Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today’s games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Today’s edition is brought to you by David Adler.
If you haven’t voted yet, get those ballots in now — the first phase of All-Star voting ends this Thursday at noon ET. At the end of Phase 1, the top overall vote-getter in each league earns an automatic starting spot in this year’s All-Star Game. As for everyone else, the top two players at each position (and the top six outfielders) move on to Phase 2 of the voting, where it’s a head-to-head runoff to be named a 2026 All-Star starter.
A few races in particular have started to heat up since the first ballot update last week. These are the three biggest things that have changed in the All-Star standings:
1) There’s a new No. 1 in the American League
Guess who’s gotten the most All-Star votes of any AL player.
No, it’s not Yordan Alvarez. Nope, it’s not Aaron Judge either. It’s Ernie Clement!
Clement has received 2,054,130 votes so far, making him the only American League player to break the 2 million mark. He’s your leader in the clubhouse to earn the AL’s automatic starting spot in the All-Star Game. (Shohei Ohtani is leading in the National League, and MLB overall, with 2,310,735 votes.) Clement would be a first-time All-Star.
Since the last ballot update, Clement has leapfrogged both Alvarez (1,974,459 votes), who was in the lead for the AL a week ago, and Judge (1,788,499 votes), who won the auto-start last year for the AL. He’s also passed Mike Trout (1,735,051 votes) since last week.
2) Soto on the rise in the NL outfield
Juan Soto has jumped into the top 6 in the NL outfield voting, putting the Mets superstar in line to advance to Phase 2.
Soto was on the outside looking in at the last ballot update, when he was sitting in ninth place among NL outfielders. But now, with 947,033 votes, he’s passed Corbin Carroll, James Wood and Jordan Walker to move into sixth place.
Soto is a four-time All-Star, but this would be his first All-Star Game with the Mets. He’s batting .301 with an NL-best .973 OPS this season.
3) Arozarena joins J-Rod in the AL outfield top 6
Julio Rodríguez was the only Mariners outfielder in the AL’s top six at the first All-Star Ballot update. But now his teammate Arozarena is right there with him.
Arozarena was in seventh place a week ago, with Rodríguez in sixth, but both Mariners outfielders have moved up a spot, putting them both in position to reach Phase 2 of the All-Star voting. Riley Greene, who was ahead of them, has dropped out of the top six, going from fifth to ninth.
Both Arozarena and Rodríguez were All-Stars last year for Seattle.
Two power-pitching aces go head-to-head in this one, as Houston’s Hunter Brown faces Toronto’s Dylan Cease. Brown was great in his return from injury last week, and Cease is in the AL Cy Young mix with a league-leading 110 strikeouts.
The Guardians and White Sox meet for the first time this season as they battle for first place in the AL Central. Cleveland holds a one-game lead over the surprising Sox entering the series opener in Chicago, and the Guards have ace Gavin Williams on the mound (9-4, 3.83 ERA, 103 strikeouts).
A big series between two NL contendersstarts tonight in San Diego. The Braves, who are 20 games over .500 at 48-28 and have MLB’s best winning percentage, just took two of three from a fellow first-place team in the Brewers. The Padres are a half-game out of the third NL Wild Card spot, but star players like Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado are starting to heat up.
SKUBAL A TRADE LOCK? NOT SO FAST
There’s already been a ton of trade smokearound Tarik Skubal. But is the Tigers ace really a lock to get traded?
Yes, Detroit is 33-44 and in fourth place in the AL Central. This season has been a big disappointment. But the team has quietly started to turn things around.
Entering tonight’s series opener against the Yankees (6:10 p.m. ET, MLB.TV), the Tigers are 11-6 in June, a .647 winning percentage. They have the best record in the AL this month and the third-best record in the Majors. They’re five games out of a Wild Card spot, and their playoff odds are up to 22%, more than double what they were at the end of May.
With the Trade Deadline six weeks away, everything might come down to the Tigers’ upcoming stretch of games. Detroit plays six of its next 10 games against the Yankees, with four games against the Astros in between.
North Carolina faces Oklahoma (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) with an NCAA championship on the line. The Tar Heels forced a deciding third game by beating the Sooners yesterday to even the best-of-three series.
UNC is looking for its first-ever College World Series championship. Oklahoma last won a national title in 1994.
With the MLB Draft coming up in a few weeks, this will also be the last chance to see some of the top college prospects in game action.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Here are some of the big things that happened around the Majors this weekend.
• The Phillies’ big bats erupted for a historic performance in Saturday’s 15-3 win over the Mets. Not only did Bryce Harper hit for his first career cycle, but Kyle Schwarber smashed three home runs — including two in the same inning.
• Chase Burns took down the Yankees at Yankee Stadium yesterday, almost exactly a year after his MLB debut, which was also against the Bronx Bombers. The 23-year-old has already come a long way since then, from showing flashes of his talent in 2025 to becoming one of the top young pitchers in the league in 2026.
• Cam Schlittler was dominant yet again on Friday, collecting a career-high 13 strikeouts against Cincinnati while lowering his ERA to an AL-best 1.71. The Yankees ace even wowed NBA champion Knick Josh Hart, who posted on X during the game: “Schlitty is the Cy Young winner hands down.”
