Daily sports news cheat sheets for people who want to talk sports
24 games played, by sport.
MLB The marquee game of the weekend is the Los Angeles Dodgers heading into Petco Park to face the San Diego Padres — the Dodgers own the best record in baseball at 52-30, so watch whether the Padres bullpen can keep the heart of that order from leaving the yard in a division showdown. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Phillies are already putting a 2-0 squeeze on the New York Mets through six innings at Citi Field, and with the Phillies sitting ten games over .500 against a Mets squad that's fourteen under, the only real drama is whether the starter can go deep enough that the manager doesn't have to go to the pen too early. Tomorrow night's getaway-day nightcap at Fenway Park — New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox on national TV — is the one to circle, a classic rivalry game with the Yankees riding a hot 48-34 mark into a park that's always tough on road starters regardless of their WHIP.
WNBA The marquee game tonight is New York Liberty at Golden State Valkyries on ESPN — two 12-7 teams with the Liberty favored by just a bucket and a half, so expect a dogfight at Chase Center. The Minnesota Lynx (14-4) rolling into Dallas against the Wings is the other can't-miss matchup; the Lynx are playing like an absolute clinic right now and the Wings will need to buckle down in the paint to have any shot. Keep an eye on Las Vegas Aces at Chicago Sky too — the Aces are one of the hottest squads in the league at 13-5 and the Sky have been taking L after L, so this one could get ugly fast.
World Cup The marquee matchup today is Portugal against Colombia at Hard Rock Stadium, with Portugal needing a result after dropping points earlier in the group while an unbeaten Colombia side will fancy their chances of going through on top. Argentina are expected to cruise past Jordan at AT&T Stadium — the odds are so lopsided it would be an absolute sitter of a result if they didn't find the net early and often — but the real drama is whether Portugal can hold off Colombia or whether a draw sends one of them scrambling. Keep an eye on Austria versus Algeria in Kansas City too, where the ultra-low over-under tells you both sides are playing not to lose rather than to win.