I'd say "stop me if you heard this one before," but you can't stop me, because I have a recap to write. The Braves fell behind early, and didn't hit any homers, losing a close-ish game on the margins to the Twins. When you don't hit homers, you need BABIP, and when you don't get BABIP, chances are you're going to lose. That's pretty much what happened on Monday night at Target Field.
This game was a weird one in many ways. After a 45-minute rain delay, the Braves grinded Bailey Ober for 26 pitches, but ultimately came up short. Both Drake Baldwin and Michael Harris II singled, but Mauricio Dubon fouled out weakly to right on the eighth pitch he saw from Ober. Then, the Twins pulled off some high-wire only-in-baseball garbage, aided by Martin Perez' inability to keep the ball in the zone. Look, I'll just post the snip from the Baseball Savant gamefeed:
Basically, a soft double, two walks, a bloop double that basically kissed the chalk that no one was able to run down, a very soft bloop, and then a perfectly-placed slow roller. Put that together, and it's four runs. Yeah, Perez shouldn't be walking two guys in an inning if he's not going to strike anyone out, but… help us out a bit, BABIP gods, eh?
They would not. The funny thing is, the Twins didn't manage to get much of anything going the rest of the way, but neither did the Braves. Perez basically cruised until the fourth, when the Twins managed two hard liners, but Ryan Jeffers had a weak flyout to strand them. Perez completed five innings with a 3/2 K/BB ratio — no walks after those two to the second and third batters he faced. Victor Mederos had a 1-2-3 sixth, and then Tyler Kinley came on (white flag?), hit a batter, walked another, and gave way to Ray Kerr, making his first MLB appearance since June 15, 2024. Kerr threw literally one pitch, a down-the-middle sinker to Kody Clemens, which turned into a groundout. For the eighth, the Braves left Kerr in the game, and somehow, the Twins loaded the bases with none out again (somehow equals a hit-by-pitch, a single, and a bunt that Kerr threw too high for Ozzie Albies to flag down at first and still touch the base). But, despite me looking very askance at the Braves for deciding to throw Kerr in for an up-down in a close game while still recovering from Tommy John Surgery, he somehow got out of it with no runs scoring, thanks to two pop-outs and a groundout.
That was the pitching slate for Atlanta; the hitting slate was a lot more frustrating. The Braves made Ober throw a ton of pitches, a la the first inning, but to little avail the first two times through the order. After that first inning, they got a leadoff single in the second and a two-out walk in the third, but didn't do anything with either. They finally broke through in the fifth: Austin Riley singled to start the frame, and Drake Baldwin pulled a double down the right-field line. Ronald Acuña Jr. got a fastball down the pipe on 2-1 at a sad 85.6 mph and yanked it down the left-fiel

I hope you all will forgive me for spending a portion of my Saturday mornings sorting through various somewhat bleak baseball things in preparation for the coming recap. For instance, today I found myself roaming around looking at the recent game logs for Harrison Grant Holmes and comparing them those of Eduardo Rodriguez (Holmes had a better run recently, at least until today), and then looking at how the Braves as a team hit versus left-handed pitching (10th in the majors, as opposed to 8th vs. right-handers). The Diamondbacks, incidentally, are 2nd in the majors facing lefties, at least in terms of OPS, which was nice to see. But Grant Holmes is not a lefty, so I scrolled down to see how we do against righties, and discovered the rather depressing fact that we rank 29th in the majors in OPS against right-handed pitching. I tend to try to look for something interesting that I could touch on and organize my thinking around, in case a Saturday game goes badly for us, as it feels like they often do.
Anyway. As it turns out, I didn't really need to, though it certainly didn't look like it was going to be that way in the early going. Holmes caught leadoff man Lars Nootbaar looking to start off the game, then got Corbin Carroll to pop out on the infield and Geraldo Perdomo to strike out swinging on three pitches to make short work of the Snakes in the top of the first. Everyone's favorite hologram then came on for the bottom of the frame and gave up hits to the first three batters he faced: a home run to absolutely straightaway center field to Ronald Acuña, Jr., followed by a double to Drake Baldwin and a maddening bloop single just behind shortstop that fell in and advanced Baldwin to third. ERod finally recorded his first out on an Ozzie Albies pop fly to shallow right, but Baldwin crossed the plate on a grounder to second. That wound up being all the damage done, but we were already in a hole and Rodriguez had already thrown 24 pitches. 2-0 Atlanta
Given our dismal 0 for 14 performance last night with runners in scoring position, and given how easily Holmes had disposed of the top of our lineup in the top of the first, it seemed like we were in a very deep hole. But the bottom two thirds of the lineup, perhaps shamed by yesterday's aforementioned dismal performance, were having none of it today. Gabriel Moreno drewa five-pitch walk to lead things off, and was promptly advanced to third by a Max Kepler double into the alley in right center that rolled to the wall. Nolan Arenado grounded out slowly to third, allowing Moreno to score. Then Tim Tawa grounded a single to left, driving in Kepler and tying things back up. But we weren't done! Ildemaro Vargas, starting at second today due to Ketel Marte's gimpy knee, rolled over to second for the second out, but then Ryan Waldschmidt hit an opposite field liner to right that dropped for a single and scored Tawa from second. 3-2 DBACKS
And it was basically off to the races after that. ERod surrendered a

