The morning line

MLB The headliner tonight is the Texas Rangers heading into Fenway Park to face the Boston Red Sox in a prime-time NBC/Peacock showcase, with the over/under sitting at nine runs — meaning if either starter goes seven and keeps the bullpen dry, that alone is a story worth talking about. On the getaway-day afternoon slate, the real head-scratcher is the New York Mets, twelve games under .500, roughing up the best team in baseball — the Atlanta Braves — 6-1 in the eighth, the kind of result that makes you wonder whether the Braves got into the opposing starter's stuff early or if the manager went to the pen too soon and paid for it. Don't sleep on the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays either, still knotted at three apiece heading into the ninth over at Rogers Centre — that one has walk-off written all over it.

WNBA The marquee game right now is the New York Liberty hosting the Washington Mystics at Barclays Center, and the Liberty are up 36-28 at the half — New York has been getting buckets in the paint all first half against a Mystics squad sitting at 5-6 and desperate to stop the bleeding. Atlanta Dream are also putting on a clinic in Toronto, up 47-39 on the Tempo at halftime, so the Dream look like the real deal at 8-4. Tonight's can't-miss is Las Vegas Aces at Dallas Wings — the Aces come in as the hottest team in the league at 10-3 and are favored by 2.5, but the Wings at 8-5 have enough pop to keep it interesting if the Aces go cold from outside.

World Cup The marquee game is already underway at AT&T Stadium, where Netherlands and Japan are locked in a nil-nil first half — Netherlands came in as slight favorites but Japan are defending well and keeping a clean sheet so far. Later today, Spain take on Cape Verde at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and at -1100 odds it is about as close to a sure thing as you get in football, so the real question is just how much of an absolute paddling Cape Verde are in for. The one to watch on the upset front is Ecuador against Ivory Coast tonight at Lincoln Financial Field — Ecuador come in as underdogs at +160, and if they find the net early, this one could get interesting.