Veljko Paunovic's hot seat in Chicago could become a scorcher with a loss at Sporting Kansas City, while the mystique of Matias Almeyda continues to grow in San Jose, who welcome in Real Salt Lake. Plus, Columbus will look to kick-start their attack against Seattle.

Heat's on for Pauno in Chicago

Only one team in MLS this season is yet to win away from home, and it's not FC Cincinnati or Colorado. Sitting eighth in the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Fire have proved incapable of coming home with three points from a road trip but get a 10th crack at it on Saturday at Sporting Kansas City.

Expectations were high going into the season in the Windy City, especially with the arrival of Nicolas Gaitan, but the Fire continue to stall in the Eastern Conference and coach Veljko Paunovic's job appears to be hanging by a thread.

What is clear is that Chicago have never really clicked playing under the Serbian, outside of the first half of the 2017 season when it was one of the top teams in the East. Otherwise, it has been a middling experience and this season's record reflects that: 5W-7D-7L, 31 goals scored, 28 conceded. Yawn City.

Luckily for Paunovic, Wednesday's 5-1 home win over Atlanta will allow some breathing room, but judging by Chicago's play this season, it's doubtful the team will maintain that level, beginning with Saturday's visit to Sporting Kansas City (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+). Peter Vermes's men were humiliated at home by LAFC on Wednesday 5-1 and so a strong reaction will be expected.

Matias the magic man in San Jose

Before the season, if you had said the San Jose Earthquakes would be in the mix for a playoff spot in the Western Conference after 18 games, nobody would have believed it. Yet here they are after overcoming a four-loss start to 2019, and it's all thanks to coach Matias Almeyda.

It's amazing that the Argentine elected to come to MLS over the winter and manage one of the league's worst teams in recent seasons. Last week was another example of how he has completely turned around the Quakes, as they drilled "Cali Clasico" rivals Los Angeles Galaxy 3-0.

They'll only improve once winger Carlos Fierro joins next week, but before then there will be a home date with Real Salt Lake on Saturday (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+).

Despite the 3-1 loss in Minnesota on Wednesday, San Jose will be ready. Almeyda is a stickler for fitness, as that was one of the main priorities in preseason. If any team is equipped to handle playing on two days' rest, it is San Jose. Their balance and depth at all positions, plus an insatiable work rate, could well turn them into a title contender, and with a coach who knows a thing or two about winning trophies.

RSL is one of those teams battling the Quakes for a postseason berth, so three points here could well make the difference by week 34.

Columbus attack in search of kick-start

It has been a rough year in Columbus. Key injuries have stripped the Crew of some of their main attacking ingredients: namely flying full-back Milton Valenzuela and playmaker Federico Higuain. The result has been a meagre 16 goals in 19 games, only one better than last-place FC Cincinnati.

Unlike some of his struggling counterparts, Columbus boss Caleb Porter will be afforded more time to right the ship. New arrivals forward Romario Williams and winger Luis Diaz will help, but maybe, just maybe, the time is right for Columbus to make a push for the other Higuain. That is, of course, Federico's younger brother Gonzalo Higuain, 31, who is rumored to be on the way out of Juventus.

It would be a massive get for a team that normally doesn't spend big, but the allure of family could well bring the former River Plate, Real Madrid, Napoli and Chelsea man into the mix. For now, the task at hand is Saturday's home clash with Seattle (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+) in which both teams need something positive after poor midweek losses.

This is the time of year when Seattle start to kick things into gear, so perhaps former Portland coach Porter can learn a thing or two from his former nemesis and do the same in Columbus. Adding Gonzalo this summer might lead to a 'Nicolas Lodeiro in 2016' type of push.

The Cricket World Cup final on July 14 could become the first men's international fixture to be televised on free-to-air TV in the UK since the 2005 Ashes, after Sky Sports reneged on its previous stance and announced that it would be lowering its paywall in the event of England making it through next week's semi-final at Edgbaston.

England's victory over New Zealand at Chester-le-Street last week guaranteed Eoin Morgan's men a place in the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1992, when they beat South Africa at Sydney but went on to lose in the final against Pakistan at Melbourne.

England have not contested a final on home soil since 1979, when they lost to West Indies at Lord's, and Sky's executives have recognised the historic opportunity that this contest could represent, to spread the sport to as broad an audience as possible.

Sky UK and Ireland Chief Executive Stephen van Rooyen said: "We are proud to be the broadcaster for a home Cricket World Cup - one of the world's biggest and most exciting sporting events.

"Our aim has always been to celebrate what could be a 'once in a generation' moment of a home team in a big final on home soil. So, if England reach the final, we will make the match available to everyone so the whole country can be part of a rare and special big sporting moment."

