Articles

Will the Real Robbie Ray (for 2024) Please Stand Up?

by Team Del Genio

Wednesday, Jul 31, 2024

While there is a logjam in the National League wildcard race, the San Francisco Giants went into the final day in July only five games behind Arizona San Diego for the third and final wildcard spot. Don’t count manager Bob Melvin’s team out quite yet as they have endured several injuries this season. They may have one of the best starting rotations in baseball for the stretch run in the next two months. Logan Webb is steady and Blake Snell seems to have captured his outstanding form as he usually does midseason. Yet it was the return of Robbie Ray from Tommy John surgery that should have the San Francisco faithful excited. In his first game pitching for the Giants last Wednesday, the left-hander settled down from a wobbly first inning to give up only one earned run in five innings in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. There were several highly encouraging takeaways from that performance. His command was good as he walked only two batters. The velocity on his four-seam fastball reached 95.2 miler per hour which was his highest mark since July of 2022. All three of his pitches played a part in his 22 whiffs. He got nine whiffs from his four-seamer, another six from his slider, and then seven from his curveball. The velocity on his slider was up three to four miles per hour from 2022, peaking at 90 mph against the Dodgers. He added a wrinkle to his curveball with knuckle-curve variation. Ray is a former Cy Young award winner. If that effort was his new floor after only pitching once last year before his arm injury, then the sky is the limit for him and the Giants moving forward this season. In his last full season in 2022 for Seattle, Ray had a 12-12 record with a 3.71 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP in 32 starts. Those numbers look even better in hindsight since the baseball was livelier that season. He won the American League Cy Young Award the previous year with a 13-7 record, a 2.84 ERA, and a 1.04 WHIP. He led the league with 248 strikeouts in his 193 1/3 innings. Pitching so well after his extended absence from facing Major League hitting gave many (including us) that he was poised for another strong effort against the Oakland A’s in his second start of the season on Tuesday. Yet Ray gave up four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings before getting yanked by Melvin. He gave up seven hits and walked three batters. His whiff rate dropped to only eleven. His four-seam fastball was still upstairs, yet it was the decline of his curveball that was most noticeable from his excellent effort against the Dodgers. He only threw six of his fifteen curveballs for strikes. Did he just have a bad start against the A’s, or was the initial performance against the Dodgers the outlier performance? Certainly, the Giants want to know. So do bettors. It seems like his command of his curveball is key. If that pitch is being thrown for strikes, then hitters cannot sit on his four-seam fastball. If is not hitting the zone, even Oakland can rough him up.Good luck - TDG.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB Previews and Odds - 07/31/2024

by Big Al Staff

Wednesday, Jul 31, 2024

The Wednesday sports card features MLB action. Major League Baseball has 14 games on its schedule. The Tampa Bay Rays host the Miami Marlins at 12:10 p.m. ET. Taj Bradley gets the ball for the Rays to pitch against Roddery Munoz for the Marlins. Tampa Bay is a -250 money-line favorite at BetMGM with the total set at 7.5. Two more MLB games throw out the first pitch at 12:35 p.m. ET. Baltimore plays at home against Toronto with the Orioles tapping Grayson Rodriguez to face the Blue Jays’ Paolo Espino. The Blue Jays are a -225 money-line favorite at BetMGM with an over/under of 9. Philadelphia is at home against New York with Cristopher Sanchez taking the mound for the Phillies to go against Nestor Cortes, Jr. for the Yankees. The Phillies are a -130 money-line favorite with a total of 9.5 (all further odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). The Minnesota Twins travel to New York to play the Mets at 1:10 p.m. ET. The Twins turn to Pablo Lopez to challenge the Mets’ Luis Severino. Minnesota is a -115 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Two MLB games start at 2:10 p.m. ET. Atlanta plays in Milwaukee with Chris Sale getting the start for the Braves to battle against Freddy Peralta for the Brewers. The Braves are a -130 money-line road favorite with a total of 7. Kansas City is in Chicago to play the White Sox with the Royals sending out Brady Singer to duel against the White Sox’s Drew Thorpe. The Royals are a -192 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The St. Louis Cardinals host the Texas Rangers at 2:15 p.m. ET. Michael McGreevy takes the mound for the Cardinals to pitch against Andrew Heaney for the Rangers. St. Louis is a -112 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Arizona Diamondbacks play at home against the Washington Nationals at 3:40 p.m. ET. The Diamondbacks tap Zac Gallen to face the Nationals’ MacKenzie Gore. Arizona is a -185 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Seattle Mariners visit Boston to play the Red Sox at 4:10 p.m. ET. George Kirby takes the ball for the Mariners to battle Bryan Bello for the Red Sox. Seattle is a -120 money-line road favorite with a total of 9.5. The Cincinnati Reds are at home against the Chicago Cubs at 7:10 p.m. ET. The Reds send out Nick Loyola to challenge the Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks. Cincinnati is a -155 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Houston Astros host the Pittsburgh Pirates at 8:10 p.m. ET. Framber Valdez takes the hill for the Astros to duel against Martin Perez for the Pirates. Houston is a -218 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The San Diego Padres play at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers at 8:40 p.m. ET. The Padres turn to Dylan Cease to face the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw. San Diego is a -130 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The Los Angeles Angels are at home against the Colorado Rockies at 9:38 p.m. ET. Davis Daniel gets the ball for the Angels to challenge Kyle Freeland for the Rockies. Los Angeles is a -140 money-line favorite at BetMGM with a total of 8.5. The San Francisco Giants host the Oakland A’s at 9:45 p.m. ET. The Giants tap Logan Webb to pitch against the A’s Ross Stripling. San Francisco is a -218 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB Previews and Odds - 07/30/2024

