As expected, young standouts are leading the fan voting. MLB home run leader Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is pacing the field while two other blooming stars and two veteran stalwarts join him among the top vote-getters in Phase 1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. , Blue Jays (2,704,788 votes) Ronald Acuna Jr. , Braves (2,510,041 votes) Salvador Perez, Royals (2,150,968 votes) Mike Trout, Angels (2,084,542 votes) Fernando Tatis Jr. , Padres (2,052,642 votes)...

Today, let’s look at how the 2021 All-Star Game voting is happening; it’s easy to forget that MLB changed the voting format a bit before the 2019 game, which was held in Cleveland. A few things have happened in the world — baseball and otherwise — since that change. Let’s look at that, along with the first batch of voting results. How does the MLB All-Star voting process work? As a refresher, here’s how MLB’s relatively new voting process works, with dates for 2021: For Phase 1, teams submit player names, one per position and three outfielders....

— Kansas City at Detroit (AL Central), 3:07 p.m. ET, ESPN (if Oakland at Seattle also is necessary, the game will be moved to 1:07 p.m. ET. * — Oakland at Seattle (AL Wild Card), 4:07 p.m. ET, ESPN — Pittsburgh at St. Louis (NL Central), 7:37 p.m. ET, ESPN2

We’ll break down why we like a couple of strikeout props in the Cubs-Reds, and Red Sox-Blue Jays games, along with a total bases prop that is too good to pass up between the Orioles and Mariners. (Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook) MLB Best Bets: Advice, picks for Wednesday Alek Manoah over 5.5 strikeouts vs. Red Sox (-106). For our first best bet, we will attack Manoah’s strikeout prop, which is sitting at a favorable 5....

MLB executive vice president Joe Torre said Tuesday he expects deals to be in place by January. Virtually all umpires' calls other than balls and strikes, and foul tips will be reviewable. It's not yet clear whether umpires will be the ones reviewing the video at a central installation. Owners are expected to give their go-ahead Thursday for funding the expanded replay. Baseball started using video review in 2008 but limited it to home run calls....

The senior at Ballard High in Louisville is expected to be a first-round pick in this year’s MLB Draft — which starts at noon ET Monday — after putting up video-game statistics in his final year on the prep stage. Adell, a strapping lad at 6-3 and 210 pounds, hit .562 with 25 homers, 61 RBIs and 22 stolen bases and was named the Gatorade Kentucky Player of the Year as Ballard finished with a 23-12 record....

We thought we’d nose our way into that conversation with a series of “would you rather have” pieces comparing the merits — and risks — of players on the free-agent market. You won’t see a Bryce-or-Manny debate here, though, because Harper and Machado play different positions (obviously). MORE: The cases for and against the best fits for Manny Machado Our first entry looks at two outstanding lefty starters, two oft-injured outfielders and the top two hot corner guys on the market....

The right-hander has agreed to a one-year contract with San Diego, Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan reported Thursday. Johnson, 30, missed all of last season after undergoing a second Tommy John surgery. He signed with the Padres as a free agent in November 2013. MORE: New faces in new places | Padres acquire Matt Kemp | Trade for A’s Derek Norris | Snag Wil Myers Johnson has made 30 or more starts just twice in nine full big league seasons: in 2009 (33) and 2012 (31), both with the Marlins....

According to the New York Times report, there are at least 10 teams interested in Zobrist’s signature, as he seeks a four-year deal with a contender. TOP FREE AGENTS: 25 best | C | 1B | 2B | SS | OF | Zobrist destinations Zobrist, 34, would likely start at second base for the Mets, replacing Daniel Murphy. It’s believed Zobrist could also see some time at third base, spelling David Wright from time to time....