Sky's decision comes after their coverage of the tournament had been overshadowed in the UK by the women's football World Cup, which has been broadcast throughout by the BBC. England's semi-final against the USA on Tuesday drew 11.7 million viewers, the BBC's biggest television audience of the year. England's World Cup cricket fixtures, by contrast, have drawn an average of 450,000.

The contrast was addressed earlier this week by the England fast bowler, Liam Plunkett, who was asked on BBC 5 Live whether he would support calls for the final to be made more accessible to the English public.

"I'm not sure they're going to do it, but it would great for everybody to be able to watch that," Plunkett said. "Playing for England, you're the pride of the country and you want people to be able to access that and watch that. I'm not sure it's going to happen but for the guys, you want as many people to watch it as possible.

"It's always nice to be on a bigger platform," Plunkett added. "Hopefully people tune in to watch that game. It would obviously be great to have as many people watching as possible, we feel like we've built something special here as a team. It would be nice to go all the way and to have big numbers watching that final if we get through and win, that would be huge."

A proportion of free-to-air cricket access was already set to be reinstated from next year onwards, with the advent of the ECB's new 100-ball competition, after Sky agreed to cede some of its exclusivity to the BBC as part of a new £1.1billion rights deal from 2020-2024.

Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive who brokered the deal, recently described Sky as "cricket's best friend" - the broadcaster has been involved in cricket since 1990 and has been the exclusive partner for home internationals since 2006 - and Plunkett later tweeted to clarify his remarks.

"Sky Cricket are an incredible partner for the game and have been for the past 20+ years," he wrote. "I was asked a question & I never said that it should be on FTA. My words have been twisted & the headline is misleading. The whole country is behind us. Keep believing."

There are no details yet as to where the match would be broadcast if England did make it through. The BBC and Channel 4, the last two free-to-air channels to broadcast international cricket, would be options, although Sky might also consider making the match available via YouTube, which was the approach taken by BT Sport for the all-English Champions League final between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur last month.

Sri Lanka Cricket have announced a series of two Tests and three T20Is against New Zealand in August-September, with the visitors set to arrive in Colombo on August 3 and stay in the country till September 7.

The Test matches will count towards the newly launched ICC Test Championship.

That New Zealand have agreed to a normal tour in which they play across four venues in the country will be of some relief to SLC, who had sensed apprehension in touring teams following the Easter Sunday Bombings in April. Although no foreign cricket board had seriously considered cancelling or postponing a tour on security grounds, several had expressed concerns over the situation. The ECB, for example, had raised the possibility of playing their two Tests next March only in Colombo, rather than in Galle and in Colombo, as would normally be the case.

New Zealand's decision to undertake a tour across three cities, however, will better enable SLC to convince other boards to resume touring as usual. The PCB, having sent their Under-19 team for a Sri Lanka tour less than a month after the bombings, is also understood to have helped, even if all those matches were played in far-flung Hambantota. International travel advisories, meanwhile, continue to soften, although visiting teams will almost certainly have a higher level of security in the coming year than they have recently had in Sri Lanka.

The two teams have not played Tests in Sri Lanka since 2012, when New Zealand won the second Test (also at the P Sara Oval) to draw the series following a heavy defeat in Galle. There have been three Sri Lanka Test tours of New Zealand in the interim.

Both sides are currently in England playing the World Cup, where Sri Lanka's campaign has hit a dead-end; they are out of the running for a place in the knockouts, having collected just eight points from eight games. They sign off with a game against India, who are already in the semi-finals, at Headingley tomorrow.

New Zealand, with 11 points from their nine games, should qualify for the semi-finals unless Pakistan pull off an improbably large win over Bangladesh in their last game, currently being played at Lord's, and match New Zealand on points while also hitching their net run-rate (-0.792) above New Zealand's 0.175.

Schedule

August 8 to 10: Three-day warm-up game in Katunayake
August 14 to 18: 1st Test in Galle
August 22 to 26: 2nd Test at P Sara Oval in Colombo
August 29: T20 warm-up game in Katunayake
August 31: 1 st T20I at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo
September 2: 2nd T20I at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo
September 6: 3rd T20I in Pallekele

Big Picture

Death, taxes… India v Sri Lanka. India are set for their fourth ODI in ten days, but with their ticket to the semi-finals booked and Sri Lanka knocked out, there is a bilateral series feel to the penultimate round-robin game this World Cup. There is nothing on the line and India are purring again after the Edgbaston stutter against England last week. But, as always, count Sri Lanka out at your own peril.

