▪ American League: Aaron Judge may be on his way to a third MVP in four seasons. His 6.6 bWAR is one win better than Tigers ace Tarik Skubal and Mariners catcherCal Raleigh.
But Raleigh went into the weekend with seven more home runs than Judge and 10 more RBIs. Voters could give him extra credit for being a catcher and for Seattle finishing with a better record than the Yankees, if that proves to be the case.
Bobby Witt Jr. (Royals), José Ramírez (Guardians), and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays) are candidates for the top five.
Garrett Crochet likely will be the Red Sox player with the most votes unless Alex Bregman carries the team down the stretch.
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▪ National League: It’s not inevitable that Shohei Ohtani will win his third MVP in a row, something that hasn’t happened since Barry Bonds won four in a row from 2001-04.
The high-caliber defense Pete Crow-Armstrong plays in center field for the Cubs had him with 6.0 bWAR going into the weekend. Ohtani was at 5.8.
Three pitchers — Cristopher Sánchez of the Phillies (5.9), Paul Skenes of the Pirates (5.7), and Zack Wheeler of the Phillies (5.1) — were all over 5.0.
But no full-time pitcher has won an MVP since Clayton Kershaw in 2014.
Ohtani pitched into the fifth inning against the Angels on Wednesday night in his 10th start of the season. He could give the Dodgers six or seven more starts before the season ends.
Shohei Ohtani is 31.Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press
If Ohtani hits 50 home runs, scores 150 runs and pitches 85 innings, it would be tough for voters to deny him, as dynamic as Crow-Armstrong has been.
Fernando Tatis Jr. (Padres) and Juan Soto (Mets) are among the better choices for second or third unless you are really blown away by Sánchez.
▪ American League: Skubal is a heavy favorite to repeat. He has a 2.42 ERA and 0.87 WHIP while raising his strikeouts per nine innings (11.2) since being a unanimous winner last season.
Pedro Martinez (1999-2000) is the last American League pitcher to win two Cy Youngs in a row.
Crochet, Nathan Eovaldi, Joe Ryan, and Jacob deGrom could round out the top five.
▪ National League: It’s a much better race as Sánchez, Skenes, and Wheeler are all worthy choices.
Skenes has allowed more than four earned runs once in 25 starts. He’s allowed two or fewer 20 times. Opponents have hit .197 and struck out 166 times against 36 walks.
Sánchez has had a breakout season at 28, posting a 2.45 ERA over 24 starts. Wheeler has been more overpowering, averaging 11.8 strikeouts over nine innings after finishing second to Chris Sale last season.
▪ American League: Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz is a heavy favorite. He made his debut on April 23 and had 23 homers and 62 RBIs in his first 81 games.
A platoon first baseman playing home games in a minor league park may not be an exciting choice. But a .999 OPS doesn’t lie. Roman Anthony, who debuted on June 9, looks like a solid second choice and could pass Kurtz if he carries the Red Sox into the playoffs.
Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson and Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez (one of two rookies to appear in 100 or more games) will get votes. Keep an eye on Texas righthander Jack Leiter, who has a 2.95 ERA in his last eight starts.
▪ National League: Those futures bets on Roki Sasaki aren’t looking very good. Miami DH Agustín Ramírez and Atlanta catcher Drake Baldwin have been the two most productive hitters along with Milwaukee outfielder Isaac Collins.
Cubs righthander Cade Horton, who has been dominant in recent games, is the choice here to emerge as the winner. Pitching well down the stretch for a contender is a difference maker.
▪ American League: Blue Jays manager John Schneider looked like a candidate to get fired late April when Toronto lost eight of nine. Now his Jays are fighting the Tigers for the top seed in the playoffs.
You can make a good case for Joe Espada (Astros), A.J. Hinch (Tigers), or Alex Cora for second place.
Cora has done very well to keep the Red Sox afloat given their injuries, the trade of Rafael Devers and the surprising lack of reinforcements at the trade deadline.
▪ National League: Milwaukee’s Pat Murphy should win again.
The National League hasn’t had a repeat winner since Hall of Famer Bobby Cox from 2004-05. But Murphy has the Brewers on pace to win 100 games with the 11th-lowest payroll in the National League.
Murphy is a good strategist while being genuine and funny to create a winning atmosphere. At 66 it feels as if he’s just getting started.
Pat Murphy has been the Brewers’ manager since 2024.Colin Hubbard/Associated Press
Deal to be made?
