Steven Kwan

Flaherty was fantastic once again. The only run he allowed came after a two out single, pass ball, and then a soft, run-scoring knock off the bat of Steven Kwan. Otherwise, Flaherty mowed the Guardians down. His fastball maintained its usual effectiveness despite being down a tick, which could be viewed as either a good or bad thing. Regardless, Flaherty has cemented himself as one of the most trustworthy pitchers in the league this season.

The Guardians' leadoff hitter is having his best season yet, now up to 10 home runs on the year to go along with six steals, 57 runs, and a .347/.401/.507 slash line in 74 games. The Cleveland offense has slowed a bit of late, which has hurt Kwan's run totals, but he remains a must-start option in all leagues as the team's leadoff hitter with newfound double-digit power.

With the All-Star festivities behind us, it's time to get back to business on the diamond with the start of the unofficial second half. The final two-plus months of this season promise to be full of excitement. Here are eight storylines to follow down the stretch of 2024.Can Judge do it again? Erick W. Rasco / Sports Illustrated / GettyAll eyes will be on Aaron Judge as he tries to one-up his historic 62-homer season from two years ago. He enters the second half at 34 homers, four off his total through 96 games in 2022. Judge is also slugging .679, putting him within range of the ultra-rare .700 SLG season. That's only been done nine times in the wild-card era.Skenes day Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyPaul Skenes mania has officially taken over baseball. Through his first 11 starts, the 22-year-old has a 1.90 ERA and 0.92 WHIP with 12.1 K/9, making him a deserving All-Star Game starter. His starts are becoming appointment viewing, and he might carry the Pirates into the playoffs. How high can he fly from here? All eyes will be on Pittsburgh as we find out.More history from Shohei Ronald Martinez / Getty Images Sport / GettyBefore he finally makes his playoff debut, Shohei Ohtani could make even more history with a Triple Crown. He's got work to do, though. Ohtani leads the NL in homers but sits 10 points back of batting leader Christian Yelich and eight RBIs behind Marcell Ozuna. It's been 87 years since someone won the NL Triple Crown, but if anyone can do it, it's Shohei.Wild division races Mitchell Layton / Getty Images Sport / GettyThis year's stretch run promises to be a nail-biter. Four of the six current division leaders have leads of less than five games. The AL East-leading Orioles and AL West-leading Mariners are clinging to one-game leads. We already know September is going to be loads of fun.NL wild-card madness Justin Berl / Getty Images Sport / GettyIf you think the division races are tight, wait until you see the NL wild card. Seven teams are within six games of the Senior Circuit's final playoff spot, currently held by the Mets - who are only one game up on Arizona and San Diego and 1.5 ahead of Pittsburgh. The separation is so narrow that it's hard to even tell whether some of these teams should buy or sell at the upcoming deadline.Award races Mary DeCicco / Major League Baseball / GettyIndividual hardware is also at stake, and it won't be easy for voters to decide some of these winners. Ohtani's gunning to become the first NL DH to win MVP and just the second player ever to win it in both leagues. But Bryce Harper's hot on his trail as the pulse of the league-best Phillies, and he's trying to join a select group of three-time MVPs. In the AL, Judge appears to be running away with it, but Steven Kwan could make things interesting if he can push that .352 (!) average even higher.The NL Cy Young is also going to be a fascinating finish. The Phillies have three bona fide candidates, but they may all be chasing Chris Sale, who's trying to finally add that Cy Young to his potential Hall of Fame resume. His teammate Reynaldo L pez, meanwhile, has an ERA below two. Heck, even Skenes might push his way into this race. Who knows how this one ends up?Historic misery Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyIt's not just winners that could make history. The 2024 White Sox may end up challenging for the title of worst modern-era team ever. They've already lost 71 games, sport a minus-177 run differential, and may trade their best players (Luis Robert Jr. and Garrett Crochet) at the deadline. It's going to get real ugly - but if these White Sox are going to challenge the infamous 1962 Mets, you'll want to watch it happen.Astros are back Mark Blinch / Getty Images Sport / GettyDon't look now, but the Houston Astros train is continuing to chug along. Despite a litany of injuries, Houston's closed to within one game of the Mariners in the AL West and looks poised to turn on the jets in the second half. Would it be that surprising if the Astros ended up in the ALCS for an eighth straight year?Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The All-Star festivities got underway Monday night with the Dodgers' Teoscar Hern ndez winning the Home Run Derby as a +1000 longshot - the sixth-longest odds of the eight contestants.Now it's time for the main event.The American League is a slight -120 favorite over the National League in the 2024 Midsummer Classic. Last year, the NL snapped a nine-game winless streak that dated back to 2013 with a 3-2 victory at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. The AL will send the Orioles' Corbin Burnes to the mound to take on rookie sensation Paul Skenes, who will become the first rookie to start an All-Star Game since Hideo Nomo in 1995.Here are the starting lineups for both sides: American League National League LF - Steven Kwan (CLE) 2B - Ketel Marte (ARI) SS - Gunnar Henderson (BAL) DH - Shohei Ohtani (LAD) RF - Juan Soto (NYY) SS - Trea Turner (PHI) CF - Aaron Judge (NYY) 1B - Bryce Harper (PHI) DH - Yordan Alvarez (HOU) C - William Contreras (MIL) 3B - Jos Ram rez (CLE) RF - Christian Yelich (MIL) 1B - Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR) 3B - Alec Bohm (PHI) C - Adley Rutschman (BAL) CF - Teoscar Hern ndez (LAD) 2B - Marcus Semien (TEX) LF - Jurickson Profar (SD) Despite two loaded lineups and plenty of pop coming off the bench, All-Star Games were low-scoring in recent years. Six of the past seven games had fewer than 7.5 runs, the current betting total for Tuesday's game. The under is the slight favorite at -120.If you thought betting on the Home Run Derby was a crapshoot, how about the All-Star Game MVP?With limited at-bats, predicting which player will win the award is difficult. You're banking on a player to hit a key home run or cash in a few runners with a timely double. Good luck calling that. MVP odds Player Odds Shohei Ohtani +800 Aaron Judge +950 Bryce Harper +1000 Gunnar Henderson +1200 Juan Soto +1400 Trea Turner +1800 Yordan Alvarez +1800 Adley Rutschman +2000 Bobby Witt Jr. +2000 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. +2000 Christian Yelich +2500 Elly De La Cruz +2500 Jos Ram rez +2500 Ketel Marte +2500 William Contreras +2500 Odds via theScore Bet. Players above +2500 are not listed. Ohtani is the slight favorite over Judge, but it's evident given the condensed prices that oddsmakers have little idea who will win the award. If anything, backing a starter with longer odds, since they are likely to get two or maybe three at-bats, is the most valuable route to take.If you are thinking about backing a pitcher to win the award, keep in mind that only two pitchers (Shane Bieber in 2019 and Mariano Rivera in 2013) have earned the honor since 2000.Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It seems Bruce Bochy disagrees with Aaron Boone in using Judge as a No. 2 hitter. He has Judge batting behind Steven Kwan, Gunnar Henderson and Juan Soto on Tuesday, so unless someone gets on base, we'll miss out on a Paul Skenes-Judge matchup. Rounding out the lineup behind Judge will be Yordan Alvarez, Jose Ramirez, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Adley Rutschman and Marcus Semien.