by Big Al Staff

Tuesday, Jul 30, 2024

The Tuesday sports card features MLB action. Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. The Cleveland Guardians travel to Detroit to play the Tigers at 1:10 p.m. ET. Gavin Williams gets the ball for the Guardians to face a starting pitcher yet to be named for the Tigers. The Baltimore Orioles host the Toronto Blue Jays at 6:35 p.m. ET. The Orioles tap Corbin Burnes to take the mound to pitch against the Blue Jays’ Chris Bassitt. Baltimore is a -198 money-line favorite with the total set at 8.5 (all odds from DraftKings). The Philadelphia Phillies play at home against the New York Yankees at 6:40 p.m. ET. Aaron Nola gets sent out to the hill for the Phillies to go against Gerrit Cole for the Yankees. Philadelphia is a -122 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Tampa Bay Rays are at home against the Miami Marlins at 6:50 p.m. ET. The Rays turn to Jeffrey Springs to make his season debut coming off the injured list to challenge the Marlins’ Edward Cabrera. Tampa Bay is a -166 money-line favorite with a total of 7.5. Three MLB games throw out the first pitch at 7:10 p.m. ET. Chicago plays in Cincinnati with Justin Steele getting the starting assignment for the Cubs to battle a starting pitcher for the Reds yet to be determined. The Cubs are a -125 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9. New York hosts Minnesota with the Mets turning to Sean Manaea to duel against the Twins’ David Festa. The Mets are a -135 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. Seattle is in Boston with Luis Castillo taking the mound for the Mariners to face the recently acquired James Paxton for the Red Sox. The Mariners are a -122 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9.5. The Texas Rangers visit St. Louis to play the Cardinals at 7:45 p.m. ET. The Rangers send out Max Scherzer to pitch against the Cardinals’ Lance Lynn. Texas is a -125 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.Three ML games start at 8:10 p.m. ET. Kansas City plays in Chicago with Michael Wacha getting the start for the Royals to go against Jonathan Cannon for the White Sox. The Royals are a -175 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Atlanta is in Milwaukee with neither the Braves nor the Brewers yet to declare their starting pitchers for that game. Houston plays at home against Pittsburgh with the Astros tapping Hunter Brown to duel against a Pirates’ starting pitcher yet to be named.The Los Angeles Angels are at home against the Colorado Rockies at 9:38 p.m. ET. Griffin Canning gets the ball for the Angels to challenge Cal Quantrill for the Rockies. Los Angeles is a -135 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. Two more MLB games begin at 9:40 p.m. ET. Arizona hosts Washington with the Diamondbacks turning to Ryne Nelson to battle the Nationals’ Patrick Corbin. The Diamondbacks are a -192 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. Los Angeles is in San Diego with Tyler Glasnow taking the hill for the Dodgers to face Matt Waldron for the Padres. The Dodgers are a -142 money-line road favorite with a total of 7.5. The San Francisco Giants play at home against the Oakland A’s at 9:45 p.m. ET. The Giants send out Robbie Ray to make his second start of the season against the A’s J.P. Sears. San Francisco is a -185 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.

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Ranking the Top 5 Quarterbacks in the NFL

by Vegas Writer

Monday, Jul 29, 2024

As NFL training camps are in full swing now, I started thinking about who my TOP 5 QUARTERBACKS are heading into the regular season. And while it pains me to leave Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott off the list, he didn't make the list. Nor did the Miami Dolphins' newest high-priced signal-caller, Tua Tagovailoa, or Houston Texans youngster C.J. Stroud.But those three would have fallen somewhere in the next three.Anyhoo, if you're looking to make some season-wide wagers, some sort of quarterback future prop wagers, here are my top five NFL quarterbacks:5. AARON RODGERS: This one might cause a little bit of controversy, but he's the guy who could very well take home the MVP award this season, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Yes, he's in his 40s. Yes, he's coming off an Achilles injury. Yes, he plays for the, ahem, New York Jets. But we're talking about a four-time MVP Super Bowl champion and a guy who knows how to get it done. He does his best work too, when he has a chip on his shoulder. Rodgers not only has the resume to back up what I'm saying, but he is in a great situation with the Jets. He's got new protection as the Jets have replaced 60% of their offensive line. Rodgers was ranked the number one quarterback in the NFL when throwing from a clean pocket over the past three seasons in Green Bay. Fact is, when he has the protection, he performs well. He has a great defense on the other side, he's got a great complement of weapons, and he's got Nathaniel Hackett. When Hackett and Rodgers were in the same system, the veteran was able to get MVP awards.4. JOSH ALLEN: This one also might be a bit controversial, because you have people who think he's fallen from his star, and others who believe he should be higher. I have Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen at number four. We know how productive Allen is. He is a great passer. He's got a huge arm. We know how dangerous he can be on the move. He ranked third in QBR and passing touchdowns outside of the pocket last season, while accounting for 74% of his team's net yards. He cannot go any higher than four because of the lack of postseason success. I am waiting for him to break through and get to the Super Bowl. And not only that, the turnover numbers are too glaring for me, 78 interceptions and 59 fumbles since 2018 again. Those mistakes, and the fact that he hasn't broken through, puts him at number four for me.3. JOE BURROW: Heading to Cincinnati for number three is Joe Burrow. This might be a little controversial because I know there are people who want to see Allen ahead of the Bengals' gun-slinger. People tend to knock Burrow for his injuries, and I understand that, because he does constantly deal with injuries. He's dealt with a calf strain and wrist injuries this past season, but when he is healthy, you cannot debate me that Burrow is an unbelievable quarterback. His career completion percentage of 68% is the highest in NFL history through a player's first four seasons. If Burrow can stay healthy, the Bengals will always be a threat in the AFC.2. LAMAR JACKSON: Here is someone with the potential of being No. 1, but it'll be hard to supplant who's already there. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is No. 2 for me. The two-time MVP is the youngest two-time MVP award winner since the merger. He's unbelievable during the regular season. His career regular season winning percentage of .753 is almost identical to Tom Brady's, which was .754. He is a dynamic dual threat. We know what Jackson can do with his legs, we know what he can do with his arms, but he can't be any higher than because of the postseason. I've watched this guy become an incredible leader, and I watched him get to the AFC Championship game last season. But there's still some stuff left to be desired when it comes to Jackson and until he and the Ravens dethrone the Chiefs, he stays at No. 2.1. PATRICK MAHOMES: Is there any doubt about this? The No. 1 quarterback in the league coming into this season is certainly Kansas City Chiefs leader Patrick Mahomes. He is one of three players in NFL history with three Super Bowls and two MVPs. Tom Brady and Joe Montana, are the other two and they needed 11 and 12 years to get it done, respectively. Mahomes has done it in seven years, and during that span, 219 touchdown passes. 28,424 passing yards. Perspective, that's 284.24 football fields of passing yards. That's six miles of passing yards. Get the point?