Beer, Bregman and what comes next
Samuel Adams started brewing “Bregman’s Beer.” It’s a citrusy pale ale, we’re told. Presumably without a hint of pine tar.
What’s next, naming a duck boat after him and making Bregman a character in the next Dennis Lehane novel?
Bregman told the Globe’s TimHealey this past week that he will wait until after the season to discuss a new contract with the Red Sox, which means his plan is to opt out of the $41.6 million he could get in 2026.
Bregman likes the energy at Fenway Park, playing for Alex Cora, and serving as a mentor to young players. But he didn’t choose Scott Boras as his agent to make things easy. He turns 32 in March and this could be his last chance at a major deal.
It’s also likely Bregman will want a contract structured to protect him financially should games get canceled in 2027 because of labor issues.
With the team-friendly extensions the Sox have negotiated with several of their young players, there should be a path to sign Bregman.
Hopefully chief baseball officer Craig Breslow sees the value of Bregman’s off-field leadership, something that has played a major role in this team being in contention.
A few other observations on the Red Sox:
▪ The Red Sox used 43 pitchers during spring training. Payton Tolle wasn’t one of them.
The big lefthander from TCU threw on the main stadium field a few times with a gaggle of coaches and executives watching closely but played only in minor league games.
Rosters expand from 26 to 28 on Sept. 1 with a maximum of 14 pitchers. Tolle is a good candidate to take one of those spots if only for a start or two. The other one would seem reserved for Kristian Campbell, who has hit well in recent weeks for the WooSox after initially struggling after his demotion.
▪ Red Sox first basemen have a .698 OPS. The American League average is .752. It hasn’t been a wreck since Triston Casas was lost for the season but it hasn’t been particularly good, either.
Going into the weekend,Abraham Toro has a .559 OPS since the All-Star break and is a below-average defender.
Maybe that is where Campbell fits. But an inexperienced first baseman in a pennant race seems like a big risk given the team’s defensive issues. Campbell could fit better in a utility role.
Etc.
Alonso the home run king of Queens
Pete Alonso’s home run off Atlanta’s Spencer Strider on Tuesday gave him 253 as a member of the Mets, a franchise record.
He added another off Austin Cox three innings later.
The old mark of 252 was held by Darryl Strawberry, whose last game as a Met was in 1990.
Only the Padres (187 by Manny Machado) and Diamondbacks (224 by Luis Gonzalez) have all-time leaders with fewer home runs.
Arizona came into existence in 1998. The Mets (1962) and Padres (1969) don’t have any excuses.
The leaders for home runs for one franchise are who you would expect: Hank Aaron had 733 for the Braves. Babe Ruth had 659 for the Yankees and Willie Mays hit 646 for the Giants.
Along with Alonso and Machado, the only other active franchise leader is Mike Trout (398 for the Angels). Giancarlo Stanton is Miami’s leader with 267, the last of those coming in 2017, before he was traded to the Yankees. Dan Uggla, with 154, is second.
Only 18 of the 30 franchises have Hall of Famers atop the list. For every Stan Musial or Ted Williams there is an Evan Longoria or Ryan Braun.
Williams (521) encountered a bit of a challenge from David Ortiz (483) but seems secure in the top spot for the Red Sox for a long time to come.
The active Red Sox closest to Williams are Jarren Duran (46), Triston Casas (45), and Trevor Story (39).
