The Opener: Festa, Turnbull, Guardians, Royals

With the 2024 season now previous the midway level, listed below are three issues we’ll be maintaining a tally of across the baseball world all through the day right this moment:

1. Festa to debut:

The Twins are set to pick out the contract of right-hander David Festa previous to their sport in opposition to the Diamondbacks this afternoon. Festa, 24, was a Thirteenth-round choose by the Twins within the 2021 draft however has seen his inventory skyrocket since he was drafted to turn into a top-100 prospect within the sport. In 17 begins on the Triple-A stage, Festa has pitched to a 3.63 ERA with an impressive 33.8% strikeout price in 72 innings of labor.

Festa will deliver that bat-missing arsenal to Arizona, the place he’ll pitch reverse left-hander Jordan Montgomery (5.71 ERA) in a sport set to start at 12:40pm native time. Earlier than that may occur, the Twins might want to make a corresponding transfer to clear area for Festa on the energetic roster. Minnesota already has a vacant spot on its 40-man roster to accommodate Festa’s promotion.

2. Turnbull to endure testing:

Phillies right-hander Spencer Turnbull made his return to Comerica Park for the primary time since leaving the Tigers yesterday, however his begin was reduce brief after simply three innings of one-run ball because of soreness in his proper shoulder. Turnbull informed reporters (together with Matt Gelb of The Athletic) after the sport that he doesn’t take into account the difficulty to be a critical one and is hopeful that he’ll be capable of make his begin subsequent week. Nevertheless, the Phillies are set to ship him for extra testing this morning earlier than they make that decision.

The 31-year-old Turnbull has posted a superb 2.65 ERA break up between the rotation and bullpen this 12 months, and he’s already filling in as a starter for injured righty Taijuan Walker. If Turnbull finally ends up becoming a member of Walker on the injured listing, the Phillies should faucet into additional into their depth to spherical out the rotation. A lot of the beginning workers in Triple-A has struggled, although righty Michael Mercado has pitched fairly properly and was lately referred to as as much as make his MLB debut within the bullpen. Others on the 40-man roster with MLB expertise embody righty Nick Nelson and lefty Kolby Allard, although neither has fared properly within the minors.

3. Collection Preview: Guardians @ Royals

A sequence between division rivals that would impression the AL playoff image begins this night when the Guardians head to Kauffman Stadium for a four-game set in opposition to the Royals. Each golf equipment have emerged as shock contenders within the first half and spent a lot of the season vying for the AL Central lead. That dynamic has shifted in latest weeks, nonetheless, as Kansas Metropolis has struggled to a 9-14 document within the month of June to fall behind the Twins within the standings. The Guardians have seen their success proceed with a 13-8 document.

That leaves the Royals tied with the Purple Sox for the ultimate AL Wild Card spot, whereas Cleveland nonetheless holds a cushty eight-game lead within the division. A giant sequence for Kansas Metropolis may reinforce their spot within the AL postseason image whereas considerably chipping away at their deficit within the Central. Victory for the Guardians may see them pad their lead additional whereas doubtlessly pushing the Royals out a playoff spot headed into the second half. Tonight’s sport, which is scheduled for 7:10pm native time, will pit Guardians righty Ben Lively (3.03 ERA) in opposition to Royals veteran Michael Wacha (4.07 ERA). The remainder of the sequence will see the Royals ship right-hander Alec Marsh (4.40 ERA), lefty Cole Ragans (3.03 ERA), and righty Seth Lugo (2.29 ERA) to the mound reverse Guardians hurlers Triston McKenzie (4.66 ERA), Tanner Bibee (3.50 ERA), and Logan Allen (5.72 ERA), respectively.