The Opener Ray NL Wild Card Yelich MLBTR Podcas

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With the trade deadline now just six days away, here are four things well be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today: 1. Ray to make Giants debut: Veteran left-hander hasnt pitched in more than 18 months after exiting the first start of his 2023 season with a flexor strain that ultimately required . At the time, he was a member of the Mariners, but over the winter Seattle in exchange for outfielder and righty . Hes continued his rehab with his new club since then, and all that work getting back to the mound will finally pay off today when Ray makes his first start in a Giants uniform against the Dodgers in L.A. in Derrick Favors Jersey a game scheduled for 8:10pm local time. Ray will be facing right-hander , who is coming off the IL himself but sports a strong 3.47 ERA in 18 starts this year. The Giants will be hoping that Ray, the AL Cy Young award winner in 2021, will provide a boost and halt a potential three-game losing streak. San Francisco has dropped two straight and fallen near the back of a tight NL Wild Card chase. They now sit five games out, and five teams separate them from the Mets, who currently hold the final Wild Card spot. The Giants play over the next few days will be crucial with regard to their deadline approach. San Francisco will also need to make a 40-man roster move to activate Ray. 2. NL Wild Card scene and its impact on the trade deadline: As just alluded to, the NL Wild Card hunt is at a critical juncture. The Cardinals and Mets hold the second and third spots at the moment, but each of the Padres, D-backs, Pirates, Cubs, Reds, Giants and Nationals are within 5.5 games. The Cubs and Nats both still plan to operate primarily as sellers, but the direction isnt as clear for everyone else in the mix. A series of three to four straight lo ses for any of these clubs would have ma sive deadline ramifications. For some clubs, a decision may come even sooner. The Reds are already even as they look to hang around in the race, but a lo s today could drop them 5.5 games out of the postseason picture. Every game carries heightened significance right now, creating a mini-playoff effect and leading to ample scoreboard watching. 3. Yelich exits with injury: Brewers outfielder is in the midst of a resurgent season at the plate, sporting a career-best 18.4% strikeout rate and an excellent .315/.406/.504 slash line (156 wRC+) in 73 games this year. Thats been a huge part of Milwaukees succe s, but now it seems the club may need to go without its best hitter for some time after he exited yesterdays win over the Cubs due to back tightne s. According to , manager Pat Murphy told reporters after the game that Yelich could be due for a trip to the injured list. Frustrating as the lo s of Yelich would surely be, a silver lining for the Brewers would be the fact that the club is relatively flush in quality outfield options with , , and all seeing regular playing time at the moment and currently in a bench role. 4. Check out todays episode of the MLBTR Podcast! This weeks installment of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is a particularly fun one, as host Darragh McDonald is joined by MLBTRs Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco for a two-hour megapod during which they discu s the coming trade deadline. Discu sed within are not only some of the leagues most obvious buyers (Yankees, Orioles) and sellers (Marlins, White Sox), but also some of the teams facing some tough decisions this summer like the Rays and Blue Jays. The episode is currently live on both and , and will be posted here on the site later this morning! Ricky Rubio Jersey