DAILY WALKOFF
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After being knocked out of the top spot in the Power Rankings earlier this season, the two-time defending champion Dodgers leapfrogged the Braves to move back up to No. 1.
Seven T-Mobile Home Run Derby newcomers helped put on a show last year, so we picked five sluggers we would like to see appear for the first time next month in Philadelphia.
After watching his native Curaçao battle Ecuador to a 0-0 tie and his friend Eloy Room make a record 15 saves, Tigers closer Kenley Jansen said, “I couldn’t go to sleep, because my adrenaline was so up.”
Cardinals rookie JJ Wetherholt and White Sox second-year star Colson Montgomery have rightfully drawn attention for their offensive skills, but they are also among the best defensive infielders in baseball.
Good morning, I’m Patrick Andres, and I’ll be making a spot start for Dan Gartland today. I’m wondering whether the population of Sunrise, Fla., can handle that much Tkachuk.
When FIFA signaled that it would expand the World Cup to 48 teams way back in 2017, skepticism was immediate (this is, after all, FIFA). Would the move dilute the power of sports’ most revered tournament and the quality of the games themselves? Was it merely a cynical thumb on the scale to boost booming nations with little soccer tradition, like China, India and Indonesia?
So far, the answer to all three of these questions has been a resounding no, and that is due in no small part to the performance of some of this tournament’s least heralded entrants. This weekend, two of those teams delivered huge shocks.
First, on Saturday, Curaçao—a squad that sits in between Montenegro and Guinea in the FIFA rankings and lost 7–1 to Germany in its opener—wrestled an exhilarating 0–0 draw from Ecuador in Kansas City. The hero for the country of 155,000: goalie Eloy Room. Room, a 37-year-old Eredivisie alum who plays for Miami FC in the USL Championship, casually saved 15 shots in one of the greatest goalkeeping performances in World Cup history. The soccer profile of a nation far better known for baseball in the United States continues to rise.
The next day, Cabo Verde—already riding high after drawing Spain 0–0 in its opener—stared down Uruguay in Miami Gardens, Fla. The African side took a 1–0 lead on a 21st-minute goal from midfielder Kevin Pina, then came back from down 2–1 to earn a 2–2 draw and set itself up well for its group-stage finale against Saudi Arabia. Uruguay may be soccer’s ultimate overachiever size-wise—a nation of 3.5 million with two World Cup titles—so there was a certain irony in seeing them humbled by an even smaller fish.CONTINUE PATRICK’S COLUMN ON SI
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5. Egypt couldn’t have come back against the Kiwis without winger Mo Salah, whose first goal of this World Cup was a stylish one.
4. Côte d’Ivoire winger Simon Adingra will rue this late missed chance against Germany, which opened the door for forward Deniz Undav’s stoppage-time winner.
3. Total football, if not totaalvoetbal, from the Netherlands.
2. American outlets like to fixate on a Japanese cultural norm they should know well by now, but it really is (to steal a British-ism) class that Japan’s fans cleaned up after their team crushed Tunisia 4–0 in the much-hyped 1,000th World Cup match.
1. Spain winger Lamine Yamal’s dazzling goalto open his team’s account against Saudi Arabia—the first of many, no doubt.
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Jesus Christ, my God, I adore You and thank You for all the graces You have given me this day. I offer You my sleep and all the moments of this night. I place myself and all my loved ones, wherever they may be, in Your sacred side and under the mantle of Our Blessed Mother. Let Your holy angels stand watch and keep us in peace. Amen.
Quote of the Day
“He who wishes to love God does not truly love Him, if he has not an ardent and constant desire to suffer for His sake.” -St. Aloysius Gonzaga
Today’s Meditation
“The fact that John the Baptist called Him the Lamb of God is most significant; He was neither the peoples’ lamb, nor the lamb of the Jews, nor the lamb of any human owner, but the Lamb of God. When the Lamb was finally sacrificed, it was not because He was a victim of those who were stronger than Himself, but rather because He was fulfilling His willing duty of love for sinners. It was not many who offered this sacrifice, although it was man who slew the victim; it was God Who gave Himself.” —Fulton Sheen, p. 72
Your Father’s Day Gift Can Save a Priestly Vocation
A recent study indicates that over 1,000 priests are considering leaving right now — facing burnout (60%), loneliness (45%), and overwhelming demands. We can’t afford to lose even one!
The daily examination of conscience is an ancient Catholic practice. It’s very simple, and it’s designed to help us identify our sins and weaknesses so that we can improve and grow stronger in the spiritual life, while providing an excellent ongoing preparation for regular Confession. It consists of taking a few minutes at the end of the day to prayerfully review our actions in the light of God’s commandments, followed by the Act of Contrition.
Reflect on the victories and losses
Actively reflecting on the high and low points of the day can help you live more intentionally and bring a renewed sense of resolve into the following day.
Review your actions, words, and thoughts today. Did you actively guard yourself against temptation? Where did sin creep in?
In what moments did you practice virtue and moral courage?
