— Things keep getting worse for the Mets; star OF Juan Soto (calf) is expected to be out 4-6 weeks. Very bad news for a Mets team that is 43-62 this year, 3-18 when Soto doesn’t play.
— Dodgers 4, Mets 3
Good argument for a salary cap in baseball:
Kyle Tucker bats 7th for the Dodgers.
Kyle Tucker makes $60M a year.
#7 hitters in the order shouldn’t be making $60M a year.
Tucker homered in the third inning of this game.
— Rangers 7, Mariners 1
Nathan Eovaldi allowed three hits in seven IP.
Rangers led this game 5-0 in the second inning.
Texas expands its lead in the AL West to two games over Houston.
— Astros 4, White Sox 1
Hunter Brown allowed two hits in seven IP, his best start in a while.
Isaac Paredes was 2-for-4, with three RBI.
Astros pass Seattle, move into second place in AL West.
— Padres 7, Marlins 2
Ty France was 2-for-4, with three RBI.
San Diego is 52-53, three games out of the last Wild Card spot.
Marlins have now lost eleven games in a row.
— Blue Jays 6, Red Sox 0
Dylan Cease struck out 12, threw a complete game one-hitter.
Andrew Monasterio had Boston’s only hit; they’re still 16-2 in last 18 games.
George Springer hit a three-run homer in the third inning.
— Rays 3, Guardians 0
Nick Martinez allowed four hits in 6 IP; he is 10-2, 2.45 this year.
Yandy Diaz got his 1,000th career hit.
Tampa Bay leads the AL East by two games.
— Brewers 8, Rockies 5
Rookies Cooper Pratt/Luis Lara both had three RBI
Robert Gasser allowed five hits in his five IP.
Trevor Megill recorded his 17th save.
— Famous birthdays, July 26th:
Bob Lilly, 87
Mick Jagger, 83
Mike Rae, 75
Sandra Bullock, 62
Kate Beckinsale, 53
Joe Smith, 51
Ryan O’Hearn, 33
Van Jefferson, 30
Gavin Williams, 27
Kyle Karros, 24
Random college football trends:
— Last 20 years, Wyoming is 20-9 ATS as a home underdog.
— Last four years, Nevada is 1-7 ATS as a home favorite.
— In his career, UTEP coach Walden is 6-14 ATS as an underdog.
— In his career, San Jose State coach Niumatalolo is 36-22 ATS as a road underdog.
— Since 2019, Northern Illinois is 18-8 ATS as a road underdog.
— Under coach Applewhite, South Alabama is 5-10 ATS as a favorite.
— Since 2020, Kent State is 9-21-2 ATS as a road underdog.
— Since 2021, Bowling Green is 5-10-1 ATS as a home favorite.
— If the baseball playoffs started today (they don’t):
AL: Rays, White Sox, Rangers. Wild Cards: Bronx, Red Sox, Guardians
NL: Braves, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Phillies, Arizona