It was Dimuth Karunaratne's men who had raised the World Cup from its stupor with their believe-it-or-not win over England. It was Angelo Mathews' crazy ball that added some excitement to a similar dead rubber against West Indies. And you couldn't have forgotten Champions Trophy 2017, when Sri Lanka hunted down 322 against India.

Saturday's match could well be Lasith Malinga's last in World Cups. He has whipped up everything - whirling yorkers, steep bouncers (slow and fast) and cunning dippers - and will leave as the third-highest wicket-taker in World Cups. Can he rouse himself to produce another vintage performance and help Sri Lanka sign off with their heads held high?

As for India, this is another chance for their rickety middle-order to tune up for the crunch game(s). The team management had spun the wheel again against Bangladesh, recalling Dinesh Karthik at the expense of Kedar Jadhav, who has struck at 80.80 and has bowled just six overs in six matches this tournament. Should they give Karthik another go and see if he can finish the innings better than Jadhav or MS Dhoni?

Rishabh Pant has made 30-plus scores in his two outings at No. 4 and now has the vote of confidence from the team management. KL Rahul, too, has had pretty starts upfront, and India would ideally want both of them to kick on to bigger scores to ease the load on captain Virat Kohli and vice-captain Rohit Sharma.

Form guide

(Last five completed matches, most recent first)

India WLWWW

Sri Lanka: WLLWL

In the spotlight

KL Rahul wasn't in India's first-choice XI in the lead-up to the World Cup. After an injury scare to the designated No. 4 Vijay Shankar, Rahul moved into that spot and cracked a century against Bangladesh in the warm-ups. And later, after first-choice opener Shikhar Dhawan was sidelined from the tournament, Rahul was bumped to the top alongside Rohit and he responded with 57 against Pakistan. He followed it up with scores of 30, 48, 0, and 77. Where's that big 'un? Perhaps, it's just around the corner, as Rahul himself had put it.

His ravishing strokeplay had Kumar Sangakkara gushing in the commentary box and his maiden ton had Mahela Jayawardene tweeting: "Well played young man.. Brilliant 100!! Something special from Avishka." Twenty-one-year-old Avishka Fernando has played only three games in this World Cup, but has made more runs (183 in three matches) than the likes of Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva. Can he stand up to the best attack in the tournament as well?

Team news

Headingley offered slow turn for Afghanistan's spin trio on Thursday, and it could tempt India into reuniting the wristspinners. Who will miss the cut in such a scenario: Mohammed Shami or Bhuvneshwar Kumar or Jasprit Bumrah (if they want to rest him)?

India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Rishabh Pant, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav/Dinesh Karthik, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Mohammed Shami, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Sri Lanka might consider bringing back Thisara Perera for some bowling back-up in place of Lahiru Thirimanne. Legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay was expensive against West Indies, but he provides a more attacking option than Jeevan Mendis or Malinda Siriwardana.

Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), 2 Kusal Perera (wk), 3 Avishka Fernando, 4 Kusal Mendis, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Lahiru Thirimanne/Thisara Perera, 7 Dhananjaya de Silva, 8 Isuru Udana, 9 Lasith Malinga, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Jeffrey Vandersay

Pitch and conditions

The Headingley track is likely to be flat and slow, with some assistance for the spinners. The forecast is for a bright, sunny day in Leeds.

Strategy punt

• Sri Lanka would do well to pick Thisara and ask him to target Dhoni's body with hard lengths and enough cover at midwicket and square leg. Thisara has dismissed Dhoni six times in 12 ODI innings while conceding 144 runs off 142 balls.

• Don't give Hardik Pandya pace and, instead, ask him to manufacture it for himself in the end overs. He has been dismissed four times by slower balls in six innings.

Stats and trivia

• Dhananjaya has taken five wickets in 37 overs at an economy rate of 4.7 this World Cup. The other Sri Lanka spinners have combined for one wicket in 20.1 overs while conceding 6.9 runs an over.

• Bumrah needs one wicket to get to 100 ODI wickets. Should he get there in his this match - his 57th - he will be the second-fastest Indian to the landmark after Shami.

• Rohit has already hit four centuries this tournament, matching Sangakkara's achievement in 2015; no batsman has scored more hundreds in a single edition of the World Cup.

LYON, France -- Alex Morgan hit back at critics of her goal celebration against England in the World Cup semifinal, saying the controversy is proof of a double standard for female athletes.

After Morgan scored what proved to be the decisive goal in a 2-1 win against England on Tuesday, she ran toward a corner flag and mimicked drinking a cup of tea.

Speaking to the media Friday, Morgan said the celebration was partly an homage to English actress Sophie Turner. The former "Game of Thrones" star is known for Instagram stories in which she offers opinions or commentary on current events and signs off with the phrase "And that's the tea," before sipping from a cup.