Nationals starter Max Scherzer had already been checked by the umpires — as required by baseball’s new enforcement policy — twice, in the first and third innings. Girardi asked the umpires to check Scherzer again in the fourth, with one on and one out in a game Washington led at the time, 3-1. Scherzer was not a fan of that request. We won’t belabor that drawn-out episode here, but you can read all about it at SN: Max’s reaction; Girardi’s comments after the game; and why MLB’s “crackdown” is turning players into villains, when they really should not be in that role....

MLB odds: Today’s lines from Las Vegas Orioles (65-71) vs. Yankees (76-59) Wei-Yin Chen (8-7, 3.36 ERA) vs. Michael Pineda (10-8, 4.07 ERA) Line: Yankees -155Total: 8 (-110)Time: 1:05 p.m. ET (ESPN) After a rough outing in his first start back from a month-long absence (forearm), Michael Pineda (10-8, 4.07 ERA) managed to hold the Red Sox to one run in six innings last week in Fenway, earning his first win since before the All-Star break....

The Reds avoided a sweep Thursday night with a 6-4 win over the Phillies, who were coming off a pair of walk-off 5-4 victories. But Cincinnati second baseman Brandon Phillips made sure the brooms stayed in the closet. Phillips was stellar, going 3 for 5 with a double and two RBIs to lead the Reds to victory. Phillips has been on a tear of late with four straight multihit games to raise his average to ....

Jacob deGrom isn’t an All-Star yet, but he definitely looks the part. The Mets righty worked eight shutout innings Thursday against the Brewers as New York snapped its seven-game losing streak with a 2-0 win. deGrom was masterful, striking out seven and walking none. He surrendered just four hits on a tidy 100 pitches. With the National League All-Star reveal nine days away, deGrom is sure to have a place, sporting a 2....

The Mets have won a pair of closely-contested games against the Rockies this week, but the sweep may be a bit too much to ask for tonight against rookie left-hander Tyler Matzek (+107). Matzek will face off against fellow rookie Rafael Montero with the intention of helping the Rockies avoid a three-game losing streak, and while he hasn’t been great this season (4.32 ERA, 1.37 WHIP), he has pitched well of late, allowing only five earned runs and 29 base runners over his last four starts (29....

MLB odds: Current baseball lines from Vegas All the talent on the Nationals that had Las Vegas offering them at the highest season win total at 94 and as the biggest favorite to win any division (1-to-5) is showing lately, and surprisingly, it’s their hitting and not their ace-filled rotation that’s been the key to their success. Prior to last night’s game, the Nats had averaged 6.5 runs and batted ....

Bettors have already jumped on the streaky Tigers for today’s game at Cleveland, even though the Indians have last year’s Cy Young winner Corey Kluber on the mound. The South Point opened the Indians with the proper -110 line yesterday afternoon, but bettors have been jumping all over Detroit behind their ace David Price to the point where Detroit is now a -112 favorite. Current MLB lines: Saturday’s card...

MLB odds: Baseball lines from Las Vegas The matchup that stands out is the battle of lefties in Los Angeles, where Kershaw is a -260 favorite after the Dodgers lost the first two games at Texas. The Rangers have been the hottest team in baseball, winning 19 of their past 26 games, and a huge part of that run has been Rodriguez, behind whom they won five straight. He’s gone 2-0 with a 2....

MLB odds: Current baseball betting lines The Tigers (28-22) have lost five of their last seven games overall to fall 2.5 games behind Kansas City in the AL Central and 1.5 games behind second-place Minnesota. Through the first five games of a current seven-game road trip, they’ve scored just six runs and batted .181. After a miserable beginning to 2015, where he was 0-4 with a 6.29 ERA in his first six starts, Weaver has elevated his game to the level we’ve been accustomed to over the years by going 3-0 with a 1....

To be clear, this was a contest full of incredible sequences of events. MORE: Box score, stats | SN’s live blog For the moment, let’s just look at the fifth inning. And not even the whole fifth inning. Just the top half of the fifth inning. With two runs already in, two outs and Addison Russell on second base, four Cubs reached base safely against Max Scherzer, in this order:...