J.D. Martinez drove up to Tampa when the Dodgers were at Steinbrenner Field earlier this month to work with Mookie Betts, who ended July hitting .240 with a .681 OPS. They were Red Sox teammates from 2018-19, and again with the Dodgers in 2023. After spending three days with Martinez, Betts was 14 of 39 with three extra-base hits, seven RBIs and only four strikeouts over the next nine games. The team didn’t mind as Martinez is a good friend and a former pupil of Dodgers hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc. Martinez doesn’t need a job. He’s busy with his first child and fishing the waters off South Florida. He also made $154 million as a player. But some team would be wise to bring him in as a consultant or even just for spring training. He knows hitting and can skillfully communicate that knowledge … Rafael Devers made his debut at first base with the Giants on July 22. He played first in nine of the next 19 games. Devers has only been charged with one error … MLB set the dates for the postseason. The best-of-three Wild Card series are scheduled for Sept. 30-Oct. 1. The best-of-five Division Series would all start on Oct. 4 and run through Oct. 11. The ALCS starts Oct. 12 with the NLCS opening on Oct. 13. That round would be over by Oct. 21. The World Series is set to begin on Oct. 24 with Game 7 on Nov. 1, if necessary. Unlike last season, there is no provision to start the World Series earlier if the pennant winners are decided in five games … Kyle Schwarber is not yet a free agent but the recruiting has started. The Reds invited Schwarber’s father to throw out a first pitch at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday. Greg Schwarber is a retired police chief who runs the youth baseball and softball programs in Middletown, Ohio. Schwarber grew up roughly 40 miles from Cincinnati. But Dave Dombrowski is no fool. Schwarber has 173 home runs, a .350 on-base percentage, and an .856 OPS over the last four seasons in Philadelphia. He also has a .906 OPS over 69 career postseason games and is one of the best clubhouse presences in the game. The Phillies won’t let him walk away … Commissioner Rob Manfred said at the All-Star Game that there would be “a transaction” involving the Twins coming soon. That was expected to be a sale of the team. Then the Pohlad family announced on Wednesday that the team was off the market and the only change would be bringing in two minority partners. It was a decision that stunned team employees, many who were looking forward to new ownership revitalizing an organization carrying $425 million in debt. After a fire sale at the trade deadline, Minnesota now has the fourth-lowest payroll in the game, ahead of only the Nationals, Marlins, and Athletics. Average attendance at Target Field is down to 22,298, better than only five teams. “We feel we’re the right people to lead this organization, to own this franchise,” said executive chair Joe Pohlad, whose family has owned the Twins since 1984, and accomplished little in recent years. Only the Yankees, White Sox, and Phillies have longer tenures for their ownership groups … The Braves released Alex Verdugo on July 5, and he remains a free agent. The 29-year-old outfielder has a .631 OPS over 205 games since the Red Sox traded him to the Yankees … The Diamondbacks won nine of 13 and averaged 5.8 runs after trading six players off the major league roster before the trade deadline. “They fight. They go out there every single day to win a baseball game,” manger Torey Lovullo said of his players. “Things have not always gone our way, but we are continuing to play hard.” … The Angels were 6-0 against the Dodgers this season after going 5-19 against them the previous five seasons … The struggling Mets dropped once-upon-a-time Red Sox prospect Frankie Montas out of the rotation and replaced him with 24-year-old rookie Nolan McLean. Montas has appeared in only eight games and has a 6.38 ERA since agreeing to a two-year, $34 million contract … Bourne has built a Cape Cod League dynasty, winning the league for the third time in four seasons under manager Scott Landers, who coaches at SUNY Oswego. His pitching coach is Kevin Curtain of Tufts. The Braves swept Yarmouth-Dennis in the championship round, winning, 5-3 and 19-2. Gavin Kelly (West Virginia) drove in six runs in the clincher. He doubled twice and homered. Lefty Folger Boaz (North Carolina) went six innings in the final game and allowed one earned run … The 31st annual Old-Time Baseball Game will be Wednesday at 7 p.m., at St. Peter’s Field in Cambridge. The game, organized by The Athletic’s Steve Buckley, features college and high school players from the Boston area wearing replica throwback uniforms dating to 1890. Brock Holt is expected to be on hand. Proceeds benefit The Boston Home, a non-profit residence for adults with neurological disorders. Red Sox vice president Gus Quattlebaum, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021, will be honored as part of the game. Go to oldtimebaseball.com for more information … Happy birthday to Skip Lockwood, who is 79. The Roslindale native grew up in Norwood and was a star at Catholic Memorial before signing with the Kansas City Athletics in 1964, as a third baseman and making his debut in 1965, as an 18-year-old third baseman. Lockwood went to the Seattle Pilots in 1968 expansion draft as a pitcher and went on to a 12-year career that included making 24 appearances for the Red Sox in 1980. Lockwood was 57-97 with a 3.55 ERA and started 106 of he 420 games he pitched. Lockwood earned an MBA from MIT after his baseball career and was an early adopter of sports psychology, according to stories at the time.
Peter Abraham can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky at peteabeglobe.bsky.social.
Potential Eagles targets at the scouting combine: Tight ends, safeties
INDIANAPOLIS — In each of the past two drafts, the Eagles diverged from their typical first-round philosophy.
In 2024, general manager Howie Roseman ended the organization’s 22-year drought in selecting a defensive back in the first round when they drafted Quinyon Mitchell. Last year, Roseman and the Eagles drafted South Jersey native and linebacker Jihaad Campbell, from a position that had previously not been an early-round priority.
The Eagles roster needs retooling heading into the 2026 season, and among the potential needs are at safety and tight end. The Birds have never drafted a first-round safety and haven’t selected a tight end that early since 1988.
With tight ends Dallas Goedert, Grant Calcaterra, and Kylen Granson, and safeties Marcus Epps and Reed Blankenship all are set to be free agents, could Roseman and the Eagles buck another trend?
Here is what we’ve learned about the Eagles’ interest in draft prospects so far at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine:
Interest in tight ends is real
The Eagles have spent a significant amount of time speaking with tight ends this week in Indianapolis. Roseman recently talked about needing “more of a diverse skill set at that position” last season.
The prized player of the group is Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq, the consensus top tight end of this class, but he had not yet met with the Eagles when he held his podium session Thursday afternoon.
There were several other players the Eagles did meet with, informally and formally. NC State’s Justin Joly, Georgia’s Oscar Delp, Ohio State’s Max Klare, Texas’ Jack Endries, Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers, and Ole Miss’ Dae’Quan Wright were among the players who met with the Eagles this week.
Klare, Delp, Joly, and Stowers are more like the tight ends the Eagles have drafted in the past, majoring as receivers with deficiencies as blockers, while Endries and Wright are a little more well-rounded as blockers.
Eagles running backs coach Jemal Singleton coached Texas A&M’s Nate Boerkircher at the Senior Bowl as part of Eagles D-line coach Clint Hurtt’s staff, and Boerkircher met informally with the Eagles this week at the combine. Boerkircher plays a more traditional in-line tight end role and is a physical blocker that revels in doing the dirty work that doesn’t always equate to targets and catches.
“I think [NFL teams] like my toughness and my high motor,” Boerkircher said Thursday. “I don’t have, you know, crazy stats. So that limited stats thing is brought up a little bit, and we talked about that, but [my film] shows what it needs to show.”
Ohio State’s Will Kacmarek is one of the best blocking tight ends in the draft class, and while there hasn’t been any reported interest from the Eagles, he would be a welcome addition to a room that needs that type of player.
Even if the Eagles don’t draft Sadiq in the first round, there are several other players that seem to be piquing the team’s interest.
Another Toledo prospect?
The Eagles struck gold by drafting Mitchell from Toledo, which continues to churn out NFL secondary talent. And there are three more players from the Rockets program in this class.
There’s one specifically, though, that the Eagles brought in for a formal interview, and that’s safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. The 6-foot-3 player is explosive, can defend the run, and has short-area coverage ability. He has excellent ball skills to intercept the ball and force fumbles, and was teammates with Mitchell for two years at Toledo.
“[Mitchell] was a motivation for us, so he just pushed us to be great, pushed us to work hard every day and be the best person we could be,” McNeil-Warren said of his former teammate. “Just coming in [to Toledo], knowing you got a chip on your shoulder, especially for a small school … just the work ethic we put in, we just got to keep grinding.”
McNeil-Warren tested well for his size at the combine, running a 4.52-second 40-yard dash, jumping a 35.5 inch vertical, and a 10-foot, 2-inch broad jump. He is among two other safeties that could go in the first round, which includes consensus top-10 pick Caleb Downs and Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman, who had an outstanding testing session.
Even with limited reported interest in the position group, the Eagles should strongly consider drafting a safety with a deep group this year. They may be waiting to bring other top safety prospects in for pre-draft visits over the next month.
Quick hitters
The Eagles like drafting edge rushers early and often, and it seems like they’re showing interest in bigger body types. They have met with Penn State’s Dani Dennis-Sutton (6-6, 256 pounds), Michigan’s Derrick Moore (6-4, 255), and Duke’s Wesley Williams (6-4, 256). They also showed continued interest in Western Michigan’s Nadame Tucker (6-2, 247), who was praised by Hurtt during the Senior Bowl, and Central Florida’s Malachi Lawrence (6-4, 253), who received interest from the Eagles at the East-West Shrine Bowl.
Could fullback be of interest for the Eagles in 2026 under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion? If he does take elements from Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan’s offense, it could include a plan for the position. The Eagles met with Michigan fullback Max Bredeson at the Shrine Bowl. He’s a former high school quarterback and models his game after Alec Ingold, who was in Mike McDaniel’s Shanahan-inspired offense the last two years in Miami.
