Sports
Royals, Padres look to rebound from disappointing first half of season
Jul 12, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher Seth Lugo (67) throws during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images Both the San Diego Padres and Kansas City Royals have underachieved thus far in 2026.
Coming out of the All-Star break, the two look for a positive restart when they open a three-game series Friday night at Kansas City.
San Diego was a playoff team each of the past two seasons and has reached the postseason four times since 2020. However, injuries and inconsistency have hampered the Padres at 48-48, third in the NL West and 3 1/2 games out of the final wild-card spot coming out of the break.
They also rank last in the majors in runs (379), batting average (.226) and on-base percentage (.302).
“It’s a long season,” star Manny Machado, who’s batting .203 but is 8-for-16 with a home run and four RBIs in the last four games, told the Padres’ official website.
“A lot of baseball still left to be played. I think our best baseball is still ahead of us.”
Perhaps there’s basis to Machado’s belief after San Diego won two straight and five of eight entering the break.
“We feel like we can reset. … And, when we get back, get back to playing our game,” said first baseman Ty France, batting .348 with three homers and nine RBIs in his last 14 contests.
The Padres return with a 10-game road trip, which includes stops at Atlanta and Miami, teams in playoff position. Before that, though, San Diego has a solid chance to continue its recent success by taking on the Royals, who are tied for the worst record in the majors at 38-59 and will look to avoid a sixth consecutive loss.
While Kansas City did not harbor the same high expectations as the Padres entering this season, it felt there was enough talent to post a third straight winning campaign and potentially contend for a playoff berth.
However, the Royals have been hit hard by injuries, especially to their rotation, plus key offensive contributors like Jonathan India (shoulder), Vinnie Pasquantino (hamate fracture) and Maikel Garcia (hand). Pasquantino was activated July 10 and played two games before the All-Star break.
“It wasn’t what we wanted,” said All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., the team’s most consistent offensive performer, batting .286 with 13 homers, 39 RBIs and 30 stolen bases.
“We showed up, and we didn’t play the way we thought we were going to. It’s frustrating. But now you put that in the past.
“We’re not just going to roll over.”
Kansas City ranks near the bottom of the majors in ERA (4.95) and opponents’ batting average (.264).
Veteran right-hander and ex-Padre Seth Lugo (3-6, 4.56 ERA) is slated to take the ball Friday for the Royals, looking to solve his own recent struggles. In his last four starts, Lugo has allowed 29 hits, including eight home runs, and is 0-2 with an 8.38 ERA.
While France is 4-for-8 all-time versus Lugo, Machado is 0-for-8 against him. Lugo has 13 career appearances (two starts) against the Padres with a 2-0 record and 2.63 ERA.
San Diego, meanwhile, is scheduled to counter with Michael King (6-7, 3.41), who is 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA while recording three quality starts in his last four outings. The right-hander has yielded three runs and seven hits over 12 innings of his last two starts combined.
King is 0-1 with a 3.32 ERA in six career appearances (three starts) vs. the Royals. Witt is 2-for-7 against King.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Twins, Cubs enter series hoping All-Star break didn't cool them off
Jul 1, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Colin Rea (53) delivers the ball during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images The Chicago Cubs entered the All-Star break on a red-hot streak.
After a few days off, they will hit the play button and try to pick up from where they paused the action.
The Cubs will welcome the Minnesota Twins to open a three-game interleague series beginning Friday night at Wrigley Field. Chicago was 34-34 on June 10 but finished the final month before the break on a 20-8 run to jump 12 games above .500.
Now comes the more intense part of the season as the Cubs eye a postseason run.
“We’re OK with where we’re at,” outfielder Michael Conforto said. “We’re still hungry to play better. … We feel like we haven’t played up to our potential yet.”
Chicago sits five games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central. The Cubs are counting on a big second half to reach the playoffs for the second consecutive year.
“The way I look at it is we’re in such a good place and I feel like we haven’t played that well yet,” shortstop Dansby Swanson said. “There’s been a lot of guys, offensively, underperforming from what they’re used to. You could even say that about the pitching side.
“There’s so much room for this team to continue to grow and get better and play better, and it’ll be a fun second half.”
Minnesota will look to spoil the Cubs’ fun this weekend.
The Twins also entered the All-Star break on a high note after winning nine of their final 13. They won back-to-back games against the Los Angeles Angels just before the break to climb within one game of .500. Minnesota sits three games back of the American League Central lead and is in the thick of the AL wild-card chase.
That might not seem like a big deal for some teams, but it’s great news for Minnesota, which entered the season with low expectations. A strong resumption of the season after the All-Star break could help management decide to be a buyer at the trade deadline instead of trading away veterans as it did a season ago.
For the moment, general manager Jeremy Zoll is watching and waiting.
