In today’s SportSense Entertainment Newsletter…

There were plenty of predictions to go around yesterday across the MLB, with our model focusing in on one of those predictions in our Featured Matchup. That prediction went 1-0 overall, and you can see how the rest of the model performed below.

Money Line Predictions: 9-5

Over/Under Predictions: 8-6

Run Line Predictions: 9-5

3-star Predictions: 1-0

✍️ Baltimore signs Jadeveon Clowney to one-year deal. The Baltimore Ravens have officially signed former No. 1 pick Jadeveon Clowney to a one-year deal, bringing much-needed experience to their outside linebacker position, as confirmed by the team on Friday. The contract, initially valued at $2.5 million, could potentially reach $6 million based on performance, as reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler. Ravens' Coach John Harbaugh praised Clowney's aggressive playing style and underrated pass-rushing abilities, and Clowney's reunion with Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Line Coach Anthony Weaver is anticipated after their previous collaboration during Clowney's tenure with the Houston Texans.

💪 Sam Howell named starter in Washington. Coach Ron Rivera has announced that Sam Howell will be the starting quarterback for the Washington Commanders in their season opener, ending a largely one-sided competition for the position. Howell has consistently practiced with the starters since spring practices began and has shown promise during preseason games, solidifying his place as the starting quarterback. Rivera, along with offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard, determined that Howell's performance warranted the starting position, with Rivera noting that Jacoby Brissett had also contributed positively to the quarterback room and Howell’s early development.

🙅‍♂️ David Bahktiari staying in Green bay despite trade rumors. Green Bay Packers' General Manager, Brian Gutekunst, firmly stated that David Bakhtiari will not be traded, dispelling any rumors of the player joining the New York Jets or leaving the team. Bakhtiari is seen as a vital part of the Packers' offensive line, and the team has shown confidence in his abilities by restructuring his contract earlier this year. Bahktiari has been with Green Bay since the 2013 season, but was rumored to be heading to the Big Apple after Aaron Rodgers restructured his contract with the Jets to create room for more players.

There are 18 MLB games scheduled to take place today. However, due to lines being unavailable at the time the model was run and the plethora of doubleheaders, our model has predictions for 12 of today’s matchups.

San Francisco Giants @ Atlanta Braves

Model Predicts- Giants ML, Under 9.5, Giants +1.5

The San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves will square off in the second game of a three-game series on Saturday night in Truist Park.

Atlanta got the best of San Fran in Game 1, beating the Giants 4-0 in what was the third consecutive shut out win for Atlanta and fifth in the last eight games.

The Braves are officially the best team in baseball, yet our model still gives the Giants a slight advantage on the road today with Logan Webb on the mound. Let’s dive into why that is and where our model sees the most value in this matchup.

San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants started out the month of August with a bang, winning three straight games against an NL West rival, the Arizona Diamondbacks. However, San Fran is just 3-9 since that series ended, a troubling stretch of baseball for a team that is right on the border of a Wild Card spot.

The recent slide in the standings has come largely due to the Giants’ inability to get anything going at the plate. Per FanGraphs, San Francisco ranks 29th in wRC+ since August 1st, sitting one spot ahead of the Angels in the basement of the MLB. That has coincided with an abysmal 26.1% strikeout rate and .256 wOBA, two more categories in which the Giants rank in the bottom six.

Those offensive struggles continued last night against Spencer Strider and the Braves, with the Giants recording zero runs and two hits across nine innings. 13 of the 31 batters (41.9%) the Giants brought to the plate struck out as well, a sign that San Fran may still be in a downward spiral.

Luckily, Logan Webb (9-9 record, 3.26 ERA) will take the mound as today’s starter, which will help level things out for the Giants.

Webb is coming off a start in which he was one out away from his second complete-game shut out in the last two months, meaning momentum is on the Cy Young candidate’s side. Performances like that are nothing new to Webb, as he owns a 2.91 ERA and 2.69 xFIP since July 1st, per FanGraphs, largely due to his ability to generate ground balls (60.4%) and keep baseballs in the park.

Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves are scorching hot, asserting their dominance both at the plate and on the mound in August.

Atlanta is a stellar 12-5 since August 1st, posting a league-leading 145 wRC+ since that date. The Braves’ .339 BABIP and 10.9% walk rate show that this team is getting on base in bunches, leading to a +64 run differential this month in what has been a red-hot stretch at the plate.

That run differential hasn’t come about solely because of Atlanta’s offense though. As previously mentioned, the Braves have shut out their opponent in five of their last eight games, a stretch in which Braves pitchers own a 1.52 ERA. However, that same group owns a 4.16 xFIP and a 85.2% LOB% (left on base %), showing that luck has been on the team’s side.

As we all know, luck eventually runs out, and today could be that day with Yonny Chirinos (5-5 record, 5.22 ERA) set to take the mound for Atlanta as today’s starter.

Chirinos has been hit around all season long, and his last three starts show that the 29-year-old is quite vulnerable on the mound. Chirinos owns a 9.51 ERA and 1.76 WHIP across those three starts, which came against three struggling teams in the Mets, Pirates, and Angels.

The problem with Chirinos is that he is surrendering far too much contact to remain effective, as demonstrated by his 14.1% strikeout rate and ranking in the bottom 4% in Whiff rate. A lot of that contact is hard contact as well, with Chirinos posting a 91.2 mph average exit velocity and 44.9% Hard Hit rate, both of which rank in the bottom 11% of the MLB in 2023.

What’s the Play?

The Giants and Braves are trending in opposite directions in the standings, but we agree with our model that San Francisco is capable of winning this matchup.

Logan Webb provides the Giants with a massive advantage on the mound, which will likely keep Atlanta off the base paths early. That is something that has not happened often over the last three games, as the Braves have scored eight of their 11 runs in either the first or second inning.

Atlanta hasn’t scored often in the late stages of the game in recent matchups, and we think it’s unlikely the Braves will do damage against Webb. That will allow the Giants to build a lead on a struggling Chirinos, ending Atlanta’s shut out streak at three games.

The Play: Giants ML (+100)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Boston Red Sox- 64-58 overall this season, 17-14 against division opponents (Play AL East rival New York today)

• Texas Rangers- 72-50 overall this season, 42-22 as the home team

• Seattle Mariners- 67-55 overall this season, 33-27 as the away team, 6-2 against the Astros this season

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• New York Yankees- Under is 63-55-4 this season, 34-28-2 as the home team

• Texas Rangers- Over is 60-54-8 this season, 36-22-6 as the home team

• San Francisco Giants- Under is 69-50-3 this season, 30-26-1 as the away team

Run Line Trends ➕➖

• Cincinnati Reds- Run line is 77-46 this season, 27-13 as a home underdog

• Baltimore Orioles- Run line is 75-47 this season, 13-5 as a road favorite

Various injuries around the league. See full injury report at MLB.com.

⛈ Hurricane Hilary forces postponements in Southern California. Due to the anticipated impact of Hurricane Hilary, Major League Baseball has rescheduled three games in California. The games originally set for Sunday, featuring Arizona vs. San Diego, Tampa Bay vs. Los Angeles Angels, and Miami vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, will now be held on Saturday as split-doubleheaders. Hurricane Hilary, a powerful Category 4 storm, is predicted to hit Mexico's Baja California Peninsula on Saturday night and Southern California on Sunday, and is predicted to be the first tropical storm to make landfall in Southern California since 1939.

☎️ Angels call up Nolan Schanuel just six weeks after MLB Draft. In a remarkably swift promotion, the Los Angeles Angels have called up first baseman Nolan Schanuel less than six weeks after selecting him as the 11th pick in the draft. Schanuel's rapid ascent has broken records; his debut is the fastest since 1979, with the last position players to achieve such a quick debut being in 1978. Despite the quick promotion, the 21-year-old had a solid MLB debut, going 1-4 with a walk and two runs scored.

🤕 Marcus Stroman provides some details of injury. Marcus Stroman is uncertain about how he developed a cartilage fracture in his ribs, which has left him struggling with breathing and mobility. Following a bullpen session, Stroman experienced difficulty breathing and went to the trainers and then the emergency room. Doctors ruled out other causes of his pain before an MRI revealed the rib cartilage fracture, leaving the All-Star pitcher without a definite recovery timetable but confident in his ability to rebound as he has with previous injuries.

⛳️ Max Homa claims solo lead at BMW Championship. Max Homa has taken the lead at the BMW Championship with a record-breaking 62 at Olympia Fields, putting him at 10-under after two rounds. Homa's remarkable round broke previous records held by Rickie Fowler and Vijay Singh, becoming the lowest score in any PGA Tour or major championship round at Olympia Fields. Homa's impressive performance included 10 birdies, tying his career high, and gaining 4.32 strokes on the field, with him leading in strokes gained putting, birdies, and strokes gained total for the tournament. His strong play also has him vying for an automatic bid on the Ryder Cup team, which he can achieve with a top-9 finish this weekend.

🇺🇸 Team USA remains undefeated in World Cup tune-up games. USA Basketball secured a 108-86 victory over Greece in a tune-up game, maintaining their unbeaten streak in World Cup preparations. Led by Anthony Edwards' 21 points and Cam Johnson's 13, the U.S. led from the start and never trailed against a Greece team that was without Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, things weren’t all great in the match, as U.S. Coach Steve Kerr expressed concerns about turnovers and rebounds as key areas needing improvement for the team.

💰 Indiana gives Mike Woodson seven-figure raise. Indiana University has rewarded men's basketball coach Mike Woodson with a $1 million annual salary increase following his successful tenure, which included consecutive NCAA tournament appearances in his first two years. The new contract, averaging $4.2 million per year, cements him as one of the highest-paid men's basketball coaches in the Big Ten conference. Woodson's leadership has led to the Hoosiers' resurgence on the court and in recruiting, according to Indiana's athletic director Scott Dolson, as the team has achieved a 44-26 record under Woodson's guidance over the past two seasons.

Today’s trivia requires you to dig into multiple pockets of your brain, testing your knowledge of recent events as well as those that happened decades ago.

See how many of the below questions you can get correct. Answers are provided at the end of the newsletter.

Question #1- In Super Bowl XXIII, Joe Montana famously led the San Francisco 49ers to a game-winning touchdown drive against the Cincinnati Bengals. Which wide receiver caught the winning touchdown pass?

Question #2- Who is the only pitcher in MLB history to throw a perfect game in the World Series, and in which year did they achieve this feat?

Question #3- Which player has won the most NBA championships in their career, and how many championships did they win?

Anyone know what has happened on August 19th throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On August 19th…

1921- Detroit Tigers star Ty Cobb becomes the fourth player in MLB history to reach 3,000 career hits. Cobb reached the milestone in a victory over the Boston Red Sox, becoming the youngest player to reach the mark and joining Cap Anson, Honus Wagner, and Nap Lajoie on the list. He would go on to finish his career with 4,189 hits, which ranks second all-time behind only Pete Rose.

1957- The New York Giants baseball team’s board of directors votes to relocate the team to the West Coast. The Giants would migrate across the country just one year later in 1958, taking a talented roster that included Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, and Juan Marichal to Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. However, the move did not result in the Giants winning, with the team failing to win a World Series for its first 29 years in the Bay Area.

1995- Mike Tyson returns to the boxing ring for the first time after serving a three-year prison sentence. Tyson showed no rust in his first fight back, dropping Peter McNeeley with a right hook in the first 10 second of the bout. McNeeley would go down again after an uppercut from Tyson, forcing his trainer into the ring and ending the fight by disqualification after just 89 seconds.

1. John Taylor

2. Don Larsen (1956)

3. Bill Russell (11)