On Tuesday night against the Atlanta Braves, following a clunker of an outing his last time out in Cleveland, Nolan McLean allowed just one hit through six innings.
Unfortunately for the right-hander, that one hit, a home run by Ozzie Albies, was enough to beat him and the Mets who were shut out against Martin Perez and the Braves bullpen in a 4-0 loss.
Any other day, especially lately as New York's offense has been red-hot, McLean's outing would've been more than enough to earn him a win. Still, he and interim manager Andy Green were pleased with how he threw the ball.
"He was great," Green said. "I thought he bounced back early from being behind consistently and he managed to get out of those in the first couple of innings, avoided hits early because of that.
"Pitched behind more than he'd like to or we'd like him to, [but he] really found his groove there for a while. Just great six innings of work. One pitch that I'm sure he wants back."

#outing #enough #back #like

After putting up a total of 13 runs last night, the Mets and Braves had a much lower scoring affair in game two of this three game series, with the Atlanta going over NewYork 4-0.
Nolan McLean and Martín Pérez engaged in a pitchers' duel, with neither having dominant stuff tonight, but both doing what they could to keep the offense to a minimum. The Mets put runners on in each of the first four innings, but Pérez was able to keep them from coming around to score.
Both teams were kept off the board until the bottom of the fifth inning, when Ozzie Albies led off with a solo home run. That solo home run was the only hit given up by McLean, who had six strong innings, allowing just the one hit/one run, two walks, and struck out three. McLean was efficient with his pitches, throwing 85 over his six innings.
The Mets' best chance to score happened in the sixth inning, when Bo Bichette walked and Luis Robert Jr. singled to put two on with one out. However, Carson Benge grounded into a double play to end the inning without incident.
Another run crossed the plate for the Braves in the seventh, with Jefry Yan on the mound. Two walks, a wild pitch, a ground out, and a sacrifice fly plated the second run of the game. After issuing his third walk of the inning, Yan was pulled from the game for Chayce McDermott. The first pitch tossed by McDermott was a wild pitch, pushing the runners to second and third. A long fly ball off the bat of Austin Riley found its way into Robert's Jr's glove at the wall to end the inning.

#pitch

A.J. Ewing – LF
Francisco Lindor – SS
Bo Bichette – 3B
Luis Robert – CF
Carson Benge – RF
Marcus Semien – 2B
Francisco Alvarez – C
Jorge Polanco – DH
Gabriel Arias – 1B
SP: Nolan McLean – RHP
Drake Baldwin – C
Ronald Acuna – DH
Matt Olson – 1B
Michael Harris – CF
Ozzie Albies – 2B
Mauricio Dubon – LF
Mike Yastrzemski – RF
Austin Riley – 3B
Jim Jarvis – SS
SP: Martin Perez – LHP
First pitch: 7:15 PM ET
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

#luis #benge

Prior to Monday night's series opener against the Braves, interim manager Andy Green wasn't ready to commit to one specific player taking over the closers' role with Devin Williams sidelined.
Kodai Senga seemed like the most logical candidate with his recent move to more of a one-inning high-leverage relief role, and just a few hours later, he was indeed the man for the job.
Senga came on in the bottom of the ninth and easily cruised his way through the heart of the Braves' lineup to put the finishing touches on what went down as his first career save.
The right-hander came out pumping 99 mph on the gun, then struck out lefty sluggers Matt Olson and Michael Harris II with a pair of nasty forkballs in the dirt.
He issued a two-out walk to Ozzie Albies, but was able to get Mauricio Dubon to fly one weakly to right just two pitches later, locking up the series-opening victory over the division rivals.