The Eagles have met with three receivers so far at the combine, and they’re all in the same mold: slot receivers that can win vertically and over the middle of the field. Clemson’s Antonio Williams, Mississippi State’s Brennan Thompson, and Oklahoma’s Deion Burks are among the list, and Thompson could challenge for being the fastest player at the combine. Williams is particularly interesting considering his ability to block and was a versatile weapon in Clemson’s offense last season.
Tennis, WTA – Megasaray Hotels Open 1 2026: Uchijima defeats Sherif
Moyuka Uchijima reached her first final of the season at the Megasaray Hotels Open in Antalya, overcoming a set and a break deficit to defeat Mayar Sherif 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 in a three-hour marathon.
The semi-final clash between the No. 3 and No. 5 seeds was a masterclass in attrition, played under the intense Turkish sun. Uchijima, the world No. 104, entered the match without having dropped a set all week, after clinical dismissals of Despina Papamichail, Anastasia Gasanova, and Katarzyna Kawa.
However, that streak was quickly snapped by Mayar Sherif’s heavy topspin and tactical aggression, which allowed the Egyptian to claim the opening set 6-4.
The match appeared to be slipping away from Uchijima in the second set, but the Japanese star’s baseline resilience became the defining factor. She began to find deeper angles, moving Sherif, who had survived a three-set battle against Amarissa Toth earlier in the tournament, out of her comfort zone.
Uchijima snatched the second set 7-5 and maintained her composure in a physical decider, eventually breaking Sherif in the final game to seal her place in the final.
This victory sets up a high-stakes championship match against Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina. For Uchijima, the final represents a crucial opportunity to break back into the Top 100, while her performance this week underscores her status as one of the most dangerous competitors on the clay-court swing of the WTA 125 series
Preview: Cremonese vs AC Milan – prediction, team news, lineups
Having received a hammer blow to their title hopes last week, AC Milan must try to respond with a win over free-falling Cremonese on Sunday afternoon.
A 1-0 defeat against Parma ended the Rossoneri’s long unbeaten run in Serie A, also leaving them a distant second behind city rivals Inter Milan.
Match preview
After going 24 league games without defeat, Milan finally faltered last Sunday, when in-form Parma stunned San Siro with an 80th-minute winner.
While that goal was hotly debated in the aftermath, a VAR check confirmed its validity and the Rossoneri were unable to respond.
With 12 rounds remaining, they trail first-placed Inter by 13 points, so any dreams of the Scudetto seem to be fading.
Max Allegri’s men had previously needed a last-gasp winner to beat lowly Pisa, before scraping a 1-1 home draw with Como, indicating their loss of momentum.
Nonetheless, Milan are still unbeaten on the road, with their only other league loss coming at home to Cremonese on the opening matchday.
They will now reconvene with their Lombardy rivals at Stadio Zini, where the second-city giants have failed to score on their last three visits – albeit only one took place this century.
Following their club’s shock success in August – when Federico Bonazzoli‘s strike sealed a famous 2-1 win – optimistic Cremonese fans will hope for an unprecedented league double over Milan.
However, becoming the first promoted team to pull that feat off since Ascoli did so in 1987 seems a very long shot, with Cremo enduring an awful start to the calendar year.
The Grigiorossi are on their second-worst run ever in Italy’s top flight – failing to even score in 10 of 12 winless matches – and they last tasted success in December.
Last week’s 3-0 loss to Roma at Stadio Olimpico finally allowed Fiorentina to overtake them in a battle between six clubs to avoid the final relegation place.
As a result, Davide Nicola‘s side are sliding towards the trapdoor, sitting 17th in the standings and just outside the drop zone on goal difference.
With Nicola’s job under serious threat, their comeback campaign may be heading for demotion, only one year on from winning the Serie B playoffs.
Mexico striker Santiago Gimenez is the visitors’ only other absentee, as top scorers Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao recently returned to fitness.
Alongside the latter pair, Christopher Nkunku and Niclas Fullkrug are also in contention for two attacking places.
Luka Modric will surely start in midfield, so the two oldest players to have scored in Serie A this season should meet: 40-year-old Modric and Jamie Vardy, 39.
Cremonese’s front line is enduring a long goal drought, causing Nicola to drop Vardy last week; Bonazzoli has failed to find the net this calendar year.
Once again, they must both vie with Antonio Sanabria and Vardy’s fellow veteran Milan Djuric for selection.
The hosts will be without Michele Collocolo, Faris Moumbagna and key defender Federico Baschirotto due to injury, but Milan loanee Warren Bondo was back on the bench against Roma and could be ready to start.
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