As Morgan also said immediately after Tuesday's game, she reiterated Friday that the celebration was about telling a story -- in this case, of the team taking everything thrown at it during the tournament.

"I feel that there is some sort of double standard for females in sports," Morgan said, "to feel like we have to be humble in our successes and have to celebrate, but not too much or in a limited fashion. You see men celebrating all over the world in big tournaments, grabbing their sacks or whatever it is. And when I look at sipping a cup of tea, I am a little taken aback by the criticism."

Morgan also said she was disappointed that former NWSL teammate Lianne Sanderson was among those criticizing the American forward. A former England international who is working for beIn Sports during the World Cup, Sanderson said the celebration was "distasteful."

In other stories involving the ongoing theme of English displeasure with the American team, U.S. midfielder Lindsey Horan said she reached out to England captain Steph Houghton to apologize for unintentionally interrupting a postgame interview. Houghton cut short an interview with talkSport after Horan was heard yelling congratulations to U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher in the background.

Naeher saved Houghton's penalty kick in the 84th minute to preserve the American lead.

"I had no intention of it," Horan said. "Obviously, emotions arise after a game, and I was so excited for Alyssa. It was the biggest save of her life, and I saw [Naeher] doing an interview, and I wanted to rile her up again. I had no idea what was around me, so hopefully Steph knows that."

On the home front, Morgan was also asked about the team's plans for a White House visit. In months-old comments released during the World Cup, Megan Rapinoe said she would not visit the White House if invited. Rapinoe added in a subsequent statement that she would encourage teammates to "think hard" about accepting such an invitation from the current administration.

Morgan and Rapinoe are two of three U.S. captains, along with Carli Lloyd.

"I think we'll make that decision after we finish Sunday's game," Morgan said. "I think there's been a lot of talk prematurely about the White House and [President Donald] Trump, but first we have to do business. But [as far as going], I think you guys know the answer to that anyways."

After Rapinoe's comments were released, President Trump criticized her in a series of tweets and invited the entire team regardless of the tournament outcome.

The U.S. will try to win its fourth World Cup title when it plays the Netherlands in Sunday's final.

The New York Knicks are the favorites to win the championship -- the Las Vegas Summer League championship.

The Las Vegas Summer League tips off Friday with a 10-game slate, highlighted by a matchup between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Knicks (9:30 p.m., ESPN).

No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Zion Williamson plays for the Pelicans, while Duke teammate RJ Barrett was the third overall selection by the Knicks.

The Knicks, at 8-1, are the favorites to win the league at Caesars Sportsbook. The Portland Trail Blazers are next at 10-1, followed by the Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs, who are each 14-1.

Las Vegas sportsbooks indicated that betting interest on Summer League is increasing but remains comparatively light. Alan Berg, senior oddsmaker for Caesars, compared the amount wagered on a Summer League game to how much is bet on a WNBA game.

"It's pretty much bet on by sharper players than the public," Berg said. "It's the guys that are moving numbers that are trying to bet with us on this stuff."

All 30 NBA franchises and international teams from China and Croatia will take part in the Las Vegas Summer League, which is capped off by an eight-team, single-elimination tournament. The championship game will take place July 15.

The Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards are 15-1 to win the league at Caesars, followed by the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Hornets, which are each 18-1. Team China, at 100-1, is the biggest longshot on the board.

"It crosses the MLB All-Star break, where it's basically the premier event during those few days," said Jeff Sherman, NBA oddsmaker at the SuperBook at Westgate Las Vegas. "It's definitely the right time of year to attract to action."

While other leagues have expressed worry about wagering on exhibition and preseason events, the NBA does not view betting on summer league to be a top concern. Betting limits are generally small -- $500 to $1,000 at some books -- and the overall amount wagered on the games is low.

Earlier this year, Major League Baseball asked Nevada Gaming Control to stop the state's regulated sportsbooks from taking bets on spring training, saying that the exhibition games "are not conducive to betting and carry heightened integrity risks."

MLB's request was denied, and some Las Vegas sportsbooks are accepting bets on Las Vegas Aviators games. The Aviators are the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics.

Sportsbooks in the new states now offering sports betting, for the most part, have not been taking bets on minor league games; however, offshore sportsbooks serving the United States do.

"I think these guys [in Summer League] are giving it their most, because they're all trying to make rosters," Sherman said. "They're mostly on the outside and looking in, trying to get a contract. I think these guys are going to give as much effort as anyone in any sport."

The third, and biggest, of the NBA's summer leagues tips off Friday. Once again, the eyes of the NBA world cast their gaze upon Las Vegas, where all 30 NBA teams will be joined by national teams from China and Croatia to give you all the basketball you can handle over the next two weeks.