“There’s still a lot of games left to unfold and teams aren’t really making those declarations (about who is available) until the last possible minute,” Zoll said. “And in turn, you need the full market to develop to be able to have things happen.
“So we’re continuing to evaluate things. The team is on a nice run here. … So we’re really excited about that to continue to progress and hopefully have a good showing … and go from there.”
Cubs right-hander Colin Rea (7-5, 4.75 ERA) will take the mound to start the series. He is 5 1/3 innings shy of reaching the 100-inning milestone for the fourth straight year.
In two career starts against Minnesota, Rea is 1-1 with a 3.75 ERA.
The Twins will counter with right-hander Bailey Ober (6-3, 4.40), who will make his second start since returning from the injured list. He allowed one run on three hits in five innings of a 5-2 loss against the Cleveland Guardians on July 9.
Ober, who was on the IL with right elbow inflammation and a mild flexor strain, has never faced the Cubs in his career.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Whitecaps-Fire match postponed due to air quality conditions
Jul 16, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Soldier Field and the Chicago skyline are obscured by wildfire smoke. A planned soccer match between the Chicago Fire and Vancouver Whitecaps FC was rescheduled due to poor air quality conditions in the Chicago area. Mandatory Credit: Talia Sprague-Imagn Images Thursday’s match between the Vancouver Whitecaps and host Chicago Fire was postponed until Oct. 6. The local air quality was deemed to be too dangerous for players and fans to attend the outdoor event at Soldier Field, as Chicago and much of the Great Lakes area has been impacted by wildfire smoke.
The match is the only scheduled meeting between the Whitecaps and Fire this season. The rescheduled Oct. 6 date sits between a bye week for the two clubs, as Vancouver and Chicago each weren’t slated to play between Sept. 26 and Oct. 10.
“We share our fans’ disappointment, especially given the excitement surrounding our first match back following the FIFA World Cup break and the anticipation of welcoming more than 40,000 fans to Soldier Field,” said Chicago president of business operations Dave Baldwin.
“While we know this decision is disappointing, health and safety must come first,” Baldwin added. “We appreciate our fans’ understanding and look forward to welcoming them back soon.”
The delay means that MLS hiatus for the World Cup will extend a bit longer for the two clubs. The Whitecaps and Fire each had their last regular-season match on May 23. Vancouver will now return to action on July 22 in a road match with FC Cincinnati, while the Fire visit Inter Miami on the same day.
–Field Level Media
Sports
MLS-leading Nashville out to extend Atlanta United's struggles
May 17, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville SC midfielder Hany Mukhtar (10) celebrates with forward Warren Madrigal (41), midfielder Bryan Acosta (6) and midfielder Ahmed Qasem (37) after scoring a goal against Los Angeles Football Club during the second half at Geodis Park. Mandatory Credit: Alan Poizner-Imagn Images With the best record in MLS as the season resumes, Nashville SC is in go-for-it mode.
Ahead of its home match Friday night against Atlanta United, Nashville has added to an already formidable roster by signing Tunisian winger Elias Saad and 21-year-old midfielder Famara Camara of Senegal.
Already stocked with four All-Star selections — the most of any team — Nashville (10-1-3, 33 points) beefed up its attacking arsenal by acquiring Saad from FC Augsburg of the German Bundesliga.
Nashville owns a plus-20 goal differential, second only to Vancouver (22), and is top five in MLS in goals scored (31), fewest goals against (11) and possession (55%).
“We are an exciting team,” coach BJ Callaghan said. “We are a team that wants to attack. We play exciting games.”
Hany Mukhtar (six goals, five assists), Sam Surridge (nine goals), Andy Najar (five assists) and goalkeeper Brian Schwake (35 saves, six clean sheets) are the team’s All-Stars. It’s the fifth selection for Mukhtar, the second apiece for Surridge and Najar and the first for Schwake.
While Nashville is riding high into the second half, Atlanta (3-9-2, 11 points) is stuck in 14th in the East, seven points out of the final playoff spot. There’s time for Atlanta to make a push but not a lot to indicate that it can.
Its 14 goals are tied for last in the 30-team league and goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos has conceded 23 goals while making 34 saves. Outside of Aleksey Miranchuk’s five goals, no one else has tallied more than two.
Like Nashville, Atlanta has added to its roster after the break. Chilean defender Paulo Diaz and Paraguayan defender Junior Alonso figure to shore up weaknesses on the backline. Alonso helped his country shock Germany in the round of 32 at the World Cup.
Atlanta chief soccer officer and sporting director Chris Henderson said Alonso is a hard-working defender.
“He’ll add solidarity and stability to our backline,” Henderson said. “He’s a natural leader.”
–Field Level Media
Twins, Cubs enter series hoping All-Star break didn't cool them off
Whitecaps-Fire match postponed due to air quality conditions