#came

This game had an eventful first inning that saw the Mets plate five on Bryce Elder and the Braves, and then a valiant-but-doomed comeback attempt over the rest of the game. The main things that stood out to me: Bryce Elder with poor command is a nightmare, and the Braves really needed some homers in this one but couldn't find 'em. Will the Phillies gain a game on the Braves by the time I finish this recap? Who knows.
Boy, that first inning, though. The game started with an A.J. Ewing double off Elder. The ball rolled under the padding in right field, and Ronald Acuña Jr. threw up his hands to signal a ground rule double. Ewing stopped running midway between second and third. For some reason, the Mets challenged the call, and this resulted in something absurd like an eight-minute delay of game… only for the umpires to rule that while the ball was not "lodged," Ewing would nonetheless be "awarded" second base. Pace of play, am I right?
Anyway, would that that was the only excitement in the first, but alas. A single later scored Ewing, and then a key play happened on a 3-2 Elder pitch to Carson Benge. The pitch was clearly a strike, but Sean Murphy came up throwing and had the runner dead to rights… except that it was ruled a ball and Murphy didn't challenge, turning a 1-0 deficit and a half-inning break into a 1-0 deficit, runners on first and second, and one out. After a short liner single to load the bases, Elder got a punchout… and then hung a first-pitch slider to Brett Baty, who slammed it for a grand… slam. The Mets actually collected two more hits before Elder finished the frame, but the score remained 5-0.
Then, the Braves mounted a rally of their own against Christian Scott. Unfortunately, their rally didn't have a homer, so it wasn't as productive. Drake Baldwin led off with a double, Matt Olson later singled, and Ozzie Albies had a crazy 11-pitch plate appearance that ended with a 3-2 pitch barely clipping his uniform to load the bases. Mauricio Dubon then came through with a seeing-eye bouncer that plated two. Austin Riley ended the rally by watching two of three pitches in the zone (and fouling off the second). Oops.
The Mets continued tearing into Elder and the Braves' defense. Francisco Lindor, whose small-sample lifetime stats against Elder are murderous, led off the second with a double, and then scored on a two-out bloop. Another single and a walk loaded the bases, but the frame ended at 6-2. Sean Murphy collected a one-out double in the bottom of the inning, but was left stranded. Lindor then tagged Elder for a two-out solo homer in the third, and yeah, that's kind of how this one was developing for a while.

#Braves #pitch

For 114 games this season, Ozzie Albies has been in the starting lineup. Sometimes he's hit third, sometimes he's hit sixth, he had a long stretch hitting second… but he's been in there.
Tonight, for the first time in 2026, Albies won't be in there. He gives way to Mauricio Dubon, who will slide over to the keystone and bat fifth.
The rest of the lineup is more or less as expected, with the Braves loading up on lefties against right-hander Janson Junk, a day after they loaded up on righties against right-hander Eury Perez. Austin Riley remains set in the eight-hole, as the Braves double up on lefties after Dubon.
Given that Junk has already made one start against the Braves this year, there's no lack of familiarity here, though neither Drake Baldwin nor Jim Jarvis have stood in against him yet. And, really, we're not talking a lot of PAs for the other seven guys, as Mike Yastrzemski leads the way with nine. The collective line is just a .255 xwOBA in 34 PAs… but it does come with a .340 wOBA. Both Riley and Dominic Smith hit three-run homers off Junk earlier this year.
The Marlins still don't have a lineup, which always seems to be the case — they are definitely one of the latest lineup-posters in MLB and have been for quite a few years now. I'll update this if they ever put one out.

#junk #albies #sometimes #lefties

ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. and Mike Yastrzemski homered and the Atlanta Braves overcame a three-run deficit to beat the Washington Nationals 5-4 on Thursday night.
Ozzie Albies' two-run single in the sixth inning broke a 3-3 tie for the Braves, who managed just four hits. Eight of Atlanta's last nine games have been decided by one run.
Victor Mederos (1-0) picked up the first win of his four-year career, giving up a run in an inning of work. Dylan Lee worked a perfect eighth and Raisel Iglesias earned a save for the second straight night, giving him 23 on the season.
Daylen Lile hit two of the three solo home runs for the Nationals off Braves starter Grant Holmes. Lile has 13 for the season. The third was by Luis Garcia Jr., who also had a run-scoring triple and was 3 for 5.
The Nationals have hit 48 homers in July. That is one off the franchise for a month of 49 set in September 2012.

#lile

Chase DeLauter has hit seven of his 11 home runs this year against righties on the road.
The MLB best home run bets are in a small funk. Since Bryce Harper and Ozzie Albies hit home runs on July 20, four straight MLB best home run bets have failed to deliver. So, the season's record for MLB best home run bets sits at 18-63, with three no-bets.
The record is rock-solid for a long-shot bet, like home run bets. As a result, anyone who has bet $100 on each of the touted home run props at the listed odds has profited $861. Again, home run bets are long-shot wagers, so losing streaks are part of the equation.
There are two appealing home run bets on today's MLB slate, though. A young left-handed-hitting outfielder in a plus matchup and homer-friendly ballpark and a young right-handed-hitting outfielder in a favorable matchup and homer-friendly ballpark have the most compelling home run bets on today's MLB slate.
Over 0.5 Home Runs (+338) at DraftKings Sportsbook

