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A central defender on loan from Tottenham, Walkes had spent the opening months of his MLS stint grabbing minutes off the bench here and there. So it was something of a surprise when Walkes not only got the nod, but did so over veteran Tyrone Mears at right back — a position he hadn’t even trained at. Pulling the young Englishman aside, Atlanta captain Michael Parkhurst had to ask: Did Martino tip him off about the start?...

As many as four MLS players could be parlaying a strong tournament into transfer moves and the league stands to reap the financial rewards of those efforts. Assuming, of course, that MLS is ready to part with four of the league’s top players. U.S. national team players DeAndre Yedlin, Matt Besler and Omar Gonzalez and Costa Rican defender Giancarlo Gonzalez all left Brazil with growing lists of suitors interested in their services....

Those are just some of the top headlines heading into the weekend of Major League Soccer’s 10th week of action. Leading the way is New York City FC’s visit to Red Bull Arena to take on the New York Red Bulls in a clash of two of the league’s best teams. Two of the top teams in the West square off on the other side of the country, as LAFC looks to stay perfect at its new home against an FC Dallas side coming off of its first loss of the season....

It’s the first time the city has hosted the midsummer classic since 1997, when the Indians were in the middle of a run to the World Series. The Indians are hopeful they can reach the postseason again in 2019, but the upstart Twins, who lead the AL Central, may stand in their way of a bid. MORE: Sign up for DAZN to watch ‘ChangeUp,’ a new MLB live whiparound show...

Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Field in Arlington will host the World Series, which could run until a game seven on October 28. The plan approved by the MLB Players Association will also see division series and league championship series held at neutral ballparks, with players to be housed in single-location bio-secure bubbles nearby. The American League and National League’s wild card series begin on September 29 and September 30 – launching a format expanded from 10 to 16 franchises that was announced in July....

TV: MLB will hold Day 1 of the draft at MLB Network’s Studio 42 in Secaucus, New Jersey. The draft will begin live on MLB Network and MLB.com at 7 p.m. ET. , MLB Network also will air a draft preview show (also simulcast on MLB.com) at 6 p.m. (ET). Here is the unofficial order in which the teams will draft: First Round 1. Houston Astros 2 Miami Marlins 3 Chicago White Sox 4 Chicago Cubs 5 Minnesota Twins 6 Seattle Mariners 7 Philadelphia Phillies 8 Colorado Rockies 9 Toronto Blue Jays 10 New York Mets 11 Toronto Blue Jays (for Bickford) 12 Milwaukee Brewers 13 San Diego Padres 14 San Francisco Giants 15 Los Angeles Angels 16 Arizona Diamondbacks 17 Kansas City Royals 18 Washington Nationals 19 Cincinnati Reds 20 Tampa Bay Rays 21 Cleveland Indians 22 Los Angeles Dodgers 23 Detroit Tigers 24 Pittsburgh Pirates 25 Oakland Athletics 26 Boston Red Sox 27 St....

It’s the second pick of the draft for the Astros, who took LSU shortstop Alex Bregman with the No. 2 overall choice (which was compensation for not signing last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Brady Aiken). MORE: Five worst MLB Draft misses for each franchise | Best picks, 1-50 Clearly, Houston believes in good bloodlines; Tucker’s brother, Preston, is a rookie with the Astros this year. Preston Tucker is batting ....

Take a look at a scouting video: Your browser does not support iframes. MLB DRAFT: Live: Track the first round of the MLB Draft!

Executives from the Orioles reportedly met with Upton’s agent, Larry Reynolds, Wednesday morning at the winter meetings in Nashville, Tenn., CBS Sports reported. MORE: Possible free-agent bargains Upton, a Virginia native, had a .251/.336/.454 slash line, 26 home runs and 81 RBIs in his 2015 All-Star season, his first season with the Padres. Other teams have kicked the tires on Upton, 28, but in a crowded outfield market with Yoenis Cespedes, Jason Heyward, Alex Gordon and others, teams may not be overly aggressive to get Upton’s name on the dotted line....