Which rookies are putting on a show? What's Zion Williamson up to? Keep it here for your daily roundup of the players, matchups and storylines to watch each night of the Las Vegas Summer League.

More: Scores and schedules | Rosters |Players to watch | UTAH/SAC buzz

Friday's must-see game

Knicks vs. Pelicans, 9:30 ET (ESPN)

If seeing Zion Williamson's first NBA game (yes, summer league, but still) isn't reason enough to be excited for the Pelicans' matchup against the New York Knicks, perhaps seeing the No.1 pick face off against his former Duke teammate, RJ Barrett, will be. Williamson will likely dazzle a sold-out crowd with the same dunks that awed the fans at Cameron Indoor Stadium. And while the Knicks missed out on big free-agent signings such as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, they do have an intriguing young core that 6-foot-7 Barrett will join. Perhaps New York's summer-league opener can help Knicks fans find some optimism about the franchise's future.

Full Summer League scores and schedules

Player to watch

Zion Williamson | SF | Pelicans

The clear summer-league headliner, Zion figures to electrify Vegas with his tomahawk slams and freakish athletic feats. But for all the hype and fanfare surrounding him, there are still a few Zion-centric questions worth digging in on during summer league. What type of shape will he be in? How will his 3-point shot look from the NBA line? Will the Pelicans use him as a big man in a small-ball lineup or more on the wing? For the NBA draft hipster die-hards burned out on Zion mania, keep an eye on New Orleans' two-way player Zylan Cheatham, who has the physical profile, athleticism, defensive versatility, and playmaking ability at 6-foot-7 to carve out a role in the NBA. -- Mike Schmitz

More: The one player to watch on every NBA summer league roster

Standout players to watch for each team

Players to not watch

While No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson will be the star attraction at Las Vegas Summer League, there will be plenty of talent fans won't be able to see, starting with No. 2 pick Ja Morant, who underwent knee surgery in early June. The Grizzlies are holding him out of action for precautionary reasons. No. 4 pick De'Andre Hunter won't be able to debut for the Hawks until the trades that send him from the Lakers to the Pelicans, then from New Orleans to Atlanta, are made official on Saturday. Darius Garland is listed on the Cavaliers' roster, but the No. 5 pick is not expected to play in Las Vegas, nor is Kevin Porter Jr., the Cavs' 30th overall pick, who suffered a hip injury during a pre-draft workout. And while Williamson will face off against his former Duke teammate. RJ Barrett, on Friday night, he won't see fellow former teammate Cam Reddish, who is recovering from a core muscle injury. Two more top-10 picks -- Jarrett Culver and Jaxson Hayes -- could have their summer-league debuts held up by pending trades.

Buzz from Sacramento: NBA on Kawhi Watch

The chatter among several coaches, scouts and team employees at the California Classic Summer League centered around this summer's biggest mystery: What is Kawhi Leonard going to do? With Los Angeles Lakers GM Rob Pelinka and head coach Frank Vogel back in L.A., some of the team personnel on hand were asking for the latest on Leonard, naturally curious about the decision that could potentially tip the scales from the Lakers being a LeBron James/Anthony Davis-led title contender to historic juggernaut. If Leonard goes to the LA Clippers, an assistant coach at the tournament said he envisions the Western Conference becoming wide-open with the improvements the Lakers, Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers have made to go along with the Denver Nuggets returning a year more experienced. And if Leonard stays with the Toronto Raptors? "That makes them the favorites," the assistant said. -- Ohm Youngmisuk

More buzz from Utah and Sacramento

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder A.J. Pollock, who underwent surgery in early May for an infection in his surgically repaired elbow, will rejoin the team after the All-Star break, manager Dave Roberts told reporters Thursday.

Pollock went on the injured list April 30 to remove a plate in his right elbow from an operation in 2016. The infection developed after he had bumped the elbow during a series against the Chicago Cubs.

He is currently on a rehab assignment with Class A Rancho Cucamonga and is scheduled to join the Dodgers for a series against the Boston Red Sox that begins next Friday.

Pollock, 31, signed a four-year, $55 million contract with the Dodgers in the offseason, but the former All-Star and Gold Glove Award winner has struggled at the plate. He is batting .223 (23-for-103) with two home runs and 14 RBIs in 28 games this season.

When he returns, Roberts said Pollock will return to his center field spot with rookie Alex Verdugo likely shifting to left field and Joc Pederson to first base.

Milwaukee Brewers slugger Christian Yelich has no concerns about his swing heading into the All-Star Home Run Derby, so it makes sense that he's confident everything will be fine after the showcase.