#home #bets #shot #young

Once upon a time (although it wasn't just once), the Braves used Carlos Carrasco in a close game. Ronald Acuña Jr. got injured in that game and ended up missing about six weeks of play. The use of Carrasco turned sinister, the Braves lost that game, and then ended up mired in a funk that lasted for a good chunk of Acuña's absence.
Tonight, Ronald Acuña Jr. made his return to the lineup. It could have been a triumphant time, building on the Braves' recent strong run of results. Instead, amid some rain and another indifferent outing from Martin Perez, the Braves opted to insert Connor Thomas, the "last guy" in their bullpen, into a tie game. It went south almost immediately, and then it kind of ran out south to go, as the Mets just pummeled Thomas into oblivion. To the Braves' credit, they let Thomas wear it and didn't use another pitcher, avoiding a double-down mistake of using Thomas to save the rest of the bullpen but then not actually saving the rest of the bullpen. (Jorge Mateo got the last out in lieu of Thomas, after the score had ballooned to 14-3 in favor of the Mets.)
Before all that, though, the game was pretty cool. In his first major league PA in a while, Acuña fell behind 0-2 against Zac Thornton, battled back to 3-2, and then teed off on a pitch down the middle, knocking it 108 mph to center for a solid single. Drake Baldwin followed followed with a hard liner single of his own, and the Braves seemed to be in business. Unfortunately, Matt Olson hit into a double play, but Ozzie Albies, as part of a measure of personal revenge for possibly a career-worst game on Sunday, legged out an infield hit to plate his buddy for the first run of the game.
Martin Perez did not have a shutdown first inning. A hard-hit grounder went for a leadoff hit, and then Francisco Lindor got his arms extended on a cutter on the edge away and nearly hit it out of the park. The play ended up being kind of weird, as it looked like it was just going to be a double, but the ball bounced far enough off the wall that Lindor ended up getting an RBI triple. But, Perez pachinko also cuts the other way, as a grounder to third, a strikeout, and flyout to center kept the game tied at one run apiece.
Nothing much happened in the second or the top of the third. In the bottom half of the inning, after a leadoff single, Lindor again took a Perez pitch on the outer edge, this time a changeup, and pulled it into left for a two-run homer. Perez was hitting his spots, but it didn't matter. That score didn't last long: after Olson drew a leadoff walk in the fourth, Albies victimized Thornton by crushing an elevated fastball for a definitive non-cheapie homer. Michael Harris II singled and it looked like the Braves might've solved Thornton, but that didn't end up being the case, as Mauricio Dubon popped out and Austin Riley hit into a double play.

#thomas #play #double #lindor

The Miami Marlins (52-51) welcome the San Diego Padres (50-53) to South Beach this weekend. It is a crucial three-game set for both teams' playoff hopes. Each club has struggled following the All-Star break. The loser of this series will kiss their postseason chances goodbye.
The Padres fell short for a second consecutive day, as a late-game rally ended in a frustrating 6-5 defeat to the Atlanta Braves. The loss dropped them to 2-5 on their 10-game, three-city road trip.
The Friars began the scoring with a three-run rally off of Braves ace Chris Sale. A fielding error by left fielder Mauricio Dubón aided the offense, as it was followed by a bases-loaded walk to Fernando Tatis Jr. and a two-run single by Luis Renglio. But that lead was short-lived.
After Padres opener Kyle Hart pitched a scoreless first inning, Griffin Canning came into the contest as the bulk pitcher. His struggles continued with the first batter he faced. Michael Harris II homered on the second pitch of his at-bat. The Braves scored four more runs in the fourth inning, as Ozzie Albies hit a solo home run and Dominic Smith followed with a three-run blast.
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#short

In a game that first crawled due to a deluge of walks (but few runs) and then saw dueling late-inning paroxysms in each team’s final time at the plate, the Braves eventually emerged victorious. But boy, was it a winding path to get there.
At the beginning of this contest, things seemed like they were going to drag on forever with little to show for it. After a one-walk, no other action first from Martin Perez, the Braves took aim at Michael King, who dominated them a few weeks ago in San Diego, and…
…he did not dominate this time. In fact, King walked the first three batters he faced, grimacing and looking generally uncomfy all the while. A groundout from Michael Harris II plated a run, but both Austin Riley and Mike Yastrzemski kind of lost the plot and went down looking. Yastrzemski, in particular, looked at five straight pitches to end the inning… the Braves’ track record with guys skimping on rehab **** ignments this year is looking abysmal.
Staked to a small lead, Perez did his normal thing — it just happened to work out this time. He walked two in the second, but then recovered with two punchouts. The Braves got a couple of singles against a resurgent-ish King in the bottom of the inning, but Ozzie Albies struck out on a changeup that was literally in the other batter’s box. There was another walk from Perez, this time of the leadoff variety, in the third, but nothing else. King followed suit, but again, nothing doing from the bats. Perez had a quicker fourth, three up and three down thanks to a double play. Meanwhile, the Braves kinda-sorta tried to rally against King with a leadoff double from Mauricio Dubon and an infield single by Brewer Hicklen, but two weak flyouts kept it a 1-0 game.
Some combination of “Perez didn’t have a rehab **** ignment and had thrown 75 pitches” and “Perez had a 3/4 K/BB ratio in four innings” ultimately convinced the Braves to go to the bullpen for the fifth. Dylan Dodd came in and was delicious, throwing an 11-pitch frame with two strikeouts and a first-pitch groundout. King stayed in, and worked around a two-out single. Didier Fuentes followed Dodd and had to work a little harder (18 pitches), but had his two strikeouts, one groundout inning all the same. King’s night finished with a flourish, a nine-pitch frame that featured a strikeout of Hicklen. He rebounded and once again mystified the Braves despite the rocky start, with a 7/4 K/BB ratio — a 7/1 K/BB ratio after the first three batters.

