The Opener: O’Neill, Giants, Rays, Rangers

Because the second half of the 2023 common season continues, listed here are three issues we’ll be keeping track of across the baseball world all through the day at this time:

1. O’Neill to return:

Cardinals outfielder Tyler O’Neill has been out since early Might with a low again pressure, however the 28 12 months outdated is anticipated to rejoin the workforce forward of tonight’s recreation in opposition to the Marlins. O’Neill is on the 60-day IL, so a corresponding transfer will probably be essential to make room for him on the 40-man roster. It’s been a tough season for O’Neill, as he’s slashed simply .228/.283/.337 with a 70 wRC+ in 99 plate appearances. Along with his poor efficiency on the plate and time on the shelf on account of accidents, O’Neill was benched early within the season by supervisor Oli Marmol for a perceived lack of hustle.

Regardless of all that, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak indicated yesterday that O’Neill would be the membership’s beginning left fielder upon his return. With Lars Nootbaar and Jordan Walker locked into heart and proper discipline respectively, that seemingly leaves Dylan Carlson because the odd man out. Nonetheless simply 24 years outdated, Carlson was as soon as a consensus top-20 prospect within the sport however has struggled to show that promise into manufacturing on the huge league stage as he’s slashed simply .236/.324/.376 (102 wRC+) in 686 plate appearances for the reason that begin of the 2022 marketing campaign.

2. DeSclafani to return:

The Giants and Reds have been rained out within the eighth inning of yesterday’s 2-2 recreation at Nice American Ballpark. The sport is about to be completed this night earlier than the second recreation of the collection tonight. Based on Mark Sheldon and Allie Kaylor of MLB.com, followers who’ve tickets to tonight’s recreation can come early to observe the tip of final evening’s recreation along with the recurrently scheduled recreation, whereas followers who had tickets to final evening’s recreation can current them on the ballpark’s field workplace for a $5 low cost on tickets to at this time’s recreation. Final evening’s recreation is about to renew at 4:40pm CT.

As soon as tonight’s recurrently scheduled recreation begins at 6:10pm CT, Giants right-hander Anthony DeSclafani is anticipated to take the mound after being positioned on the 15-day IL earlier this month with shoulder fatigue. DeSclafani was glorious throughout 11 begins throughout the first two months of the season, with a 3.48 ERA and three.67 FIP in 67 1/3 innings of labor. Since then, nevertheless, DeSclafani has struggled mightily, with a 6.92 ERA and a 5.28 FIP in six begins, half of which lasted simply three innings. If DeSclafani’s time on the shelf has helped him relaxation up and return to kind, he’ll be a significant asset to a Giants membership within the thick of the wild card race regardless of getting much less innings from their beginning pitchers than any workforce in baseball apart from the A’s and Rockies.

3. Rays vs Rangers:

Two of the AL’s high groups are within the midst of a key collection, because the Rays (60-37) and Rangers (56-39) partake in a 3 recreation set at Globe Life Discipline. The Rangers received the collection opener 3-2 final evening, a win that put them 3.5 video games forward of the second-place Astros for the AL West crown. In contrast, the Rays’ loss final evening leaves the Orioles nipping at their heels, only one recreation behind Tampa in a particularly aggressive AL East division. Tonight’s recreation is about to start at 7:05pm CT.

Proper-handed teenager Taj Bradley is about to take the mound for the Rays at 7:05pm CT tonight in opposition to veteran hurler and former Ray Nathan Eovaldi, who has emerged because the ace of Texas’ pitching workers following the lack of Jacob deGrom to Tommy John surgical procedure earlier this season with a 2.38 ERA in 117 2/3 innings of labor. Then again, Bradley has had an up-and-down rookie marketing campaign. The teenager sports activities an unsightly 5.43 ERA in 61 1/3 innings regardless of a a lot stronger 3.99 FIP thanks partly to brutal ends in his final three begins, the place he’s allowed 16 earned runs whereas managing simply 12 1/3 innings.