The final day before the All-Star break brings a full slate of afternoon games, and that means one more chance to chase some fireworks before the league pauses for the week. With the Home Run Derby coming Monday night, the long-ball buzz is already building, and three names stand out for July 12: Shohei Ohtani, Pete Alonso and George Springer.
Springer is the first bat worth a look. The Toronto Blue Jays outfielder has been held to 66 games, with 64 starts, because of injury, and his numbers have been modest overall at .218 with nine home runs.
Still, the matchup lines up nicely against the San Diego Padres and right-hander German Marquez. Marquez has allowed eight home runs in eight appearances this season and comes in with a 5.02 ERA.
He’s also had a tough time with Springer historically, giving up four hits in nine at-bats. Springer hasn’t gone deep against him yet, but he has hit .240 with a home run in six games since returning, and seven of his nine homers in 2026 have come against right-handed pitching.
Alonso brings a stronger power profile into Sunday’s series finale against the Kansas City Royals. The Baltimore Orioles first baseman has already launched 21 home runs this season and owns an .825 OPS.
He’ll face Seth Lugo, a former Mets teammate who has had real trouble keeping the ball in the park. Lugo has allowed 14 home runs in 18 appearances, including 10 in six starts since the beginning of June, and he’s given up two or more homers in four of those outings.
The underlying numbers are shaky too, with Lugo sitting in the 10th percentile in expected ERA and the seventh percentile in expected batting average against in 2026. Alonso, meanwhile, is hitting .262 with an .888 OPS and 17 homers against right-handed pitching this season.
Then there’s Ohtani, who may not be taking part in Tuesday’s All-Star Game, but is clearly swinging a hot bat heading into the break. The Los Angeles Dodgers star is hitting .318 with a 1.127 OPS and three homers over the last week, and he has seven home runs in his last 23 games, with 22 starts in that stretch.
On Sunday, he gets the Arizona Diamondbacks and left-hander Mitch Bratt, who made his lone MLB appearance in June and threw three innings against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Ohtani has eight home runs and is batting .271 against left-handed pitching this season, and there’s a good chance he’ll also see the Arizona bullpen, which owns a 4.07 ERA, after Bratt’s short outing. With Ohtani heating up at the right time, he looks like a strong bet to close out the first half with a bang.
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