#perez #looking #groundout

ATLANTA (AP) — Rookie Jim Jarvis drilled a run-scoring double into the right-field corner to give Atlanta the lead in a six-run eighth inning and the Braves survived a ninth-inning scare to beat the San Diego Padres 7-6 on Wednesday night.
With one out in the eighth, Mauricio Dubón singled off left-hander Wandy Peralta (1-1). Jarvis followed with the double that allowed Dubón to score from first base for a 2-1 lead.
Brewer Hicklen drove in Jarvis with a double to left field. Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson, Austin Riley and Dominic Smith added run-scoring singles off Randy Vásquez. The Braves collected seven of their 14 hits in the inning.
Right-hander Víctor Mederos gave up a run-scoring single to Gavin Sheets and a two-run triple to Fernando Tatis Jr. in the ninth. Raisel Iglesias gave up a two-run homer to Luis Rengifo before recording the final two outs for his 20th save.
Dylan Lee (5-0) pitched a scoreless eighth.

#jarvis #atlanta #field #lead

The 2026 All-Star Game has come and gone, and the American League defeated the National League 4-0. Though the final score was not ideal, the Atlanta Braves had five All-Stars, four of which played. Ozzie Albies, Drake Baldwin, Matt Olson, and Raisel Iglesias each made an appearance.
Albies and Baldwin earned the starts for the National League but were unable to spark the offense, while Olson went hitless after entering later in the game. Iglesias, meanwhile, turned in one of the better performances of the night for Atlanta, tossing a scoreless inning in his first career All-Star appearance. Chris Sale did not pitch, as the National League managed just three hits in the shutout loss.
The Braves have just a few days left of the All-Star break before hosting the Texas Rangers.
Here is everything you need to know about the Braves' draft picks and their sign-on value.
Which prospects make your Top 30 list?

The American League and The National League took the field at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia for the ninety-sixth All-Star Game. This is the fifth All-Star Game in history hosted in Philadelphia, and the first since 1996.
Speaking of the number five, the Atlanta Braves had five representatives on the NL All-Star roster. Drake Baldwin and Ozzie Albies were starters, while Matt Olson was a reserve. On the pitching side of things, Chris Sale and Raisel Iglesias were active for the game.
Small little side nugget, Braves legend Hank Aaron holds a tied for the record for most All-Star Games played with twenty-four. It should be noted that for part of his career they played two All-Star Games per year, but it is still a fun Braves stat.
The NL struggled mightily with their bats against the elite AL pitching. Other than the first inning the NL pitching did great as well. Let’s break down what each Braves player was able to accomplish in the game.
Albies, who is having his best season since 2023, was elected as a starter. It is his first All-Star appearance since the aforementioned 2023 season. He hit sixth in the lineup and the first pitcher he saw was Parker Messick in the second inning. Albies swung on the second pitch he saw, which was an outside change up, and grounded out sharply to Bobby Witt Jr. at SS.

With the All-Star Break here, much of the baseball world has a bit of time away from the diamond. However, there are still some games going on in the minors. And for the Braves, that meant the return to action for Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ha-Seong Kim.
Both Kim and Acuna Jr. had multiple at-bats on the day, and Kim hit a home run in his first plate appearance. While the results will hopefully come for Acuna Jr., it was just great to have him back in action. His return should be a big boost for a Braves team looking to make winning a habit once again.
Ozzie Albies will be batting sixth and Drake Baldwin ninth in the NL All-Star starting lineup.
Tate Southisene had a good weekend at the plate.
Here is a full recap of the Braves 2026 Draft Class.

MLB announced the starting lineups for tomorrow night's All-Star Game, and as planned two Yankees will feature. Cody Bellinger starts in right and bats sixth, while Ben Rice starts at first and bats seventh:
The pair of Bombers come after a star-studded top five in the AL lineup, starting with Mike Trout in center, Yordan Alvarez at DH, Shea Langliers at catcher, Junior Caminero at third, and Bobby Witt Jr. at shortstop. Riley Greene in left and Ernie Clement at second round out the lineup. Rice is somewhat hard-done-by with his slot in the lineup, his 166 wRC+ second in the AL behind only Alvarez, and Langliers is a curious choice from manager John Schneider (to bat third, the catcher having a great season but lacking the offensive skillset and pedigree of most of the other starters.
Otherwise, the lineup seems fair enough on paper, and it's very cool to see Trout, the once-and-forever legend who's been derailed by injuries, slot in at the top, in the midst of a resurgent (and yet still injury-ridden) campaign. He and Alvarez form an awesome one-two, and though I would personally have slotted Rice right in there at the three spot, it's hard to argue with Caminero and Witt's positions, the pair each among the game's brightest young stars.
You can also check out the National League's lineup here:
The NL's starting lineup for the #AllStarGame (Tuesday, 8 pm ET on MLBONFOX):

