>>Reds, Rangers Among Surprising Teams At Break
(Undated) — The unofficial first half of the big league season is in the books and there are several surprising teams leading their divisions. After losing 100 games last season, the Cincinnati Reds find themselves atop the NL Central at 50-and-41, one game ahead of Milwaukee. The young Diamondbacks are tied with the Dodgers in the NL West race. The Braves continue to dominate the NL East, and have the best record in the Senior Circuit at 60-and-29. The Tampa Bay Rays lead the American League at 58-and-35, currently two games ahead of the Orioles in the AL East. The Rangers have also seen a great turnaround after losing 94 games last year. Texas heads into the break first in the AL West at 58-and-39, two games ahead of the defending World Series champion Houston Astros. The Cleveland Guardians hold just a half-game lead on the Twins in the AL Central.
>>Home Run Derby Is Tonight
(Seattle, WA) — The Home Run Derby is on tap tonight in Seattle as part of the MLB All-Star festivities. Top-seeded Luis Robert Jr. of the White Sox will square off with Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman in round one. Two-time derby champion Pete Alonso will face Seattle’s Julio Rodriguez in the two-versus-seven matchup. Third-seeded Mookie Betts of the Dodgers will battle Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr., while Texas’ Adolis Garcia goes up against Tampa Bay’s Randy Arozarena in the four-five matchup. The Home Run Derby is a single-elimination bracket system with three total rounds.
>>2023 MLB Draft Day One Recap
(Seattle, WA) — Major League history was made at Lumen Field in Seattle. For the first time at the MLB Draft a school has produced each of the top two picks. With the first overall pick the Pittsburgh Pirates selected right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes from LSU, and with the second pick the Washington Nationals took outfielder Dylan Crews from LSU. The Tigers had four players taken through the first two rounds, with the SEC claiming 13 of the 70 players selected on the first day of the draft. The first high school player that was taken was outfielder Max Clark, who was picked third overall by the Detroit Tigers. High schooler Bryce Eldridge has aspirations of following Shohei Ohtani as a two-way player after being drafted 16th overall by the San Francisco Giants.
>>Cardinals Come Back To Beat White Sox
(Chicago, IL) — The Cardinals rallied for a couple runs late during a 4-3 extra inning win over the White Sox in Chicago. The White Sox took a 3-2 lead with a run in the bottom of the eighth, but St. Louis tied the game when Alec Burleson drove in a run on a fielder’s choice in the top of the ninth. Paul DeJong added a go-ahead double in the top of the tenth, and JoJo Romero shut the door in the bottom half of the inning. Romero earned his first win in relief as the Cardinals head into the All-Star Break in fifth-place in the NL Central at 38-and-52. St. Louis hosts Washington after the break on Friday.
>>Cardinals Select Davis At Pick 21
(Seattle, WA) — The Cardinals hope they’ve found a superstar with their 21st-overall selection in the 2023 MLB Draft. St. Louis picked outfielder Chase Davis in the first round yesterday. The left-handed hitting 21-year-old is a product of the University of Arizona. He hit .362 with 21 home runs and 74 RBI in 57 games with the Wildcats this past season. The MLB Draft continues today.
>>Reds Shutout By Brewers
(Milwaukee, WI) — The Reds were shutout in their series finale against Milwaukee. Cincinnati lost to the Brewers 1-0 in NL Central action at American Family Field. Starting pitcher Ben Lively was charged with the loss after striking out five and allowing one earned run through five-and-two-thirds innings. The Reds were limited to four hits and went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position in the loss. The Reds head into the All-Star break atop the NL Central at 50-and-41. They will return home to host the Brewers on Friday night.
>>2023 MLB Draft Continues
(Seattle, WA) — The 2023 MLB Draft is continuing in Seattle. Rounds three through 10 will be revealed today after the first two rounds were announced on Sunday at Lumen Field. The Reds drafted Wake Forest right-handed pitcher Rhett Lowder with the seventh overall pick in the first round. Cincinnati also selected LSU pitcher Ty Floyd with the 38th overall pick and high school shortstop Sammy Stafura with the 43rd overall pick. The Guardians took catcher Ralphy Velazquez out of Huntington Beach High School with the 23rd overall pick in the first round. Cleveland also selected high school pitcher Alex Clemmey 58th and University of Miami pitcher Andrew Walters 62nd.
MLB American League
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Boston Red Sox 4, Oakland Athletics 3
Kansas City Royals 4, Cleveland Guardians 1
Toronto Blue Jays 4, Detroit Tigers 3 (F/10)
Baltimore Orioles 15, Minnesota Twins 2
Seattle Mariners 3, Houston Astros 1
MLB National League
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Miami Marlins 7, Philadelphia Phillies 3
Milwaukee Brewers 1, Cincinnati Reds 0
San Francisco Giants 1, Colorado Rockies 0
Pittsburgh Pirates 4, Arizona Diamondbacks 2
San Diego Padres 6, New York Mets 2
MLB Interleague
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Washington Nationals 7, Texas Rangers 2
Chicago Cubs 7, New York Yankees 4
Tampa Bay Rays 10, Atlanta Braves 4
St. Louis Cardinals 4, Chicago White Sox 3 (F/10)