Were you attuned to the Holy Spirit’s promptings today? Where did you feel His inspiration?
Ask Him for the graces necessary to follow His Will more purposefully tomorrow.
Act of Contrition
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen.
Practice gratitude
It is God’s love that has brought you into existence and to this exact moment. Practice looking for His hand in your day.
Where did you feel His loving gaze upon you today?
What people or moments helped you see God in your life?
Thank God for all these moments!
Ask Him to help you recognize His blessings and providence tomorrow.
Renew your commitment to Christ
Remember: our Faith is founded upon a Person—Christ! Renew your personal love and devotion to Him.
Thank God for the gift of His Son Jesus and our call to be His disciples.
Tell the Lord of your desire to know Christ more personally.
If possible, set an intention for your day tomorrow. Ask Our Lord to guide you in this act.
Pray a Hail Mary, Our Father, or another beloved prayer.
Rest with God
In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for Thou alone, O Lord, makest me dwell in safety. — Psalm 4:8
(5) If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (6) But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. (7) For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. (8) A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. King James VersionChange email Bible version
Our Creator promises us wisdom—but only under the condition that we do not waver or be double-minded. I have sweat plenty over these verses through the years, having had to battle indecision. Likewise, when I pray, I have problems concentrating. I have battled doubts and fears when I have asked to be anointed.
But is simple mind-wandering or normal doubts the subject of James’ reprimand? Or is it something else? Perhaps mind-wandering, indecisiveness, and doubting are more symptomatic than the actual causes of double-mindedness.
The apostle Paul writes that anyone who comes to Godmust believe that He is and diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). If we are in a conference with a human being, it is rude to tune him out, fall asleep on him, or become distracted. Some of my students have done that to me—giving me an insight on how God must feel when our minds wander when we pray, study, or meditate. Inattention and mind-wandering, although they are related to double-mindedness, do not seem to be what James had in mind.
The anguished father in Mark 9:24, who says, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” might be accused of being double-minded, but he is not. He desperately wants to believe, and he asks for help. He is not of two opinions.
The Greek word translated “double-minded” in James 1:8, dipsuchos, in its literal sense means “double-souled,” like having two independent wills. The words “with no doubting” in verse 6 are translated from the Greek words meedén diakrinómenos, which describes one divided in mind, who wavers between two opinions.
Some may wonder whether the apostle Paul, when he complains, “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice” (Romans 7:19), was exercising double-mindedness. This state of struggle that goes on in all of us is not the same as double-mindedness. Paul’s mind, he goes on to explain, is focused one way, in one direction (verse 22), but inherent in the flesh of every human being is an innate enmity toward God and His law (Romans 7:23; 8:7). Just like Paul, we also fail to keep God’s law perfectly because we have human nature in us that is perpetually at war with God’s Holy Spirit in us.
All of us have a deep-seated desire to be at one with ourselves. We will not realize this desire until we are totally composed of spirit. Until then, we can expect a spiritual tug of war to go on perpetually. As more of God’s Spirit flows through us, renewing our minds and displacing our carnality, we will find it easier to keep our carnal nature in check. All of us, I trust, can point to certain areas in our lives that are now under control—but which at one time were not under control. The spiritual struggle occurring in all of us between our spiritual and carnal natures is not double-mindedness.
Double-mindedness is literally having two separate minds holding contradictory thoughts. Double-mindedness occurs in a church member when he has an implicit or explicit knowledge of God’s law, yet deliberately harbors a sin, choosing to conceal it, repress it, or ignore it.
James supports this explanation of double-mindedness in James 4:8: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts you double-minded.” Anything one willingly does or does not do that is contrary to God’s law (verse 17) makes one guilty of double-mindedness. Double-mindedness depends on a knowledge of and a willful intent to reject God’s law, as the psalmist writes in Psalm 119:113: “I hate the double-minded, but I love your law.” On the other side, being synchronized with God’s law is equated with singleness of purpose and leads to peace of mind and a feeling of wholeness. The same psalmist writes, “Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble” (Psalm 119:165).
God’s law itself is the vehicle of wisdom that the petitioner requests in James 1:5. It would be absurd for someone to ask to be filled with the spirit of the law and simultaneously be determined not to keep it. Sometimes we inadvertently do this when we ask a minister or counselor for advice on a problem—but have already purposed in our minds to do it our own way. Then when the minister tells us something that goes against what we have purposed to do in our inner being, a highly uncomfortable state of dissonance emerges.
Harboring any secret sin puts a tremendous strain on the nervous system. Psychologists have a name for this emotional/psychological turmoil: cognitive dissonance, literally “inharmonious thought.”
People who have left the truth often report that they feel more at peace with themselves now than at any time they were in the church. This should not surprise us. When they—anyone, for that matter—tries to submit to God’s law with a carnal mind, unbearable cognitive dissonance occurs. The nervous system plunges into a tailspin until it achieves a sense of equilibrium or wholeness. Carnal nature does not feel comfortable in the light of God’s law: “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be” (Romans 8:7). The easiest way to find equilibrium is to reject the beliefs that send them into a spiritual dither.