Kyle Schwarber, DH
Juan Soto, LF
Freddie Freeman, 1B
CJ Abrams, SS
Max Muncy, 3B
Ozzie Albies, 2B
Brandon Marsh, RF
Andy Pages, CF
Drake Baldwin, C
Cristopher Sánchez, P

Baseball's biggest stars from the American and National Leagues are set to clash in the 2026 MLB All-Star Game, with the 96th edition of the Midsummer Classic taking place in Philadelphia on Tuesday, July 14.
Phillies fans have plenty to cheer for in this year's All-Star Game, as stars Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Cristopher Sánchez lead several home favorites selected to represent the host city alongside familiar foe and Mets superstar Juan Soto, Braves standout 2B Ozzie Albies and more. That's not to mention the likes of speedy outfielders Pete Crow-Armstrong and Corbin Carroll, who make their ways east to shine under the lights.
How to watch 2026 MLB Home Run Derby: TV/ Streaming info, schedule, participants, rules, location
Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper are set to mash in this year's Home Run Derby. Get everything you need to know ahead of the star-studded event.
Phil Akre,

I've never been more grateful for my inability to hang – I was fast asleep before last night's rain-soaked resumption. And it seems like that was for the best.
There was a lot of time during yesterday's delay to worry about postponement logistics and the radar for the rest of the weekend's games. But for today's contest at Busch Stadium, our friends at Dugout Radar are only predicting a ~14% delay risk.
Let's even up a series. The All-Star break looms. Maybe two consecutive series wins is too much to ask for… Save us, Reynaldo López.
López (4-1, 3.18 ERA) is looking to continue stacking solid starts. Since his return to the rotation on June 21, he's steadily upped his pitch count and gone five straight appearances giving up one ER or less.
His first outing going five innings was against these very Cardinals at Truist Park on July 1. The Ozzie Albies wink game, if you remember. In his 69 pitches of work, he allowed two hits for the singular earned run in the first inning and was lights out for the four innings that followed. The only other baserunner for St. Louis was a walk, and he struck out six. Albies and the late offensive rally took care of the rest to get ReyLo his first win since June 7.

Despite getting completely and totally blanked for the first six innings of this contest, the Atlanta Braves eventually broke through and ended up pulling off a 3-0 victory in an excellent pitching performance from Grant Holmes and Atlanta's bullpen.
It would be an understatement to call this one a pitchers' duel, as both starters were dominant for the period of time where they were out there. Grant Holmes successfully navigated his way through two trips through the order as he finished with just three hits allowed and one walk conceded across five innings of work and five strikeouts. The slider and cutter were both working pretty effectively for Holmes — everything was working, really, as Holmes picked up two strikeouts on the four-seamer and three on the slider.
The only time that Holmes ran into trouble was in the third inning, which is when he found himself with two runners in scoring position with two outs after he led off the inning hitting Henry Davis and then gave up a two-out single to Bryan Reynolds. Fortunately, Holmes was able to get Esmerlyn Valdez to pop up on a four-seamer and that was that for the scoring chance. That was as close as Pittsburgh got to scoring off of Holmes before he eventually exited the game with 90 pitches after five innings.
As good as Homes was, Jared Jones was better. Jones was just about untouchable against the Braves tonight, as he struck out eight batters without giving up a hit or a walk through six innings of work. Atlanta's lineup couldn't handle him at all, which is why it was probably a huge relief for the Braves once they saw Mason Montgomery walk out for the seventh inning.
The crowd in Pittsburgh disagreed with the decision and they voiced their disapproval after Ozzie Albies ended the combined perfect game bid with a looping single out to left to give the Braves their first hit and baserunner of the game. While Jones has been kind of easing back into things following elbow issues, it certainly took a lot of the neutral intrigue out of the game once it was clear that the Pirates weren't going to let him go for the perfect game.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Joey Bart hit a two-run home run with two outs in the eighth inning, lifting the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves to a 3-0 win over his former team on Wednesday after Pittsburgh Pirates starter Jared Jones pitched six perfect innings before being lifted.
Bart, traded to the Braves from the Pirates on June 18, followed a double by Mike Yastrzemski with a 422-foot drive to left-centerfield off a slider from Dennis Santana (2-4). Drake Baldwin added an RBI single to center in the ninth.
Jones struck out eight on 77 pitches, including 53 strikes, to lower his ERA to 4.37 from 5.28. His bid was nearly ended by Bart with one out in the third, but a long drive to left was caught at the wall by Bryan Reynolds.
The 24-year-old Jones hasn't thrown more than 81 pitches in eight starts since returning May 20 after missing all of last season after undergoing an ulnar collateral ligament internal brace surgery on May 21, 2025.
Mason Montgomery relieved Jones to start the seventh inning, getting Michael Harris II to ground to first before yielding a single to left by Ozzie Albies with one out. He struck out Matt Olson and Baldwin to end the inning.

