The red-hot Braves have leapfrogged the Rays as the top team in our power rankings, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes.

Snapshot: With the season roughly halfway complete, let's take a look at all 30 teams.

1. Braves (53-27): The five-time defending NL East champs have won 20 of 23 games.

2. Rays (56-28): They've cooled considerably since a historic start but still sit comfortably atop MLB's best division.

3. Orioles (48-31): An exciting reality in Baltimore: For the first time in a while, the O's are buyers at the trade deadline.

4. Diamondbacks (48-34): My bold preseason prediction of a wild card berth apparently wasn't bold enough.

5. Rangers (49-32): Texas' best season in years could yield their first AL West title since 2016.

6. Dodgers (45-35): Could Clayton Kershaw (10-4, 2.55 ERA, 1.05 WHIP) win his fourth Cy Young? He currently has the second-best odds.

7. Marlins (48-34): This is Miami's second-best record through 82 games, trailing only their 1997 championship season (49-33).

8. Blue Jays (45-37): Can they fix Alek Manoah? The 2022 All-Star and No. 3 Cy Young finisher has fallen apart in the minors.

9. Astros (44-37): The division winners in each of the last five non-pandemic seasons may finally cede their crown.

10. Giants (45-36): They've won 13 of their last 17. Who needs even-year magic?

11. Yankees (45-36): With Aaron Judge sidelined indefinitely, they need to find a way to score (against teams that aren't the A's).

12. Angels (44-39): Can Mike Trout get going? His .858 OPS is his lowest since age 19.

13. Reds (43-38): Baseball's most exciting team eyes its first division title since 2012.

14. Phillies (43-37): The defending NL champs are showing signs of life, but need Bryce Harper to bust out of his slump.

15. Brewers (43-38): Their pitching has been good, but that offense? Yikes.

16. Red Sox (40-42): Inconsistency and a brutal division could be tough to overcome.

17. Twins (40-42): They've lost four of five, yet at 40-42 still hold a share of first in the lowly AL Central.

18. Cubs (37-42): The Cubbies have won 11 of 17 and are the only NL Central team with a positive run differential.

19. Mariners (38-41): Seattle needs reigning ROY Julio Rodríguez to emerge from his sophomore slump.

20. Guardians (39-41): They're jockeying with the Twins to try becoming the first-ever sub-.500 division winner.

21. Pirates (38-42): Since starting 32-27, the Buccos are 6-15. But they have won three straight.

22. Padres (37-44): Raise your hand if you had this team sitting in fourth place at the midway point. Shocking start in San Diego.

23. Mets (36-45): It's been a $359 million disaster in Queens.

24. Tigers (35-45): Detroit hasn't been good. But since they play in the AL Central, they're still just four games out of first.

25. White Sox (36-47): Echoing the AL Central sentiment again, the woeful South Siders are just 4.5 games out of first.

26. Cardinals (33-47): The bad news? They're in last place. The good news? They've won six of 10.

27. Nationals (32-48): Finding the positives: Lane Thomas (.859 OPS) and Josiah Gray (3.43 ERA) have been excellent.

28. Rockies (32-51): Kris Bryant since signing a seven-year, $182 million deal last season: 92 games, 10 HR, 0 WAR.

29. Royals (23-58): They're bad in the majors and may be even worse in the minors, where they don't have a single top-100 prospect.

30. Athletics (21-62): They'll always have the reverse boycott and stunning seven-game win streak. But man, the A's are bad.

If you're a fan of auto racing but don't love NASCAR's standard oval tracks, you'll want to check out this weekend's race in Chicago, Jeff writes.

State of play: NASCAR is holding a street race for the first time in its 75-year history, as 37 drivers will wind their way through the Windy City for Sunday's historic event.

• The Grant Park 220 will take drivers on 100 laps of the 12-turn, 2.2-mile course through downtown Chicago.
• Fun fact: The Chicago Street Course covers a portion of the course that was used for America's first auto race, on Thanksgiving Day in 1895.

Between the lines: Drivers may face challenges that weren't an issue 128 years ago.

• Heat: Cars will use mufflers to mitigate noise pollution after residents voiced concerns. But mufflers can add extra heat inside the car, which can already reach upward of 130 degrees.
• Lack of preparation: Teams normally have plenty of practice time before races, but road closures only just began. A different course format paired with limited preparation could spell trouble.

The big picture: This unique event is the latest move by NASCAR to diversify its product. They also built a temporary track inside the L.A. Coliseum and revived an iconic track in North Carolina that had sat dormant for nearly three decades.

The last word: "We haven't done anything like [this] before," driver Ryan Blaney told NBC Chicago. "Part of me is nervous … but I think it's going to be a hell of an event."

🎥 Watch: Turn-by-turn tour of the course (YouTube)

The MLB All-Star Game starters were revealed on Thursday night.

How it works: Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuña Jr. had already earned starting nods by leading Phase 1 voting. The rest of the spots went to a runoff in Phase 2.

Notes:

• The Rangers hadn't had an All-Star starter since 2012 (longest drought in MLB). This year, they have four.
• Rookies made both teams for the first time since 2008 (Rangers 3B Josh Jung and Diamondbacks OF Corbin Carroll).
• The Blue Jays had five finalists, but all five lost in Phase 2 voting.

American League:

• 1B: Yandy Díaz, Rays (over Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays)
• 2B: Marcus Semien, Rangers (Whit Merrifield, Blue Jays)
• SS: Corey Seager, Rangers (Bo Bichette, Blue Jays)
• 3B: Josh Jung, Rangers (Matt Chapman, Blue Jays)
• OF: Mike Trout, Angels; Randy Arozarena, Rays; Aaron Judge, Yankees (Yordan Alvarez, Astros; Adolis García, Rangers; Kevin Kiermaier, Blue Jays)
• C: Jonah Heim, Rangers (Adley Rutschman, Orioles)
• DH: Ohtani, Angels

National League:

• 1B: Freddie Freeman, Dodgers (Matt Olson, Braves)
• 2B: Luis Arráez, Marlins (Ozzie Albies, Braves)
• SS: Orlando Arcia, Braves (Francisco Lindor, Mets)
• 3B: Nolan Arenado, Cardinals (Austin Riley, Braves)
• OF: Acuña, Braves; Mookie Betts, Dodgers; Corbin Carroll, D-Backs (Michael Harris II, Braves; Lourdes Gurriel Jr., D-Backs)
• C: Sean Murphy, Braves (Will Smith, Dodgers)
• DH: J.D. Martinez, Dodgers (Bryce Harper, Phillies)

What's next: All-Star pitchers and reserves will be named on Sunday. The game takes place on July 11 at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park.

🏈 More suspensions: The NFL suspended four players on Thursday for violating the league's gambling policy. Three received indefinite suspensions (at least through the 2023 season) for betting on NFL games.

⚾️ Ratings way up: Ratings for MLB's four national TV partners (Fox, ESPN, FS1, TBS) are up 26% compared to this time last year, Sportico notes ($). The pitch clock effect?

⛳️ Storybook start: Peter Kuest, who made the Rocket Mortgage Classic field through a Monday qualifier, is the co-leader through 18 holes after shooting an 8-under 64.

🎾 Wozniacki's return: Three years after retiring from tennis, former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki is returning to the sport.

A new team chess competition called the Global Chess League is underway in Dubai, with 36 of the world's top players competing in a two-week-long tournament, Jeff writes.

Why it matters: Chess' popularity has exploded in recent years, but it still remains largely participatory. GCL, which brings the franchise format to chess, hopes to prove the game's viability as a spectator sport.

What they're saying: "If you have spelling bees and poker games and esports … why not something like chess, which has such wider coverage," Jagdish Mitra, chair of GCL's board, told WashPost.

• "We've got to make it simple [and] easier to follow," he added. "We've got to make it a television sport."
• One way to draw viewers? Star power. GCL has signed on world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, arguably the greatest chess player to ever live.

The backdrop: Carlsen relinquished his decade-long crown as world champion in April because he'd grown tired of the longer, classical format used in that event.

• GCL uses 15-minute speed rounds and a format "that hasn't really been done before," said Carlsen.
• That piqued his interest, and now GCL — a joint venture between an Indian IT company and chess' global governing body, FIDE — hopes it will pique yours.

How it works: GCL's inaugural tournament, which began last Thursday and ends this Sunday, features six teams in a double round-robin, with all matches streamed on DAZN.

• Each team comprises at least two women, one "prodigy" (under 21) and one "icon." Carlsen is an icon, alongside five other players in the world top 20.
• Matches feature six games played simultaneously in rapid format, with each player allotted just 15 minutes.
• The top two teams after the double round-robin will meet in Sunday's final, and the winning side takes home $1 million.

Where it stands: Carlsen's team, the SG Alpine Warriors, is tied for first with a match in hand, likely setting up a finals clash against the Ganges Grandmasters, led by world No. 9 Viswanathan Anand.

LAS VEGAS — The Aces steamrolled the Liberty, 98-81, in the first battle of the WNBA's superteams. Vegas improved to 14-1, while New York fell to 10-4.

LAS VEGAS — Patrick Mahomes (above) and Travis Kelce dominated Steph Curry and Klay Thompson in the eighth edition of "The Match."

PITTSBURGH — Thursday's Pirates-Padres game was delayed 45 minutes due to lingering smoke from Canadian wildfires. Pittsburgh's Andrew McCutchen wore a face mask after getting the game's first hit.

LONDON — Novak Djokovic poses with fans after his exhibition match with Frances Tiafoe at the Giorgio Armani Classic, a warm-up event for Wimbledon.

CADIZ, Spain — LIV Golf is at Real Club Valderrama this week for its first event since the merger heard 'round the world.

LACANAU, France — Paige Rini of Canada in action during the Lacanau Cup, a prestigious waterski competition.

The 110th Tour de France begins Saturday at 6:30am ET, with every stage streamed on Peacock and select coverage on USA and NBC.

• By the numbers: 176 riders on 22 teams will compete in the 21-stage, 2,115-mile race from July 1-23, with two rest days built in. Aside from the 14-mile time trial, all stages are between 70 and 130 miles.
• Who to watch: Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard, who won last year, and Slovenia's Tadej Pogačar, who won the previous two, are considered heavy favorites.

More to watch:

• ⚾️ MLB: Diamondbacks at Angels (Fri. 9:40pm, Apple TV+); Yankees at Cardinals (Sat. 2:15pm, FS1); Twins at Orioles (Sun. 12pm, Peacock); Giants at Mets (Sun. 7pm, ESPN)
• 🏀 WNBA: Eight games (Fri-Sun, ABC/NBA/ION/CBSSN)
• ⛳️ PGA: Rocket Mortgage Classic (Fri-Sun, Golf/CBS/ESPN+)
• ⛳️ PGA Champions: U.S. Senior Open (Fri-Sun, Golf/NBC/Peacock)
• ⛳️ LIV: Andalucía (Fri-Sun, The CW) … At Spain's Real Club Valderrama.
• 🏈 USFL: Birmingham Stallions vs. Pittsburgh Maulers (Sat. 8pm, NBC) … Championship.
• ⚽️ CONCACAF Gold Cup: Eight games (Fri-Sun, FS1) … Group stage.
• ⚽️ MLS: 14 games (Sat-Sun, Apple TV) … Six are free to watch.
• ⚽️ NWSL: Portland vs. Kansas City (Sat. 10pm, CBSSN)
• 🏁 NASCAR: Chicago Street Race (Sun. 5:30pm, NBC)
• 🏁 F1: Austrian GP (Sun. 9am, ESPN)
• 🥍 Men's Lacrosse World Championship: USA vs. Canada (Sat. 7pm, ESPN2)
• 🎾 Tennis: Bad Homburg Open and Rothesay International Eastbourne (Fri-Sat, Tennis) … Finals on Saturday.
• 🏀 BIG3: Week 2 in Dallas (Sun. 1pm, CBS)

Clayton Kershaw has the second-best odds to win the Cy Young. If he wins, he would become just the fifth pitcher to win the award at least four times.

• Question: Who are the only four pitchers with 4+ Cy Youngs?
• Hint: Three played this century.

Answer at the bottom.

On Wednesday night, the Ducks used Proto Hologram to beam the No. 2 pick, Leo Carlsson, from Nashville to Anaheim to interact with fans and media in real time.

Feels like the future.