Stanton is the most imposing power hitter in baseball today, blasting majestic 400-plus foot shots on a regular basis. He heads into his seventh big league season, but he’s had three of his seasons cut short by injury, including 2015 when he fractured his wrist in June and did not return to the field. However, he still hit 27 home runs in only 279 at-bats. His highest home run total was 37 in both 2012 and 2014, but neither year was the most home runs by a player that season....

An investigation found the Astros had stolen signs en route to their 2017 championship. Houston fired general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch after the pair were suspended, while the Red Sox - the 2018 champions - parted ways with manager Alex Cora. Cora had been bench coach for the Astros before leading Boston to the title, and an investigation into the Red Sox is ongoing. However, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, speaking for the first time since the investigation, suggested it would be difficult to alter past World Series results at this stage....

*=If necessary. American League Wild Card Game A’s or Mariners at Royals, 8 p.m. ET, Tuesday, Sept. 30 | TBS National League Wild Card Game Giants at Pirates, 8 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 1 | ESPN American League Division Series 1 Game 1: WC Game winner at Angels, Thursday, Oct. 2 | TBS Game 2: WC Game winner at Angels, Friday, Oct. 3 | TBS Game 3: Sunday, Oct. 5 | TBS...

The battle lines were being drawn for tonight’s Game 4. The Dodgers turned their gaze toward Clayton Kershaw, their last line of defense, and perhaps the only one who can preserve Don Mattingly’s job. MORE: Photos from the NLDS | Mets deliver best possible response in Game 3 The Mets are holding their breath, too. Even though they’re in a commanding position in this Series, they’re nevertheless asking rookie Steven Matz to out-pitch Kershaw, not to mention deal with a crowd that’ll border on riotous....

This will be the first postseason matchup in major league history involving two black managers. Both men are proud to be involved. MORE: Top 50 players in MLB playoffs “It gives us some pride, in being African-American, to show people that not only can we do the job, but we can do the job better than most, especially this year,” Baker said at a news conference Thursday. “Hopefully, it motivates other organizations to get some African-American managers, also to motivate other players that are playing now, and former players that have managerial aspirations....

As pointed out by Reddit user pricemcdice, MLB The Show 21 makes a big quality of life change when it comes to hitting home runs. In previous MLB The Show titles, players that wanted to see the stats for their home runs had to pause the game. This would lead to some frustrations in online games, but it appears as though MLB The Show 21 has resolved the issue. Now things like home run distance and exit velocity are shown in-game with no need to pause or view the replay....

MLB The Show 21 has exceeded Sony Interactive Entertainment’s expectations, resulting in increased quarterly profits. Spotted on Twitter recently by industry analysts Mat Piscatella and Daniel Ahmad, the quarterly earnings report is making its rounds online. The company specifically credits the game’s launch on platforms outside of the PlayStation ecosystem such as Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. RELATED: MLB The Show 21 Gets Big Roster Update After Major Trades...

The Athletics announced Sunday that they acquired right-hander Homer Bailey from the Royals in exchange for infielder Kevin Merrell. Bailey, 33, is 7-6 this season with a 4.80 ERA and has 18 starts with Kansas City. He spent his first twelve seasons in MLB with the Reds but was traded to the Dodgers in the offseason. Los Angeles waived him shortly after, freeing him up to sign with the Royals for the league minimum....

The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham reported Monday that the Red Sox put their ace on the trading block shortly after receiving from Lester’s reps their vision of a long-term contract. It’s unlikely anyone would confirm that connection publicly, but the leaks of the contract proposal (it’s not known how much the reps are asking) and Lester’s possibly increased availability are suspicious. MORE: FoxSports.com’s trade deadline tracker | Giants not done...

REPORTED BY: Jayson Stark, ESPN THE DETAILS: The 36-year-old left-hander was shelved in late-July due to a flexor pronator strain in his pitching elbow. He was able to avoid surgery and was instead receiving platelet-rich plasma injections. LAST SEASON: Lee posted a 3.65 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 72/12 K/BB ratio over 81 1/3 innings. SN’S TAKE: Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr., said in January that Lee has already thrown off a mound three or four times this offseason and is progressing quicker than anticipated....