The Atlanta Braves traveled to PNC Park in hopes of picking up a much needed win after two heartbreaking losses in a row. Hurston Waldrep made his second start of season for the Braves and Paul Skenes was on the mound hoping to rebound from the worst stretch of his young career.
The Braves got on the board first when Matt Olson hit a double and Mauricio Dubón hit a sharp single to center field to make the score 1-0, but that was the only offense for the Braves outside of a Baldwin walk. Things went south shortly after that. Waldrep hit the first batter he faced, then Lowe, who hit a HR against Waldrep last time they faced off, hit a single. Waldrep then walked Reynolds to load the bases with zero outs. After Valdez struck out, Ryan O’Hearn then wasted no time and blew the game wide open with a grand slam to put the Pirates up by three. Gonzales also singled which prompted a mound visit. Waldrep finally was able to get the final two outs of the first inning after that.
In the second inning, the offense went just as you might expect with the bottom of the order. Riley and Jarvis both struck out, and Yastrzemski flied out. Waldrep looked to have settled down in the bottom of the second. He was able to induce a pop up followed by two groundouts.
The Braves struck again in the third inning to put them within two runs when Harris hit a double followed by an Albies single that scored Harris. That would be the only offense in the third though as Skenes retired the next three hitters. The third inning for Waldrep was almost identical to the first. He walked Reynolds, then gave up a single to Valdez, and then O’Hearn took him deep yet again to make the score 2-7 for the Pirates. O’Hearn had seven RBI in three innings. Waldrep then got two groundouts but then struggled a bit again when he Triolo singled followed by a Davis walk. After yet another mound visit Waldrep got the final out of the third with another groundout.
The fourth inning saw the bottom of the Braves order again. Smith popped out, but Riley was able to get a single, but that momentum was squashed when Yastrzemski hit into a double play to end the top of the inning. Waldrep stayed in the game for the fourth inning. He was able to strike out Lowe but then walked the next two hitters he faced which finally got him pulled for newly promoted Connor Thomas. Waldrep ended his night with seven earned runs on six hits to include two HRs, five walks, and two strikeouts in 3.1 innings pitched. Thomas then forced two groundouts to end the inning.

A.J. Ewing – CF
Juan Soto – LF
Bo Bichette – 3B
Francisco Lindor – DH
Carson Benge – RF
Jared Young – 1B
Francisco Alvarez – C
Brett Baty – 2B
Ronny Mauricio – SS
SP: Freddy Peralta – RHP
Michael Harris – CF
Ozzie Albies – 2B
Matt Olson – 1B
Drake Baldwin – C
Mauricio Dubón – LF
Dominic Smith – DH
Austin Riley – 3B
Mike Yastrzemski – RF
Jim Jarvis – SS
SP: Reynaldo López – RHP
First pitch: 7:15 PM EDT
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

The Milwaukee Brewers had two players selected to the National League All-Star team when the rosters were announced on July 4.
Fans couldn't believe the Brewers didn't have a third representative in second baseman Brice Turang to join Jacob Misiorowski and William Contreras in the Midsummer Classic July 12.
The Atlanta Braves' Ozzie Albies was voted in by the fans as a starter and the San Francisco Giants' Luis Arraez was named a reserve.
Reserves are chosen via a player ballot and the Commissioner's Office.
Here's instant social reaction to the snub of Turang:

The Milwaukee Brewers' prominent battery, Jacob Misiorowski and William Contreras, has been named to the National League All-Star Team.
Misiorowski famously made last year's All-Star Game (as a way-down-the-line injury replacement, it should be said) having made just five major-league appearances. If there were questions over whether he'd earned that last year, there obviously are not this year. Miz leads the majors in ERA (1.47), strikeouts (156), FIP (1.97), WHIP (0.779), and hits per nine (4.7). He is one of the top contenders for National League Cy Young, and his selection was a no-brainer.
Contreras has been selected to his third All-Star Game. He previously made it with the Braves in 2022 and the Brewers in 2024. Contreras got off to a bit of a slow start offensively but he's hitting for a high average, and has added some pop lately. He's also one of a trio of Brewers with over 50 RBI; he and Brice Turang have 51 each, just behind team leader Jake Bauers (52).
At least before the usual cavalcade of injury replacements come down the line, the Brewers have just two All-Stars despite holding the second-best record in baseball. The other two teams atop the National League, the Braves and Dodgers, both have five All-Star selections, as do the hometown Phillies (who are six games back of the Brewers); other teams in the NL who have two include the Nationals, Giants, Reds, Marlins, and Diamondbacks.
Players we can count as snubs include second baseman Brice Turang, first baseman Jake Bauers, starting pitcher Kyle Harrison, and reliever Trevor Megill. The fan voting played at least some role, here; the inclusion of Ozzie Albies as the NL's starting second baseman created a numbers crunch that hurt Turang, who had a far more deserving case than Albies did. He's probably the most egregious omission, but a case could've been made for any of these other guys, and maybe even for Jackson Chourio, even though he missed six weeks.