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB Previews and Odds - 07/29/2024

by Big Al Staff

Monday, Jul 29, 2024

The Monday sports card features MLB action. Major League Baseball has 12 games on its schedule. The Baltimore Orioles host the Toronto Blue Jays in the opening game of their doubleheader at 3:05 p.m. ET. The recently acquired Zach Eflin makes his first start for the Orioles after getting traded by Tampa Bay against Yariel Rodriguez for the Blue Jays. Baltimore is a -198 money-line favorite with a total of 9 (all odds from DraftKings). The second game of their doubleheader starts at 6:05 p.m. ET. The Blue Jays call back up Bowden Francis from the minor leagues to pitch against a starting pitcher for the AL East first-place Orioles' starting pitcher yet to be named. Two MLB games throw out the first pitch at 6:40 p.m. ET. Cleveland travels to Detroit with Tanner Bibee taking the ball for the Guardians to face Jack Flaherty for the Tigers. The AL Central's first-place Guardians are a -122 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 7. Philadelphia plays at home against New York with the NL East's first-place squad tapping Zack Wheeler to battle against a Yankees pitcher yet to be determined. Three MLB games start at 7:10 p.m. ET. New York is at home against Minnesota with Jose Quintana taking the mound for the Mets to go against Simeon Woods Richardson for the Twins. The Mets are a -125 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. Boston hosts Seattle with the Red Sox turning to Nick Pivetta to challenge the Mariners’ Logan Gilbert. The Red Sox are a -130 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Chicago plays at Cincinnati with the Cubs sending out Jameson Taillon to battle the Reds’ Carson Spiers. The Cubs are a -115 money-line road favorite with a total of 9. The Texas Rangers are in St. Louis to play the Cardinals at 7:45 p.m. ET. Nathan Eovaldi gets the ball for the Rangers to duel against Andrew Pallante for the Cardinals. Texas is a -118 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Three more MLB games begin at 8:10 p.m. ET. Kansas City visits Chicago, with the Royals turning to Alex Marsh to face the White Sox’s Chris Flexen. The Royals are a -170 money-line favorite with a total of 9. Milwaukee plays at home against Atlanta, with Colin Rea getting the ball for the Brewers to pitch against Grant Holmes getting tapped out of the bullpen to make his first start of the season for the Braves. The Brewers are a -125 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Pittsburgh plays in Houston with the Pirates turning to Paul Skenes to challenge the Astros’ Jake Bloss. The Pirates are a -155 money-line road favorite with a total of 7.5. The Arizona Diamondbacks are at home against the Washington Nationals to close the MLB card at 9:40 p.m. ET. Jordan Montgomery gets the start for the Diamondbacks to battle against Mitchell Parker for the Nationals. Arizona is a -170 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9.

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Copa Sudamericana Futures 2024 (Knockout Rounds)

by Amedeus Mastrangelo

Sunday, Jul 28, 2024

The 2024 Copa Sudamericana group stage has ended and the Round of 16 is now set after the 2nd place finishers in the group stage played the 3rd place finishers from Copa Libertadores to earn a spot in this knockout round. Unlike Copa Libertadores, this tournament has not been dominated by clubs from Brasil and Argentina in recent years, and there is not a real dominant team in this competition making the tournament much more open for anyone to win. The Round of 16 will be kicking off on August 14 so it is time to see who has the best chance of lifting the Copa Sudamericana trophy this season.  To Win Outright Boca Juniors +600 and Cruzeiro +700: Boca Juniors and Cruzeiro are the 2 biggest favorites respectively to win this competition according to the oddsmakers. These two will actually face each other in the Round of 16 though so right away one of these clubs will be taken off the board after this round. These two may be the favorites in this tournament, but they are not the best teams in this competition at all. Boca Juniors has been struggling in their own domestic and are currently sitting in the bottom half of the table after 6 matches. They were not great in the Copa Sudamericana group stage either as they only finished 2nd in their group at 3-2-1 and had to play in the play-off round to make it to this Round of 16. Cruzeiro has been playing much better in their domestic league as they are currently sitting in the top 5 and have been in better form recently, but they have also been a more home dominant team which is not going to serve them well in this competition. They topped their group in the Copa Sudamericana group stage, but they were only 3-3-0 in their 6 matches and struggled to win matches against teams from weaker domestic leagues. There is too much liability here to take either of these clubs as one will be out by the end of the Round of 16, and neither team really has the squad to make a deep run in this competition either. There is not a lot of value in either of these clubs to win this competition this season.  Athletico Paranaense +900 and Fortaleza +900: Athletico PR and Fortaleza are both listed as the next 2 teams with the best chance at winning this competition according to the oddsmakers. Athletico PR had a great start to the season as they have one of the best defenses in the Brasileirao which they can lean on in this competition. They were one of the better teams to start the season as they were in such great form, but they have fallen out of form since then and have been struggling more to win matches recently. They have been slipping more in the Brasileirao recently and they did not even top their group in the Copa Sudamericana group stage. They only finished in 2nd place at 4-0-2 and they needed to play in the play-off just to make it to this round. They also finished 2nd in a much weaker group that did not have any teams from stronger leagues in South America. Fortaleza is a team that did win their group in the group stage at 4-1-1, but they have also been a very inconsistent team in their own domestic league. They are currently sitting in the top 4 of the Brasileirao as they have been in a run of great form recently, but that is not going to hold up long. They have also struggled a lot more in their away matches and they are not a team with a very strong attack. Both of these clubs are being overvalued in this competition due to being in the Brasileirao, but teams from the Brasileirao have not done well in this competition over the last few years as there are many good teams from other countries who dominate their domestic leagues and can compete with these weaker Brasilian clubs. There is not a lot of value in these two to win this competition this year. Racing Club +1200: Racing Club is not the next team on the list for winning this competition this season, but this is a team with some real value. They have been one of the better teams in Argentina this season and they are a real threat to win the LPF Title. They have a very strong home advantage as they rarely allow goals at home and have been averaging over 3 goals scored per match there. They even finished the Copa Sudamericana group stage at the top of their group at 5-0-1 which was the best record of any teams in the group stage of the competition, and they scored 14 goals in their 6 matches while allowing just 3 goals, even playing in a group with RB Bragantino from Brasil. Racing Club has the defense to make a deep run here as they are not going to concede many goals in the competition, but they also have an attack that can win them matches if need be. They are a very dangerous team in Argentina right now and that will carry over into this competition as they will be very focused on winning this. They have one of the best squads in the whole tournament and will be a big threat. There is a lot of value in Racing Club to win this competition at this price.  LDU Quito +1600: LDU Quito is not the next team on the list for winning this competition this season, but this is a team with some real value. LDU Quito actually started the group stage in Copa Libertadores and ended up finishing in 3rd place so they dropped down to this competition and had to play in the play-off to get here. They beat Always Ready 4-3 on aggregate to get to this Round of 16, but LDU Quito is actually the defending champion of this competition. They won Copa Sudamericana last season and earned a Copa Libertadores spot from that, but now they find themselves back in this competition and will be pushing to repeat as champions. They have a very good defense that took them far in this competition last season and they know what needs to be done to win this tournament so they will use that experience here. Not only are they the defending champions, but they are also a club from Ecuador and the Copa Sudamericana champion has actually come from Ecuador in the last 2 as well as 3 of the last 5 seasons. LDU Quito is not the best team in this competition this year, but their experience will take them a long way and they are definitely going to be a tough out for any team they go up against. There is some good value in LDU Quito at this price to repeat as champions this season. Independiente Medellín +3300: Independiente Medellín is not the next team on the list for winning this competition this season, but this is a team with some real value.They finished the group stage at the top of their group at 4-1-1, scoring 16 goals in those 6 matches while allowing 7 goals. They have a very potent attack that can carry them far into this tournament as they are a team that never lays down when behind. They have struggled in their own domestic league recently, but they have also turned their focus more to this competition as this is the trophy they want to win. They do not have the best squad in this tournament and their defense will struggle to keep clean sheets in this competition, but they have some potential as a long shot here since they have a very potent attack that will keep them in their matches. They also have a big advantage at home since they play at a very high altitude so that home advantage will carry them deep into this tournament as opponents will struggle when they travel there. They also have a weaker opponent in the Round of 16 which will give them a better chance to advance to the quarters. Independiente Medellín has a lot of value at this price to be a long shot winner of this competition considering how they have the altitude advantage at home and there is not a real dominant team in this competition.  RecommendationCopa Sudamericana usually has much weaker teams than Copa Libertadores which really makes the field more open to big underdogs going on a run and winning the whole thing. There are 5 clubs from Brasil in the top 6 teams listed in the odds for this tournament, but only 1 club from Brasil has won this competition in the last 5 seasons and the clubs from Brasil that usually play in this are not the strongest ones from the Brasileirao. Racing Club at +1200 has the most value of all the teams as they do have one of the better teams in the competition and are very undervalued here. LDU Quito at +1600 has a lot of value as a dark horse since they are the defending champions of the competition, and Independiente Medellin at +3300 has some value as a long shot here.

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Around The Horn

by AAA Sports

Sunday, Jul 28, 2024

Will the Philadelphia 76ers and their major roster remake finally have the chops to challenge the Boston Celtics and make a serious, deep run in the East next spring?Few teams promise so much and then deliver so little, but the arrival of a mandatory third star and the addition of serious rotation depth just might be the combination that finally turns the tide.This past season another injury to former MVP Joel Embiid buried Philadelphia into the Play-In which led to a first-round grinder of a first-round 6-game series loss to the Knicks, but that’s now officially yesterday’s news to a team that pilfered Paul George from the sleeping LA Clippers in the off-season. Assuming a somewhat healthy Embiid and a still-improving Tyrese Maxey, a Philly with George enables the Sixers to officially join an Eastern Conference Big Four along with Boston, New York and Milwaukee.Boston remains the No. 1 choice of oddsmakers at +310 to win the title, but Philly (+800) and the Knicks (+900) are neck-and-neck, with those numbers reversed in some books.Besides George, the 76ers have recast their bench with the addition of a handful of 30-something veterans – Caleb Martin. Kyle Lowry, Andre Drummond, Reggie Jackson and Eric Gordon. But in the end it will come down to how quickly Embiid, George and Maxey can play together, and whether Embiid is healthy next April, May and (cross your fingers) June.Lucky lottery winnerIt’s not quite the same as winning hundreds of millions on Power Ball, but a Maryland woman was still able to cash $576,900 on a bizarre play. The retired teacher bought 25 tickets with the same 5-digit combination – and hit on it.  There were 26 winning tickets, overall (another person also won), so each ticket paid $23,076. The odds of hitting that were about 1 in 500,000, but the payoff was capped at 600,000, which limited the winnings (and also made her strategy of buying multiple tickets foolhardy).Chiefs support sports betting initiativeIt wasn’t all that long ago that pro sports teams were actually spending money on lobbyists to prevent the legalization of sports betting. Now leagues and teams see money to be made from wagering and want as big a piece of the pie as possible. Thus, it was hardly a surprise recently when the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs threw their support behind a movement to add a question on the November ballot that would legalize sports wagering in Missouri. Backers of the initiative seem to have more than enough signatures to get on the ballot, but as with other grass roots referenda, nothing is guaranteed when  it comes to state governments. The Cardinals, Blues and Royals also back the move. Sports betting has not yet been approved in 12 states, including Missouri.Caitlin Clark effect on gamblingAdd a dramatic increase in sports betting to Caitlin Clark’s WNBA impact. The amount of wagering on WNBA games and props (many, obviously, involving Clark) has increased three-fold over 2023. BetMGM reported that Clark hadfive times as many prop bets as any other WNBA player. Clark remains a heavy (-1200) favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award, although her rival Angel Reese (+650) has closed the gap a bit.Harris making a moveSpeaking of a tightening race, The PredictIt betting site has been turned on its head with the departure of Joe Biden and the arrival of Kamala Harris as Donald Trump’s opponent. The site is constantly changing, but Trump held a dominating lead in the wake of Biden disastrous debate performance, but with Harris in the race and Democrats energized, the numbers are nearly even – reflecting the results of several national polls.Competitive eater passes awayThe bizarre world of competitive eating got attention when longtime hot dog-eating champ Joey Chestnut was banned from Nathan’s annual July 4 competition in an endorsement squabble. Another shoe dropped in mid-July when a competitive eater died while eating during a live podcast. An autopsy on the 24-year-old Chinese woman showed that her stomach was “deformed” and filled with undigested food. Competitive eating is most popular in the United States, Canada and Japan. China has placed some regulations on the activity.

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Copa Libertadores Futures 2024 (Knockout Rounds)

by Amedeus Mastrangelo

Sunday, Jul 28, 2024

The 2024 Copa Libertadores group stage has ended and there are plenty of familiar faces left in this competition who always make deep runs in this tournament, but there have also been a few surprise teams making it out of the group stage as well. Now with the Round of 16 matches set and ready to begin on August 13, it is time to see who still has the best chance of making a deep run to the final to lift the trophy. To Win Outright Flamengo +350: Flamengo is coming into this Round of 16 as the team with the best chance to win the title according to the oddsmakers. Flamengo was picked as the team with the best chance to win in a Copa Libertadores article prior to the group stage starting, and they still have a very good chance at winning this competition as they have one of the more talented squads in all of South America. The price has not changed from +350 prior to the 2024 edition of the competition starting. Flamengo is currently one of the top teams in the Brasileirao this season, fighting for the title, and this is a competition they are going to be focused on winning as it is the most desired trophy by these bigger clubs. Flamengo has not won many trophies recently so motivation is going to be high in this tournament, and this is a competition they have had a lot of success in over recent years. They have appeared in the Final in 2 of the last 3 seasons, winning the trophy just 2 seasons ago, and they have won the competition twice in the last 5 seasons as well. Flamengo always makes a deep run in this tournament and with the talent they have in their squad, they are still the best team in the competition this season. There is value at this price for Flamengo to lift the trophy this season.  Palmeiras +400: Palmeiras is coming into this Round of 16 as the team with the next best chance at winning the title according to the oddsmakers. Palmeiras is another club that has had a lot of success in this tournament in recent years, making 2 appearances in the Final over the last 4 seasons and winning both times, but they have not made an appearance in the Copa Libertadores Final over the last 2 seasons and their team is not as strong this season. They have won the Brasileirao Title the last 2 straight seasons, but they have lost some of their talent this year and have struggled in the league. They still topped their group in the group stage at 4-2-0, but they are not going to have an easy opponent in the Round of 16. They will have to face another club from Brasil in their first match, playing against Botafogo, and Botafogo has been a very good team over the last 2 seasons. Botafogo was leading the title race last season before allowing Palmeiras back in it late in the year, and Botafogo is right at the top of the table in the Brasileirao once again this season. They have also won 2 of the last 3 meetings against Palmeiras over the last 2 seasons, keeping them from scoring a goal in 2 of those matches as well. This is not a great price for a Palmeiras side that has a very tough opponent right in the Round of 16 as this team could see an early exit with their squad losing talent this year as well. Even if they do get by Botafogo, Palmeiras does not have the best squad in this competition and there are other teams that could give them trouble deeper in the tournament. Palmeiras is not the best option here to lift the trophy this season.  River Plate +450: River Plate is coming into this Round of 16 as the team with the next best chance at winning the title according to the oddsmakers. River Plate is regarded as the best team in Argentina and they are definitely one of the bigger clubs with a very intimidating stadium to play in, but the results simply have not been there in any of their competitions this season to show that this is even the best team in Argentina. They struggled in the 1st phase of their domestic season as they barely topped the table by 1 point in the Copa de la Liga, but they also fizzled out in the 1st round of the playoffs, losing to the eventual champions Estudiantes. They were the clear favorite to win the LPF title this season as well, but they have struggled more in this 2nd phase of the season as they are currently sitting in 12th place after 7 matches this season in their own league table. They topped their group in the group stage of this competition at 5-1-0, but they were in a much weaker group with no clubs from Brasil or Argentina. They are not going to have an easy opponent in the Round of 16 either as they have to face Talleres who is currently in 2nd place in the league table and has been one of the better teams in Argentina all year. River Plate has struggled against Talleres as well, losing 4 of their last 6 meetings with just 1 win in that span. River Plate does not have the best squad in this tournament so even if they get past Talleres in the first round, they are going to run into a better team eventually. They have not shown in their league matches this season either that they can dominate a stronger squad from their own league. There has only been 1 club from Argentina in the Copa Libertadores Final over the last 4 seasons which was Boca Juniors last season and River Plate has not made an appearance there since 2019 when they were the runner up. They have only won the competition once in the last 8 seasons and that was back in 2018, but this is not going to be their year as they do not have the squad to do it. There is no real value in River Plate to win the competition this season.  Fluminense +700: Fluminense is coming into this Round of 16 as the team with the next best chance at winning the title according to the oddsmakers. Fluminense topped their group in the group stage at 4-2-0, but they did not play in a very strong group as there were no other clubs from Brasil or Argentina, the 2 strongest leagues in South America. They have also fallen completely out of form since the group stage and have struggled to get points in their own domestic league. Fluminense are actually the defending champions from last season as they beat Boca Juniors in the Final, but this is nowhere near the same quality team that had such a great season all around last year. They also have a tough opponent in the Round of 16 who they have struggled with a lot over the years. They will see Gremio in the Round of 16 and Gremio has not been a dominant team this season as they also lost some talent from last year, but they have been a wild card with their performances and they tend to dominate this Fluminense side. Gremio has won the last 7 straight meetings with Fluminense and Fluminense has failed to score a goal in 5 of those 7 matches. There is a very good chance that the defending champions go down in the Round of 16 but even if they do get past Gremio, they do not have the talent or depth in their squad to make a deep run in this competition. Even their win in this competition last season was the first time they have been back to the finals in 15 seasons. There is no value in Fluminense to win this competition and repeat as the champions.  Atlético Mineiro +800: Atlético Mineiro is coming into this Round of 16 as the team with the next best chance at winning the title according to the oddsmakers. They topped their group during the group stage at 5-0-1 and have been a very dominant team in this competition, but they have been starting to fall out of form recently in their domestic league. They recently hired a new manager and they have been starting to improve once again after a stretch of poor form, but they have still been very inconsistent in their matches. They have a very good squad with a lot of talent, but it has not been enough in this competition in recent years. They have struggled to get to the Final, making no appearances in the last 10 straight seasons, and they have even struggled to win the Brasileirao Title consistently. They have an easier matchup in the Round of 16, but they are still facing a club from Argentina that plays in a very strong league, and San Lorenzo also has a very good defense that can cause problems for this Atletico Mineiro attack. Even if Atletico Mineiro makes it past them, they will eventually run into a stronger team that takes them out as they usually go out before they can get to the Final. There are better teams in the tournament this year and Atletico Mineiro will fall short once again. There is no value in them to win this competition this season.  Botafogo +900: Botafogo is coming into this Round of 16 as the team with the next best chance at winning the title according to the oddsmakers. Botafogo does not have a history of going deep into this competition in recent years, but they have been improving a lot over the last 2 seasons. Last season, they were a huge threat in the Brasileirao all year as they led the table with a 10+ point lead for most of the season before collapsing in the final weeks, but they are back on top this season with one of the better teams in Brasil. They are going to be focused on going deep into this competition. They have a tough opponent in the Round of 16 as they are taking on Palmeiras who is one of the favorites to win the tournament, but Palmeiras has not been as good as their teams in previous years and Botafogo has actually beaten them twice in 3 matches over the last 2 seasons. Palmeiras has failed to score in 2 of those 3 meetings and Botafogo has a very good defense that is one of the best in Brasil. Botafogo has been steadily improving over the last few seasons and with the experience they gained from being one of the better teams in Brasil last year, they can draw from that in this competition and make a deep run. They have the talent in their squad and they have the defense to go far which will be very important in a competition like this. Botafogo is a true dark horse to win this competition this season, there is value in them to win at this price.  RecommendationThere are plenty of good teams in this competition and some that were not mentioned here, but in reality this competition has been dominated by a select few teams over the last few years so there is not going to be much room for these smaller clubs from weaker South American leagues to go deep. This competition has been dominated by clubs from Brasil and Argentina over the last few years as there has not been a club from another country in the last 7 straight Copa Libertadores Finals, and 9 of the 14 teams that have appeared in those finals have been from Brasil as well. Brasil is still the strongest league in all of South America with plenty of talented teams this year and it is very likely that the winner of this competition will come from the Brasileirao as they have in the last 5 straight Copa Libertadores Finals. Flamengo is still the best team in this competition and will be focused on winning trophies this year after falling short the last few seasons. Flamengo at +350 has value here as they are the most likely team to win the tournament this season, but Botafogo at +900 is also a very good dark horse as they have a great defense and will be a threat deep in the tournament. 

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB and CFL Previews and Odds - 07/28/2024

by Big Al Staff

Sunday, Jul 28, 2024

The Sunday sports card features MLB and CFL action.Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. The Cincinnati Reds travel to Tampa Bay to play the Rays on the Roku Channel at 11:35 a.m. ET. Hunter Greene takes the mound for the Reds to face a starting pitcher for the Rays yet to be named. Cincinnati is a -130 money-line road favorite with the total set at 7.5 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). Two more MLB games throw out the first pitch at 1:35 p.m. ET. Philadelphia hosts Cleveland with the Phillies tapping Kolby Allard to pitch against the Guardians’ Xzavion Curry. The Phillies are a -142 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. Baltimore plays at home against San Diego with Albert Suarez taking the hill for the Orioles to go against Randy Vasquez for the Padres. The Orioles are a -148 money-line favorite with a total of 9.5. The Texas Rangers play in Toronto against the Blue Jays at 1:37 p.m. ET. The Rangers send out Jon Gray to battle against the Blue Jays Jose Berrios. Texas is a -112 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Two more MLB games start at 1:40 p.m. ET. Minnesota is in Detroit with Bailey Ober getting the assignment for the Twins to face a starting pitcher yet to be determined. The Twins are a -185 money-line road favorite at BetMGM with a total of 8. New York is at home against Atlanta with the Mets turning to David Peterson to battle against the Braves Reynaldo Lopez. The Mets are a -112 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.Four MLB games begin at 2:10 p.m. ET. Seattle visits Chicago with the Mariners sending out Bryce Miller to duel against the White Sox’s Garrett Crochet. The Mariners are a -112 money-line road favorite with a total of 7.Milwaukee hosts Miami with Tobias Myers getting the ball for the Brewers to face Kyle Tyler for the Marlins. The Brewers are a -205 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Kansas City plays at home against Chicago with the Royals turning to Cole Ragans to face the Cubs’ Javier Assad. The Royals are a -175 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. Houston is at home against Los Angeles with Spencer Arrighetti taking the ball for the Astros to duel against River Ryan for the Dodgers. The Astros are a -122 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. The St. Louis Cardinals host the Washington Nationals at 2:15 p.m. ET. The Cardinals tap Miles Mikolas to go against the Nationals’ D.J. Herz. St.Louis is a -155 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The San Francisco Giants play at home against the Colorado Rockies at 4:05 p.m. ET. Jordan Hicks gets the ball for the Giants to duel against Austin Gomber for the Rockies. San Francisco is a -198 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The Los Angeles Angels are at home against the Oakland A’s at 4:07 p.m. ET. The Angels turn to Jose Soriano to battle against a starting pitcher yet to be determined. Los Angeles is a -125 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Pittsburgh Pirates play at Arizona against the Diamondbacks at 4:10 p.m. ET. Mitch Keller takes the hill for the Pirates to face a Diamondbacks’ starting pitcher yet to be named. Pittsburgh is a -120 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5.Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN features the Boston Red Sox hosting the New York Yankees at 7:10 p.m. ET. The Red Sox tap Tanner Houck to battle against the Yankees’ Carlos Rodon. Boston is a -112 money-line favorite with a total of 9.5.Week 8 in the Canadian Football League concludes with one game. The Edmonton Elks play at home against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on the CBS Sports Network at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Elks are a 3-point favorite with an over/under of 52.5.

