👋 GOOD MORNING — Happy Monday!

How was your Fourth of July weekend? You’ve gotta love when the holiday falls on a Friday, setting up a natural three-day weekend (or more), and that won’t happen again until 2030.

If you didn’t catch the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final between the United States and Mexico yesterday, you missed a good one! Heartbreaking loss for the Americans, who fell 2-1, but in many other ways it was a promising glimpse of what the World Cup could offer next year (June 11 - July 19, 2026).

Soccer’s most-anticipated tournament will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, and the Final will be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Get excited!

On to the show!

— Patrick Brown, PHNX Sports Daily Editor

It’s not often a fourth place team sends three players to the Midsummer Classic, but that’s how it goes when you have one of the top offenses in the league.

Ketel Marte, Corbin Carroll and Eugenio Suárez will all represent the Diamondbacks at the 2025 MLB All-Star Game in Atlanta on July 15, a testament to the scoring prowess of a team that has recorded the third-most RBI and fourth-most runs and home runs in all of baseball.

Unsurprisingly, the D-backs do not have anyone from the pitching staff heading to Truist Park next week.

Marte will start at second base for the National League, while Carroll and Suárez will suit up as reserves. Arizona has now sent three-or-more players to the Midsummer classic in two of the last three years, as Carroll, Geraldo Perdomo, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Zac Gallen all went in 2023.

As frustrating as the pitching has been to watch all season long — especially the bullpen — the offense has been a marvel, and frankly is the only reason why the Diamondbacks are close to .500 (44-46) while remaining four games back in the Wild Card race.

Marte will start after securing the fan vote for the second straight season, and it also marks the infielder’s third career All-Star nod. He has hit .293 with 19 home runs and 40 RBI despite missing time with an injury earlier this season, and also has a fielding percentage of .991, committing just two errors in 216 total chances.

Suárez’s 28 home runs trail only Shohei Ohtani in the National League, and his 73 RBI are tied with Pete Alonso for the second-most. The 33-year-old is making his second All-Star appearance, and is beginning to draw significant trade interest considering he’s in the final year of his contract.

At this pace he will surpass his career-high total in home runs (49), which he set with the Reds in 2019.

Carroll was just activated from the Injured List, less than a month after fracturing his left wrist. The 2023 Rookie of the Year will be making his second All-Star appearance, and is also on track to record a career-best in home runs, as his 20 dingers are just five fewer than his mark of 25, which was set in 2023.

The Diamondbacks also announced on Friday that the organization’s No. 2 prospect, outfielder Slade Caldwell, and No. 10 prospect, third baseman LuJames Groover, will participate in the 2025 All-Star Futures Game.

Caldwell is just 19 years old, and already making a huge impact, hitting .267 with 23 RBI in 71 combined games between Single-A and High-A ball. Groover showed flashes of what he’s capable of during Spring Training this season, and hasn’t lost a step with Double-A Amarillo. The 23-year-old is hitting .305 with 10 homers and 37 RBI, and most importantly, has managed to stay healthy through 71 games, already surpassing his entire total from last year.

The Futures Game is Saturday at 1 pm, and will be broadcast on MLB Network and MLB.TV.

Corbin Carroll’s Take: “It's a great recognition. Just really, really happy to be in this position compared to the spot I was last year. I think it says a lot about the work that we both put in individually but as a group, too. I think when you talk about the individual accomplishments, accolades and being recognized, a lot of that is based on the work of the whole of our offense and I think it's really cool to be celebrated in that way and recognized, but … I think to be able to represent kind of the whole is meaningful.”

Not an Ideal Weekend: For all the good I just outlined above, it’s been a rough stretch for the D-backs, who have dropped four of their last five games. Arizona wraps up its pre-All-Star slate on the road, kicking off with four critical division games against the Padres before wrapping it up with three games in L.A. against the Angels.

A Wing and a Prayer: The Mercury have hit a rare skid, dropping two straight for the first time this season after Thursday’s 98-89 loss in Dallas. Tonight offers a chance for revenge, however, as Phoenix hosts the 5-13 Wings at 7 pm (Arizona’s Family Sports).

Topics Galore: I don’t even know where to start with the Suns, who have offered our very own Gerald Bourguet no reprieve despite being well into their offseason by now. Here’s a little run down of everything you can catch up on:

Acing the Test: Four members of the ASU women’s golf team were named as WGCA Academic All-American Scholars, as senior Grace Summerhays, junior Paula Schulz-Hanssen, redshirt sophomore Patience Rhodes and freshman Isla McDonald-O'Brien were all recognized for their efforts and achievements in the classroom.

The criteria for selection to the All-American Scholar Team requires a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.50 and participation in at least 50% of team events, guidelines that make it one of most prestigious Academic All-American Teams in collegiate athletics.

Fore Representatives: Not to be outdone, the UA women’s golf team also had four members named as WGCA Academic All-American Scholars: Senior Carolina Melgrati, junior Nena Wongthanavimok, and sophomores Charlotte Back and Maria Cabanillas.

Congrats to all!

No Fireworks: Rising FC fell 1-0 to Lexingon FC on Friday, dropping its only home match of the month while turning in a largely lethargic performance. Phoenix is back in action Saturday at Oakland Roots SC, and does not play another home match until Saturday, Aug. 2.

Frustrating season or not, we love our All Stars!

Gearing up for a full work week after a long weekend: