Daily sports news cheat sheets for people who want to talk sports
20 games played, by sport.
MLB The marquee game has the Los Angeles Dodgers — baseball's best team at 61-36 — rolling into Yankee Stadium tonight, where a 9-run over/under suggests neither starter is expected to go deep into the game and the bullpen could be a real factor; oddsmakers are only giving the Dodgers a slight edge at -115, so the heart of the Yankees order will have something to say about that. Over at Fenway Park, the Tampa Bay Rays bring a very real 56-39 record to town against a Boston Red Sox club hovering right around .500, a divisional series where going to the pen too early could cost either manager dearly. If you want a lopsided one to keep on in the background, the Atlanta Braves are laying nearly -220 against the Texas Rangers at Truist Park, which is about as close to a getaway day for the oddsmakers as you'll see on a full slate.
MLS The marquee game tonight is the El Trafico derby between LAFC and the LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park — the fiercest rivalry in American soccer, with both clubs within striking distance of each other in the Western Conference standings. LAFC come in as slight favorites at plus-115 and carry the better form at seven wins on the season, but these games throw records out the window, and the over-under sitting at three and a half goals suggests oddsmakers expect an open, attacking affair. Earlier in the evening, Nashville SC host Atlanta United FC at GEODIS Park, and with Nashville heavily favored at minus-190 against an Atlanta side that has drawn nine of their fourteen games, a clean sheet for the home side wouldn't surprise anyone.
WNBA The marquee game on today's slate is Indiana Fever hosting the Seattle Storm — Indiana is a heavy 8.5-point favorite at home and a team that's been getting buckets all season at 14-10, while Seattle has been taking L after L at 6-20 and will need a miracle to stay in this one. Also worth watching tonight: Atlanta Dream rolls into Toronto to take on the expansion Tempo squad, with Atlanta laying nearly ten points as the clear class of that matchup. If you want a tighter game, Los Angeles Sparks at Chicago Sky is a toss-up at -2.5 with the highest over/under on the board at 182.5, so expect both teams dropping buckets in the paint all night.
World Cup The marquee fixture tonight is England taking on France at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, a World Cup knockout clash that needs no added seasoning given the history between these two sides. France come in as slight favorites at -110, and if England's forwards can't find the net against a side that's kept clean sheets when it matters most, this one could well go to extra time. A sitter missed or a moment of shambolic defending could define either nation's tournament, so this is the match you simply cannot miss.