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July Starting Pitching NL Overachievers

by Nelly's Sports

Saturday, Jul 27, 2024

July Starting Pitching NL Overachievers There are a few pitchers that stand out as overachievers in the month of July, posting impressive conventional numbers but with some concerns lurking deeper in the data. Here are four National League starters which you should be cautious with supporting moving forward after fortunate recent runs on the mound that are not likely sustainable.  Jose Quintana – New York Mets The Mets have been one of the hottest teams in baseball in July, moving into an NL wild card position while shockingly passing up the Braves in the NL East standings, at least for a moment. The bullpen for New York has turned things around and 35-year-old Jose Quintana has been an unexpected source of success in the rotation. Quintana posted only nine MLB wins from 2020 to 2023 as he bounced around the league after posting mostly average results with the Cubs in the late 2010s, with his best seasons in 2015 and 2016 with the White Sox. Quintana’s 2024 season line is relatively average with a 4.02 ERA and a 7.1 K/9 but since mid-June he owns a 1.98 ERA. Next to that ERA is a 4.75 FIP which looks more realistic as in his last 41 innings Quintana has a .192 BABIP and an insane 99.4% strand rate. Quintana has faced the Nationals, Cubs, and Rockies in four of those seven starts to face three of the worst teams in the NL, but his current pace is not sustainable. Incredibly he has those great numbers even with a marginal 3.5 BB/9 and a high 1.5 HR/9 as Quintana’s run of success is likely to be short-lived.  Mitch Keller – Pittsburgh Pirates Keller showed some potential through rough conventional numbers in 2021 and 2022 on a struggling Pirates team before his breakthrough All-Star season last year. Keller’s strong first half deteriorated into an average season overall in 2023 and the same thing could occur in 2024. Pittsburgh’s rotation is getting a lot of attention, but Keller is a pitcher that has overachieved going 10-5 with a 3.34 ERA. His FIP is a half-run higher than that at 3.84 while his K/9 has fallen considerably compared to last season. He has a lower BABIP and a lower HR/9 this season compared with last season but over his last six starts his ERA is 3.28 with a 4.46 FIP and his K/9 has fallen even further to just 7.6. He faced losing teams including the White Sox in three of his last six starts while four of those six starts were at home where his career ERA is nearly a run lower. The Pirates are currently just above .500 and are an exciting team on the rise but Keller doesn’t deserve the valuation of the higher ceiling starters in the rotation. With Jared Jones and Bailey Falter recently hitting the IL, pressure will grow on Keller while the bullpen supporting him will face more strain as the team faces several tough upcoming road series in late July and early August.  Matt Waldron – San Diego Padres The success of Matt Waldon has come out of nowhere as he was an 18th round pick back in 2019 and mostly has struggled in his minor league climb, including posting a 3-9 record with an 8.44 ERA in AAA in 2022 and a 2-10 record with a 7.31 ERA in AAA in 2023. Waldron has a 7.7 K/9 alongside his solid 3.64 ERA, and he has pitched better on the road as his success hasn’t been a product of pitching at Petco Park. There are some cracks appearing in recent starts for Waldron however with a 3.61 ERA in his last seven starts since late June next to a 4.58 FIP. His K/9 is just barely above 7.0 in that span, and he has allowed seven home runs in his last seven starts. While Waldron has provided solid innings as the Padres look to stay in a wild card position in the crowded NL race, the team might be wise to add another starting option to the rotation at the trade deadline.  Hunter Greene – Cincinnati Reds  While he went 5-13 as a 22-year-old rookie in 2022, Hunter Greene dazzled at times with a great upside. His K/9 was 11.8 in 2022 and 12.2 last season. This season it has dipped to a still impressive 10.2, but his elevated walk rate has remained. Greene had one of the NL’s higher HR/9 rates in 2022 and 2023, but somehow this season his HR/9 is below 0.8 this season, even with no change to his groundball rate. Greene has a 3.14 ERA but a much higher FIP and while he has put together perhaps the best month of his career in recent weeks, there should be concerns about his potential to maintain that pace. Greene has allowed just two home runs in his last six starts, posting a 2.05 ERA in 35 innings. It has been a favorable draw however with four of his six starts against the Pirates, Tigers, and Rockies. His BABIP in that span is just .237 and he is about to enter August, where his worst monthly career splits have been in his young career. 

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July Starting Pitching AL Overachievers