"Basically, Home Run Derby is batting practice," Yelich told reporters Thursday. "It's just trying to hit home runs with every swing. I'm not worried in the slightest about a swing change or it ruining my swing. Anybody that's educated in the manner understands it's going to be just fine.

"It's batting practice. Each round is four minutes. How much damage can you do to your swing in four minutes? It's 12 total minutes if you go all the way."

Yelich, the 2018 National League MVP, leads the majors with 31 home runs this season. He is the No. 1 seed for the Home Run Derby and will face Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the first round of Monday night's event at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

The other first-round matchups are Pete Alonso vs. Carlos Santana, Josh Bell vs. Ronald Acuna Jr., and Alex Bregman vs. Joc Pederson.

The winner will get $1 million of $2.5 million in prize money. The losing finalist will collect $500,000, and the six other participants will earn $150,000 apiece. The player with the longest home run will get an extra $100,000.

"Whether the second half goes good or bad for me, [participating in the Home Run Derby] will have no bearing on it," Yelich said. "If this was such a dangerous thing to do for your performance, guys wouldn't do it."

Brewers manager Craig Counsell said the perception that the Derby can hurt your swing is just "a myth," and Yelich pointed to 2018 Derby winner Bryce Harper to prove his point.

"[Harper] had a better swing in the second half than he did in the first half," Yelich said. "... It's a fun event. I'm going to have fun. It's something for the fans to enjoy. They all really like it. I'm going to go out and have a good time. You obviously want to go out and perform and do well and put on a good show. We'll see how it goes. It'll be a good time."

The All-Star break is right around the corner (already?), but first we've got one more weekend of games as teams try to end the first half on an up note. Here's what we'll have our eyes on:

The Rockies and Diamondbacks, two National League wild-card contenders, tangle this weekend in Arizona, with Zack Greinke starting for the D-backs on Friday. Greinke (9-3, 2.90 ERA, 0.94 WHIP) is having another great season. How close is he to being a Hall of Famer?

Eddie Matz: According to Baseball Reference, four of the 10 pitchers that Greinke is most similar to based on his age and career production are Hall of Famers (Mike Mussina, Jim Bunning, Roy Halladay, John Smoltz). Of the three active hurlers on that list (Justin Verlander, Jon Lester, Cole Hamels), at least one is going to Cooperstown. Not exactly an open-and-shut case. But check this out: Greinke currently sits at 64.5 WAR for his career. If he can pitch another few years without a huge drop-off -- a very reasonable "if" for a cerebral guy who eschews velo in favor of craftiness -- he should be able to reach the low 80s in WAR, which would put him on the all-time top-25 list for pitchers. With the exception of Roger Clemens, every single hurler in that top 25 is a Hall of Famer. All of which is to say, Greinke is firmly within shouting distance.

Sam Miller: Hall of Fame voting is not a mere WAR-leaderboard sort, by any means. But it's probably moving closer to that, especially with Cy Young and MVP voting (which provide a lot of the raw nutrients that build a Hall of Fame "feel") moving closer and closer to WAR sorts. As Eddie notes, Greinke's WAR at Baseball-Reference is up to Hall of Fame standards, and he is still adding to it. But here's the tricky thing: We can't say for sure how WAR will be calculated in 10 years; what philosophical choices WAR's guardians will make; how Statcast data will change the way we credit pitchers with different outcomes; how we determine the value of durability in a world of deep bullpens and short outings; and all that. As it is, Greinke is still shy of HOF standards by FanGraphs WAR and Baseball Prospectus' WARP. I think he'll make it in, but I'm just not confident enough in what the future of baseball analysis will look like to say whether the next big WAR adjustments will bump Greinke up to a no-doubter or down to that tier currently occupied by Bret Saberhagen, Kevin Appier, Tim Hudson and others.

David Schoenfield: Is Greinke a lock at this exact moment in time? Probably not. But it is interesting how favorably he already compares to Roy Halladay, who just got elected on his first ballot:

Greinke: 196-121, 3.37 ERA, 2,788.1 IP, 124 ERA+, 64.5 WAR
Halladay: 203-105, 3.38 ERA, 2,749.1 IP, 131 ERA+, 65.4 WAR

Halladay has the better adjusted ERA, but the fact that he made it with just 203 career wins shows that voters are finally adjusting to the idea that the Hall of Fame is as much about peak value as longevity. Greinke hasn't quite had that extended run of dominance that Halladay had; Greinke is more like Mike Mussina in that he is consistently very good and very durable. Greinke, however, did have two of the best seasons of the past 25 years -- his Cy Young season in 2009 with a 2.16 ERA (10.4 WAR) and his 1.66 ERA in 2015 (8.2 WAR) -- and that will help him in the voting, as compared to Mussina, who took six ballots to get voted in.

