National League
The St. Louis Cardinals host the San Francisco Giants tonight in their first game following the All-Star break. Adam Wainwright will start for St. Louis. The Redbirds are tied with the Chicago Cubs for third place in the NL Central with a record of 44-and-46.
The Chicago Cubs return from the All Star break opening a series at the Arizona Diamondbacks this evening.
The Atlanta Braves kick off the second half of their season as they host the Tampa Bay Rays in Interleague action tonight.
The New York Yankees second-half opener was postponed last night due to a number of players testing positive for COVID-19. Pitchers Jonathan Loaisiga, Nestor Cortes Jr., and Wandy Peralta each tested positive, prompting the MLB to postpone the team’s series opener against the Boston Red Sox. Additionally, Aaron Judge, Kyle Higashioka, and Gio Urshela were placed into COVID-19 protocols. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said all three pitchers were fully vaccinated and that three other players were awaiting test results in quarantine. Major League Baseball has yet to make a decision on postponing Friday’s game against the Red Sox.
The Atlanta Braves have acquired outfielder Joc Pederson in a trade with the Chicago Cubs. Atlanta is sending minor-league first baseman Bryce Ball in the deal. Pederson is batting .230 with 11 home runs in what was his first season with the Cubs.
He spent his first seven MLB seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, winning a World Series title with the team last season. Pederson has played in 73 games this year, starting 63 of them in left field.