Five All-Stars and a 5.20 ERA

Five Braves in Philadelphia tonight. The Falcons spent $54 million on a tight end. United opened a $50 million transfer window. England plays Argentina at the Benz tomorrow. The All-Star break is a misnomer.

What you need to know: Braves

The celebration first. Five All-Stars — Baldwin as the starting catcher, Albies as the starting second baseman for the first time in his career, Olson with 25 home runs and a consecutive-games streak past 741, Sale at a 2.20 ERA earning his tenth selection, and Iglesias getting his first nod at 36 years old. Atlanta has not sent five to the Midsummer Classic since 2003.

Now the fracture. The Braves are 55-40. They were 36-16 on May 22 with a 10.5-game lead in the NL East. The lead is two.

The rotation ERA since May 18: 5.20. The bullpen ERA- in that same stretch: 65, best in baseball. One side of the pitching staff is propping up the other, and the trade deadline is 20 days away. Ken Rosenthal reports Sonny Gray is the primary target. The front office sees what the numbers see.

Ellis has the full read — it is one of the sharper things we have published this month.

What you need to know: Hawks

The summer belongs to the draft class. Atlanta is 5-0 in Summer League — undefeated across Salt Lake City and Las Vegas — and the name to know is Kobe Johnson. Thirty points on 11-for-18 shooting against the Celtics on Sunday. Undrafted. Making the kind of two-way case that front offices notice in July and regret ignoring by October.

Veesaar scored 20 in that same win. Ejiofor opened SLC with 19 and 15. This group is performing everywhere the Hawks put them.

The structure underneath: McCollum at $21 million, Landale at $14 million, Wiggins, Carter — every significant addition on a one-year deal. Zero dollars committed past 2027. Simone documented the design on Saturday. The Summer League is the first evidence it works at the development level too.

What you need to know: Falcons

Kyle Pitts signed a three-year, $54 million extension — the richest three-year tight end contract in NFL history. Thirty-six million guaranteed through 2028. Second-team All-Pro in 2025. The second pillar of Stefanski's skill group after Drake London's $141 million deal.

Austin Hooper returns too. Two-tight-end sets in a Stefanski offense are structural, not cosmetic. The run game and play-action look meaningfully different with two viable receiving threats inline.

Camp opens July 29 at Flowery Branch — 15 days. Bijan Robinson's extension is the next conversation. He enters year four with leverage, and the front office has paid London and Pitts ahead of him. The sequence tells its own story.

Miles has the training camp preview.

What you need to know: Atlanta United

The transfer window opened yesterday and United is not browsing. Budget north of $50 million. Chris Henderson: "Two to five players." Two are done.

Junior Alonso — center back, 33, free from Atletico Mineiro, three-year deal. He just represented Paraguay in the World Cup. Paulo Díaz completed his medical — another center back, 31, from River Plate, free transfer imminent. Two South American defenders with postseason pedigree arriving before the season resumes.

The attacking targets: Alan Velasco, 23, winger from Boca Juniors, and Thiago Galoppo, 26, midfielder from River Plate. If both land, this is the most aggressive mid-season reconstruction in MLS this year.

Still 14th. Still 12 points below the playoff line. Nashville — first in the Supporters' Shield, unbeaten in their last eight — on Friday. The rebuild begins against the standard.

Tito has the full transfer report.

What you need to know: The city

England versus Argentina. Tomorrow. Mercedes-Benz Stadium. 3 PM. Atlanta's final World Cup match before the tournament moves on.

The Atlanta Cultural Exchange closes tonight after 30 days at The CTR. Final panel: "Atlanta: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" with former Mayor Shirley Franklin. Simone draws the line from 1996 to now — same ground, thirty years apart, hosting the world twice.

The FIFA Fan Festival at Centennial Olympic Park has drawn 388,000-plus visitors, leading all U.S. host cities.

One more thing. Raisel Iglesias saved 268 games before anyone voted him to an All-Star roster. The most by any pitcher before a first selection since the save became an official statistic in 1969. He got the call at 36. Some excellence is quiet enough that it takes a decade and a half to notice.