The battle of the Windy City is renewed, with the Cubs' Jon Lester facing Lucas Giolito and the White Sox on Saturday in an intriguing matchup. Let's fast-forward three years to July 4, 2022: Which team is better: the Cubs or the White Sox?

Matz: By 2022, Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Kyle Schwarber will have hit free agency (unless they miraculously all sign extensions). Ditto for Cole Hamels, Jon Lester and Jose Quintana. In related news, the Cubs' farm system is hurtin' for certain: ESPN's Keith Law ranked it next to last, and MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects list features one lonely Baby Bear. Yes, the Cubs made a splash this week by signing a trio of highly touted international prospects, but none of those 16-year-olds is likely to pay dividends by 7/4/22. Meanwhile, the White Sox have four top-100 prospects, including a pair of hurlers who should complement Giolito quite nicely for the next half a decade. Did I mention Yoan Moncada and Eloy Jimenez? Or that the South Siders have almost no money on the books for 2022? (Or 2021 or 2020, for that matter.) Advantage them.

Miller: I have occasionally looked at what happens to the best and worst farm systems in baseball, and in one article I found that the future win totals of good farm teams and bad farm teams diverge most in year four. That is, if all you know about two teams is that one has a great farm system and one has a terrible one, then four years later you would expect the former to win about nine more games than the latter. Those labels accurately describe the White Sox (loaded farm) and the Cubs (depleted) before this season. So a simple answer is that in 2022 -- four years later -- the White Sox have a big edge.

But the Cubs will still have Theo Epstein running things -- at least through September 2021, they will -- and given how unpredictable ballplayers are, I might take the certainty of a great front office over the uncertainty of a bunch of ballplayers. I'll unconfidently take the Cubs for this exercise.

Schoenfield: Look, I get that the White Sox have a ton of potential, but they still have a long way to go. As of now, their one "proven" pitcher in the rotation is Giolito, and he only has been good for two months. Reynaldo Lopez has a 6.12 ERA, and Carlos Rodon, Michael Kopech and Dane Dunning all are out until 2020 after Tommy John surgeries. Dylan Cease just made his major league debut, but he had a 4.48 ERA in Triple-A. So their rotation is young, injured and unproven. The lineup also is young and unproven. They're 14th in the American League in runs, and they don't get on base enough, a long-standing franchise problem. Maybe this is Moncada's breakout season, maybe Jimenez will be a 40-homer monster, maybe Luis Robert will be a star.

I do like the financial flexibility that the White Sox have, but their pursuit of Manny Machado and Bryce Harper suggests ownership isn't exactly willing to go the extra mile to win in free agency. The state of the Cubs' farm system certainly raises concern about replacing what will be a very old rotation by 2022 (if those guys are still here). The other advantage the White Sox might have: The Tigers and Royals might still be rebuilding in 2022, and the Indians might have torn things down by then. I think it's close, and the Cubs' ability to carry a larger payroll will help. Cubs by a coin flip.

Baseball on the Fourth of July weekend stirs thoughts of the classic ballpark food: hot dogs. Do you have a favorite culinary treat from one of America's ballparks?

Matz: I do love me some criss-cut fries with Old Bay seasoning (a Camden Yards jawn). But I'm also a sucker for the soft ice cream that comes in the souvenir batting helmet (an any-stadium-in-the-country jawn), partly for the ice cream itself (swirl, of course), but more so for the overpriced souvenir mini-helmet that holds it. At Casa Matz, that's how my boys and I count the number of stadiums we've knocked off the list.

Miller: I have one great passion in my life, and it's avoiding paying ballpark prices for food. I haven't spent a dollar in a ballpark since I was a child, spending my parents' dollars. My favorite ballpark food is cashews from the supermarket bulk bin.

Schoenfield: I'm serious about this statement: The most important development in baseball over the past 20 years has been the improvement in ballpark food. Baseball attendance is down, but I'm convinced it would be down even more if the only offerings were still flavorless gray hot dogs that stick to the buns, stale pretzels and peanuts (not that there's anything wrong with peanuts!). Going to a ballgame gives you the perfect excuse to eat whatever you damn well please and not worry about the calories. I can't say I have any specific favorites. I was at T-Mobile Park in Seattle earlier this year and the crab fries were tasty. That was a new one beyond some of the old favorites (Bull's BBQ at Citizens Bank Park, Shake Shack at Citi Field, steak tips outside of Fenway, sausages in Milwaukee). What, you still prefer hot dogs and Cracker Jack? That's fine too. Nothing wrong with old school.

