Daily sports news cheat sheets for people who want to talk sports
18 games played, by sport.
MLB The marquee matchup tonight is the New York Yankees visiting the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field, a divisional tilt where the Rays hold a three-game edge in the standings and the heart of their order has been raking all month. Keep an eye on the Philadelphia Phillies heading into Cincinnati — the Reds are favored at home despite Philly's better record, so watch whether the Phillies starter can go deep and keep the pen fresh, or if the manager goes to the bullpen too early and hands Great American Ball Park a chance to get loud. The nightcap to watch out west is the Los Angeles Dodgers hosting the Colorado Rockies; with the Dodgers sitting at 60-33 and favored by a run and a half, it's basically a getaway day for Colorado unless someone leaves the yard early.
WNBA Tonight's marquee game is the Indiana Fever heading to Los Angeles to take on the Sparks at crypto.com Arena — the Fever come in hot at 12-8 and favored by five and a half, so watch how they move the ball in the paint against a Sparks squad that's been inconsistent all season. Earlier in the evening, the Golden State Valkyries visit the Toronto Tempo as the biggest chalk on the slate at minus-eight-and-a-half, which tells you everything about how lopsided that 15-7 versus 9-11 matchup looks on paper. The can't-miss storyline across the full slate is the Minnesota Lynx, also 15-6 and laying seven and a half against a Connecticut Sun team that has absolutely eaten it this year at five and sixteen — if Minnesota comes out clicking and putting up buckets from everywhere, this one could be over by halftime.
World Cup The marquee fixture tonight is Morocco taking on France at Gillette Stadium in what is shaping up to be the most-watched game of the World Cup knockout round. France come in as heavy favorites, but Morocco have already shown they can frustrate a high-powered attack and keep a clean sheet when it matters most. If the Atlas Lions can stay compact and hit Les Bleus on the counter with a well-weighted through ball, they have the quality to pull off the upset — though France will be desperate to find the net early and avoid the kind of nervy extra time that drains a squad.