Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today's games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Thanks for being here. Are you feeling rested and refreshed coming off consecutive off-days in the wake of Tuesday's exhilarating All-Star Game? Good. Because baseball is back. And a busy second half awaits. So take a deep breath and come along with us as we prepare for what's next. Trade Deadline season: June's Rafael Devers trade will be hard to top, but let's see what else is in store before July 31 at 6 p.m. ET. We've already seen a couple of notable deals completed over the past eight days, and that's just the start. Expect some surprises along the way, but for now, our Mark Feinsand brings us 10 trade targets to watch. And follow along here for all of the latest news and rumors. |
Hall of Fame induction day: The baseball world's attention will turn to Cooperstown, N.Y., on Sunday, July 27, when five baseball icons will be enshrined in the Hall. A quick refresher: CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki and Billy Wagner were elected to the Hall by the Baseball Writers' Association of America in January, a month after Dick Allen and Dave Parker were elected by the Classic Baseball Era Committee. Induction day will be bittersweet, after Parker passed away last month. (Allen also will be inducted posthumously). Still, given the beloved players involved, this is sure to be a memorable celebration. Speedway Classic: On Aug. 2, the Braves and Reds will take part in a one-of-a-kind baseball spectacle. The first AL/NL game ever played in Tennessee will start its engines at Bristol Motor Speedway, the legendary racing venue, with a baseball diamond being built across the track and infield specially for this occasion. Both ballplayers and NASCAR drivers are excited, and fans should be, too. In addition to the game, there will be an epic concert (featuring Tim McGraw and Pitbull, among others), as well as a 220,000 square-foot Fan Zone. Intrigued? Get your tickets here. Playoff races: The standings remain mostly wide open as the schedule resumes, with only eight teams more than six games out of a playoff spot. The AL East (Blue Jays over Yankees), NL East (Phillies over Mets) and NL Central (Cubs over Brewers) feature no more than two games of separation at the top, and the jam-packed AL Wild Card race features a whopping nine teams within 6 1/2 games of each other. In other words: Buckle up. Players in pursuit of glory: Clayton Kershaw already joined the 3,000-strikeout club before the break, but there are a few other stars in the statistical spotlight:
Mike Trout is just five homers away from 400 and five RBIs away from 1,000.
Shohei Ohtani is a two-way player again, one who has thrown nine dominant innings (one run, 10 strikeouts) over five short outings as an "opener." Oh, and at the plate, he's leading the NL with 32 home runs.
Speaking of dingers … it's been the Year of Big Dumper, with Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh bashing 38 and then conquering the Derby. He has all sorts of homer-related single-season records in his sights over the next two-plus months, and he could make the AL MVP race mighty interesting, despite two-time winner Aaron Judge putting together another ridiculous campaign. -- Andrew Simon |
- Giants @ Blue Jays (7:07 p.m. ET, MLB.TV and MLB Network): The Blue Jays went into the All-Star break as one of the hottest teams in baseball, having surged into first place in the AL East with a two-game lead over the Yankees. Now it'll be about maintaining that perch, starting with a visit from the Giants, who send Justin Verlander to the mound still seeking his first win of the season.
- Brewers @ Dodgers (10:10 p.m. ET, MLB.TV): The perpetually overlooked Brewers are once again right in the mix in the NL playoff picture, holding the top Wild Card spot and sitting just a game back in the division. They meet the reigning champs for the second time this season after sweeping them in Milwaukee at the beginning of the month, part of a seven-game winning streak the Crew rode into the All-Star break.
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As pointed out above, the July 31 Trade Deadline is fast approaching, and it's time for teams to answer a crucial question: Do we buy or do we sell? Clubs may not commit to a course until the final days -- and even hours -- leading up to the Deadline, but as MLB.com's Thomas Harrigan points out, some teams are trending in a certain direction. The Red Sox, for instance, looked like sellers following their shocking trade of Rafael Devers. But they have the third-best record in MLB since then (16-9) and entered today's game against the Cubs riding a 10-game winning streak. Now the Red Sox will almost certainly be buying at the Deadline, with a starting pitcher and a first baseman among their biggest needs. On the other end, D-backs general manager Mike Hazen has expressed his desire not to sell, but he may have no choice unless Arizona opens the season's second half on a roll. The Diamondbacks have a 47-50 record, are 5 1/2 games out of a playoff spot and have been hit hard by injuries. The D-backs have a bunch of enticing trade chips, including starting pitchers Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, and power-hitting third baseman Eugenio Suárez. Will any of them be on a new team at the end of this month? Only time will tell -- and time is running out. -- Brian Murphy |
If you're a fan of HBO's "Last Week Tonight" -- or a regular reader of this newsletter -- you are likely well versed on the saga of the Moon Mammoths, the alternate identity for the Double-A Erie Seawolves hand picked by host John Oliver. If so, this is your weekend: The Moon Mammoths will make their on-field debut on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET in a highly anticipated clash with the Chesapeake Oyster Catchers, who have some interesting lore of their own. The team has all sorts of fun things planned for the game, including a special menu that features plenty of Mammoth-themed food and drinks, plus postgame fireworks. The rebranded squad also has its very own mascot, Fuzz E. Mammoth, ready to bring "big tusk energy," according to the team. If you happen to live in or around Northwest Pennsylvania and wanted to join Oliver and the other Mammoths faithful at the game, we hope you already have tickets: Saturday's game is completely sold out. But fear not, tickets are available for the Moon Mammoths' games in August and September. And if you want to get in the spirit at home, you can watch tomorrow's game free at MLB.com or on MLB.TV, and you can also get fresh for the summer with official Moon Mammoth merchandise. -- Bryan Horowitz |
HILL APPROACHING THE SUMMIT |
You might remember that Rich Hill signed a Minor League deal with the Royals in May. What you may have missed in a very busy baseball week, was that the 45-year-old struck out 10 batters for Triple-A Omaha on Sunday, becoming the first hurler of his vintage since Nolan Ryan in 1992 to reach double-digit K's in a pro game. Such a successful start raises the question: Could Kansas City, which will be without injured ace Cole Ragans until at least mid-August, call up Hill? The ageless southpaw has pitched for 13 MLB teams over his 20 seasons, but the Royals so far haven't been one of them. If he throws one pitch for K.C., he would tie Edwin Jackson's record for most teams played for in a career. While we wait with fingers crossed, put your memory of Jackson's 14 teams to the test with this quiz.
-- Andy Werle
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