by Nelly's Sports

Saturday, Jul 27, 2024

July Starting Pitching AL Overachievers There are a few pitchers that stand out as overachievers in the month of July, posting impressive conventional numbers but with some concerns lurking deeper in the data. Here are four American League starters which you should be cautious with supporting moving forward after fortunate recent runs on the mound that are not likely sustainable.  Brady Singer – Kansas City Royals Brady Singer has been considered an elite talent for the Royals since being a 1st round pick in 2018. With Kansas City charging towards a playoff spot this season, Singer has put together his most complete campaign. His ERA is just 2.82 in 21 starts. His FIP is 3.81 however and the biggest difference in his numbers this season has been stranding over 83 percent of his baserunners compared to his career average of just over 72 percent. In what has been an outstanding month of July for Singer, he has stranded over 90 percent of his baserunners to produce a 1.88 ERA even with a 3.39 FIP and a 3.1 BB/9. Singer doesn’t have elite strikeout numbers and he has an extreme disparity between his home and road splits, as many Royals have this season with a great home record for Kansas City. After strong results in April and May, Singer fell back a bit in June and the deeper numbers suggest his July shouldn’t have been much different than his average results in June. Singer is likely to remain a slightly above average option for the Royals, but he may get overpriced, particularly in his home starts following the fortunate run he has been on in recent weeks.   Kutter Crawford – Boston Red Sox With a 6-8 record in just over 129 innings last season Kutter Crawford had a 4.04 ERA and a 3.83 FIP last season. In now 119 innings in 2024 Crawford has a 3.33 ERA but with a 4.24 FIP that is nearly a half-run higher than he had last season. His K/9 is lower this season while his BB/9 and HR/9 rates are higher, yet he has allowed fewer runs. Crawford has enjoyed an exceptionally charmed month of July with a 2.52 ERA but a 5.14 FIP as he has allowed six home runs in 25 innings but has kept the damage to a minimum allowing only seven earned runs with five solo shots and one two-run home run allowed. Crawford has just a 6.1 K/9 in July and he has not allowed a single baserunner to score in those 25 innings, a truly remarkable run that obviously won’t last much longer. Crawford has made three of those four starts in July on the road and his season splits are worse at home. Crawford may be worth looking to fade in upcoming Fenway Park outings as he isn’t pitching as well as his recent numbers imply.  Dean Kremer – Baltimore Orioles Going 0-7 in 13 starts for Baltimore in 2021 wasn’t a great sign for Dean Kremer’s future but he had a solid 2022 season as Baltimore started to turn the corner and then last season, he was a key piece of the rotation making 32 starts for the AL East victors. Kremer’s season 2024 season was derailed with an injury in late May, and he recently returned in July, providing four acceptable starts this month, posting three decent outings and one terrible outing for a 4.74 ERA. He lacks a quality start since his return and the Baltimore bullpen has not been as sharp as it was last season. Kremer has a 5.99 FIP since his return and he has walked 10 batters in 19 innings. Ultimately Kremer hasn’t looked like the same pitcher in 2024 as he did the past two seasons, and the Orioles should be considering what his role should be moving forward with the trade deadline nearing. With Baltimore’s great record, Kremer will still command favorite pricing in most matchups, but he has been a worse than average pitcher this season, particularly at home where he owns a 6.16 ERA. August has historically been Kremer’s best month in his career splits, but given his disjointed 2024 season, that isn’t likely to prove true this season.  Jose Soriano – Los Angeles Angels Left for dead with numerous injuries and a terrible stretch of results in April and May, the Angels have produced a winning record since June 1. The scoring numbers don’t sync with that record however, but the Angels have been competitive in division games and could prove to be a spoiler in the tight AL West race. Starting pitching has been an unexpected strength for the Angels and Jose Soriano has turned in a 3.51 ERA in 95 innings. His K/9 has fallen off a cliff compared to his numbers last season as a reliever, but he has been blessed with a .255 BABIP so far in his 2024 season. Soriano is an elite groundball producer with an over 59 percent rate this season, featuring a big jump from last season which has helped to keep his HR/9 very low in 2024. Soriano has not pitched particularly well in Anaheim however and nearly two thirds of his innings at this point in the season have been in road venues. In July Soriano has a 4.51 FIP despite a 3.57 ERA and his K/9 is below 6.8. His groundball rare has fallen and three of his four starts in July have been road starts, including games vs. Oakland and Chicago, plus a start in a favorable environment in Seattle. Soriano is still pitching for a bad team and while his 3.51 ERA looks nice, his weak strikeout potential and higher than average walk risk should make him unappealing to support in most pairings moving forward.   

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Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB and CFL Previews and Odds - 07/27/2024

by Big Al Staff

Saturday, Jul 27, 2024

The Saturday sports card features MLB and CFL action.Major League Baseball has 16 games on its schedule. The Toronto Blue Jays host the Texas Rangers at 3:07 p.m. ET. Kevin Gausman gets the ball for the Blue Jays to pitch against Michael Lorenzen for the Rangers. Toronto is a -142 money-line favorite with the total set at 8.5 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). The Baltimore Orioles play at home against the San Diego Padres at 4:05 p.m. ET. The Orioles tap Dean Kremer to face the Padres’ Michael King. Baltimore is a -115 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. Two more MLB games throw out the first pitch at 4:10 p.m. ET. Tampa Bay is at home against Cincinnati with Zack Littell taking the mound for the Rays to go against Andrew Abbott for the Reds. The Rays are a -122 money-line favorite with a total of 7.5. New York hosts Atlanta with the Mets turning to Tylor Megill to battle against the Braves’ Spencer Schwellenbach. The Mets are a -118 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Philadelphia Phillies play at home against the Cleveland Guardians at 6:05 p.m. ET. Tyler Phillips takes the mound for the Phillies to challenge Carlos Carrasco for the Guardians. Philadelphia is a -162 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Detroit Tigers are at home against the Minnesota Twins at 6:10 p.m. ET. The Tigers send out Tarik Skubal to face the Twins’ Joe Ryan. Detroit is a -122 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7. The San Francisco Giants host the Colorado Rockies in the opening game of their doubleheader at 7:05 p.m. ET. Blake Snell takes the ball for the Giants to pitch against Ryan Feltner for the Rockies. San Francisco is a -218 money-line favorite with a total of 8. Three more MLB games start at 7:10 p.m. ET. Kansas City plays at home against Chicago with the Royals giving the ball to Seth Lugo to duel against the Cubs’ Shota Imanaga. The Royals are a -122 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. Houston is at home against Los Angeles with Ronel Blanco taking the hill for the Astros to battle Justin Wrobleski for the Dodgers. The Astros are a -135 money-line favorite with a total of 9. Milwaukee hosts Miami with the Brewers sending out Aaron Civale to face the Marlins’ Max Meyer. The Brewers are a -160 money-line favorite at BetMGM with an over/under of 8. Three MLB games begin at 7:15 p.m. ET. St. Louis plays at home against Washington with Kyle Gibson getting the ball for the Cardinals to pitch against Jake Irvin for the Nationals. The Cardinals are a -135 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. Two MLB games are featured on Fox’s regional coverage. Seattle travels to Chicago with the Mariners turning to Bryan Woo to challenge the White Sox’s Erick Fedde. The Mariners are a -148 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Boston is at home against New York with Kutter Crawford taking the mound for the Red Sox to battle Marcus Stroman for the Yankees. The Red Sox are a -108 money-line favorite with a total of 10. The Arizona Diamondbacks host the Pittsburgh Pirates at 8:10 p.m. ET. The Diamondbacks send out Brandon Pfaaadt to pitch against the Pirates’ Marco Gonzales. Arizona is a -165 money-line favorite at BetMGM with an over/under of 8. The Los Angeles Angels play at home against the Oakland A’s at 9:38 p.m. ET. Tyler Anderson takes the mound for the Angels to face Mitch Spence for the A’s. Los Angeles is a -122 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Giants are at home against the Rockies in the second game of their doubleheader at 10:05 p.m. ET. San Francisco taps Hayden Birdsong to go against a Colorado starting pitcher yet to be determined. The Giants are a -218 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5.Week 8 in the Canadian Football League continues with one game. The Toronto Argonauts host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on the CBS Sports Network at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Argonauts are a 2-point favorite with a total of 48.5. 

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