If you've still got room, what else do you plan to digest during this weekend's action on the diamond?

Matz: Well, I'll be at Nats Park this weekend. In terms of media dining, it's no Yankee Stadium (the gold standard), but it does have a decent spread with self-serve, buffet functionality that allows for easy access to seconds. Or thirds, depending on your level of gluttony.

Miller: Aaron Nola starts were such a letdown for the first few months of this season, but he finally has found his full repertoire: Over his past three starts, he has an ERA of 0.39, has upped his strike rate from 63% to 67, and has 28 strikeouts to five walks. After finishing third in the Cy Young voting last year, it's surely a disappointment that he'll be watching the All-Star Game from home. But on Sunday, he has a chance to head into the break with a roar.

Schoenfield: I'll be heading to Cleveland, so I'm all about the Futures Game. The game is fun, and batting practice is even better as the kids try to one up everyone else. Last year, Pete Alonso launched mammoth blast after mammoth blast -- a preview of things to come in the majors. This year's must-watch player is easy: Rays infielder Wander Franco, the new No. 1 prospect in the game. On the MLB slate, I'll be checking out Brendan McKay starting Friday for the Rays against the Yankees. He was supposed to be in the Futures Game, but after taking a perfect game into the sixth inning in his major league debut, I don't think he'll be back in the minors.

PICK 'EM TIME

Two of the Home Run Derby competitors square off in Pittsburgh this weekend. Who will have more total bases: the Brewers' Christian Yelich or the Pirates' Josh Bell?

Matz: Yelich has a .606 lifetime slugging percentage against Pittsburgh's three projected starters. That's pretty darned stout. Meanwhile, Bell is slugging .194 against Milwaukee's trio. I'll trust the data and take Yelly over Belly.

Miller: A question like this sends each of us in search of colorful, small-sample splits that will support one player's case over the other's -- for example, Yelich is a career .344/.416/.615 hitter in PNC Park, his best road venue. But the simplest answer is that right now Yelich is the superior hitter, and he would be the pick in any park, against any pitchers, regardless of any hot or cold streaks, over any player in baseball except Mike Trout and maybe Cody Bellinger. So I'll take Yelich!

Schoenfield: Bell had that three-homer outing the other night, but even including that performance, he has slowed down a bit of late, hitting .237/.328/.526 in 29 games from May 30 to July 2. Meanwhile, Yelich has hit 57 home runs over a calendar year. I'll go with Yelich.

The Rays are looking to make up some ground in the AL East when they host the Yankees. Home runs for the Bombers on Friday through Sunday: Over or under 4.5?

Matz: Now that their home run streak is over, the Yankees will regress to the mean -- until Saturday, when Gary Sanchez (four home runs in 15 at-bats vs. Blake Snell) goes yard three times all by his lonesome. Dame el over, por favor.

Miller: The Rays must have a basement full of 2015 baseballs that they're using when they're on defense, as they've allowed the fewest dingers in baseball this year by a mile. In fact, if they somehow allowed 29 home runs this weekend, they'd still have the lowest HR/9 IP rate in the majors. The Yankees' loaded lineup might well score a lot of runs, but they'll probably have to play some small ball (doubles off the wall).

Schoenfield: The Rays have McKay, Snell and Charlie Morton lined up to start. Snell had a terrible June, but his most recent start was a good one (12 K's against the Yankees). He allowed three home runs on Opening Day, but he hasn't had a multihomer game since. All-Star Morton has been stingy with the home runs. I'll take the under.

Focusing in on two series between high-scoring playoff contenders, which series will have more total runs: Rangers-Twins or Rockies-Diamondbacks?

Matz: Trick question. It's going to be a tie, with both series featuring exactly 34 runs scored. But as everyone knows, in baseball, the tie goes to the runner. Since the (road) runner is commonly seen in desert areas of the southwest, Arizona (and its lucky opponent, Colorado) wins the tiebreaker.

Miller: Easy answer: The Rockies are on the road.

Schoenfield: The Rockies-Diamondbacks series is not in Coors Field, so the easy answer here is indeed Rangers-Twins. The Rockies are second in road ERA in the NL and last in road OPS, so they tend to play low-scoring games on the road.

TWO TRUE OUTCOMES

Each week, we ask our panelists to choose one hitter they think will hit the most home runs and one pitcher they think will record the most strikeouts in the coming weekend. Panelists can pick a player only once for the season. We'll keep a running tally -- and invite you to play along at home.

Home run hitters

Matz: Mike Moustakas

Miller: Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Schoenfield: Joey Gallo

Strikeout pitchers

Matz: Shane Bieber

Miller: Aaron Nola

Schoenfield: Clayton Kershaw