Hello, July. ****** o, elusive win #50 . ****** o and safe travels to Mexico, English World Cup fan contingent. Braves Country, there was a lot to like about tonight’s 5-1 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals.
But first, the wink heard ‘round the world.
The offense would eventually come alive late after being pretty dormant (again), but for seven whole innings, the Braves’ lead was courtesy of Ozzie Albies. Ozzie is more than worthy of being this year’s starting second baseman for the NL at the All-Star game. Our petit sparkplug deserves the world.
Ozzie was doing it all himself versus starter Michael McGreevy, starting with an RBI double in the first to drive in Drake Baldwin. We don’t talk about what else happened there because Ozzie then made up for it with a go-ahead solo homer in the third inning to make it 2-1 Braves.
And thus the score would stay for the majority of the game.

Beautiful day in the Bay for the 50th win of the season, who says no?
Well, it may be the Braves offense, if last night is any indication. Logan Webb was as excellent as advertised, unfortunately. It’d be great to see some signs of life in this last West Coast road game of the season by solving Robbie Ray to take the rubber match and series.
The Braves’ lone hit last night came from today’s leadoff man Mauricio Dubón, who remains in left field. Otherwise, it’s a familiar sequence of Michael Harris II, Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson, and Drake Baldwin. Baldwin gets the day off behind the plate today with Joey Bart serving as the battery mate for Chris Sale and batting seventh. Mike Yastrzemski started the first two games of this homecoming series, but will sit today with Eli White in right field. Notably, Ha-Seong Kim will start his third consecutive game at shortstop and batting ninth. He worked a walk last night, which I’ll delusionally hope and pray is the beginning of a turnaround.
The Giants will line up as follows behind Ray:
As the excited caption indicates, Heliot Ramos returns from the IL after being sidelined with a right quad strain. He’ll bat sixth as the designated hitter.

Box Score
After a pair of heartbreaking one-run losses on Friday and Saturday in Atlanta, the Brewers punched right back today, winning 9-4 behind a strong showing from Robert Gasser and a big eight-run second inning.
Bryce Elder set the Brewers down in order in the first before Mauricio Dubón hit a ground-rule double to begin the bottom of the inning against Gasser. Dubón moved over on a groundout, and yesterday's hero Ozzie Albies brought him in to score with a sac fly.
Staked to a 1-0 lead, the second inning didn't go nearly as smoothly for Elder as the first. William Contreras and Jake Bauers started the inning with a pair of singles, and Garrett Mitchell moved them both into scoring position with a groundout. Sal Frelick followed with a double into the left field corner, putting Milwaukee up 2-1. After Cooper Pratt grounded out for the second out, the Brewers rattled off a big two-out rally that went as follows:
David Hamilton double (3-1)

It’s the battle of two of the top three teams in all of Major League Baseball as the Milwaukee Brewers head to Atlanta to take on the Braves in what will be the battle of two high powered offensive and pitching-dominant teams.
Tonight, the Brewers will hand the ball to their ace, Jacob Misiorowski, who will make his first start since winning National League Co-Player of the Week. Miz has been on a heater all season long, but specifically as of late, as over his last seven starts he has allowed just one run through 49 innings with 72 strikeouts. Despite having faced a couple of powerhouses so far this season, the Braves will be a first for Misiorowski, as he has yet to face them in his career.
On the other side for the Braves, Martín Pérez will make his 15th start of the regular season. So far this season, so good actually really good, as he is currently having one of the best seasons in his career to this point. Pérez isn’t the strikeout type of pitcher that the rest of his teammates will showcase this weekend, but he will force a ton of contact tonight, as through 62 innings this season he has just 51 strikeouts.
Tonight will be Pérez’s sixth start of his career against the Brewers, where he has not fared quite well. Through 26.1 innings, he has posted an 8.54 ERA, where he has allowed 25 earned runs on 43 hits while giving up eight home runs. Now, all of this has come when he was pitching for three other teams that weren’t quite built like the Braves.
Taking a look at the lineup for the Braves this evening, the reigning NL Rookie of the Year, Drake Baldwin, will lead things off as he plays in his third game since coming off the 10-day injured list. In his first two games back, he picked up two hits, including a home run. To follow him will be Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson, Dominic Smith, Mauricio Dubón, Austin Riley, Mike Yastrzemski, Eli White, and Jorge Mateo. No Ronald Acuña Jr., as he continues his battle with a hamstring strain.