand.

“It’s day to day,” Duncan said. “It’s nothing bad, but we don’t want to bring him back when it’s still sore and lingering. We want to bring him back when he’s 100 percent. So we’re taking our time with that and letting him go at his own pace.”

It remains to be seen how the injuries to Lagrange and Lombard will affect their status for the All-Star Futures Game on July 12th at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Both players were selected to the American League squad on Wednesday.

Elmer Rodríguez, the Yankees’ No. 2 prospect, had one of his best outings of the season Thursday night at PNC Field. He threw 6.1 quality innings and allowed three runs on eight hits with two walks and six strikeouts. He threw 93 pitches, 60 for strikes. Backed by four home runs, he earned the win, 7-3.

“I felt good from the start. I felt like I was attacking the hitters, comfortable throwing every single pitch,” Rodríguez said. “Obviously they got some hits and some tough spots, I kept attacking and feel like I got some good results.”

With two outs in the top of the third, Norfolk put together three consecutive singles to score its first run. The first two hits were slow rollers that found holes before Heston Kjerstad lined a hit to center field to knock in Enrique Bradfield Jr. and make it 3-1. But Kjerstad was thrown out trying to advance to second on the play to end the inning.

In the top of the sixth, Kjerstad hit the first pitch from Rodríguez out to center field for a home run to cut the Tides deficit to 3-2. Rodríguez then walked Ryan Noda with one out and allowed a two-out single to Mike Siani. But he came back and struck out Silas Ardoin on three pitches to end the threat.

“That leadoff home run in the sixth, sometimes you have to tip your cap to the hitters,” Duncan said. “That’s not easy to do. He’s aggressive in the strike zone first pitch, doing what we wanted to do to get ahead and he got a good piece of wood on it. It happens.

“But if you look at (Rodríguez’s) performance overall, he was attacking the strike zone, finishing hitters when he got to two strikes. That’s a recipe for success right there. He had good command of his fastballl tonight, breaking balls were pretty nasty. Excellent finishing pitches tonight. That was one of the best performances we’ve seen out of him, stuff-wise and command matched together. He had a real good outing.”

Rodríguez improved to 4-3 with a 2.93 ERA.

As we inch closer to the All-Star Break, we continue our 40-year anniversary of the game’s 57th Summer Installment which took place at the iconic Houston Astrodome on July 15th, 1986, in front of a capacity crowd of 45,774.    

Don Aase would come on for the American League and notch the save on this night.    Don reflects with us exclusively at The Crawfish Boxes.   

Q:  I went back and watched this game in its entirety, and it appears that Willie Hernandez thinks that he’s actually going in to close out the game when manager Dick Howser makes the move.  What happened there exactly?    

A:  Yeah, it was funny.  Willie went to go running in there and then he stopped, dead in his tracks. It was mix up, kind of strange there, but I went in and did the job.

Q:  So, you earn the save in your only All-Star appearance.  What did that night at the Astrodome mean to you personally?

A:  Oh man, that was something that you can only dream about.  I couldn’t believe I got a save in that situation.   I don’t know if anything can ever beat that feeling.  That was a high point of my career.    

Q:  What did you think of Roger Clemens outing that night?  He had a little extra going on being back home and it being his first ever ASG appearance.  

A:  He had it going no doubt.  You know, all of the pitching was really good.  I remember Fernando also doing his thing.  It was just a great thing to watch really, and it got extra exciting towards the end.    

Q:  You were on fire to get there.  You posted 23 saves in the first half of the 1986 campaign and the O’s weren’t even a legit contender that season.  What do you remember most about that season?    

A:  We were in a ton of games early on and they were all close and we started off well and I was closing games it felt like daily.   We tailed off because I hurt my back and I had to miss a few weeks.   I still think about that and the season we could’ve had.

Q:  What do you think about the closers today?

A:  It’s just really amazing how big and strong these guys are now.  This is coming from somebody who spends most of his time these days watching the grandkids, but it’s impressive seeing how hard everyone throws these days.  It seems like everyone today throws it 10 mph faster than we did.