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 and making it a 3-star play. That prediction went 1-0 overall, and you can see how the rest of the model performed below.

Money Line Predictions: 6-3

Over/Under Predictions: 5-3-1

Run Line Predictions: 4-5

3-star Predictions: 1-0

🤕 Tim Patrick has torn achilles, will miss second consecutive season. Denver Broncos wide receiver Tim Patrick is reported to have torn his left achilles in practice on Monday, per Broncos reporter Mike Klis. Patrick appeared to have slipped out of his route and fell to the turf, failing to stand back up on the play without the help of coaches and trainers and was eventually carted off. The 29-year-old, who went undrafted in 2017 out of Utah, has tallied 2,009 yards and 12 touchdowns in his career with the Broncos, but will miss his second consecutive season after being sidelined with a torn ACL in 2022.

💪 Damar Hamlin participates in first padded practice since cardiac arrest. Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin put on the pads for the first time since suffering a cardiac arrest. “Ah man, it feels amazing,” Hamlin told reporters. “It’s a rollercoaster of emotions. I was kind of all over the place just being back for the first time.” Hamlin began last season as a backup before starting 13 games after Micah Hyde went down with a neck injury, and will have his sights set on August 12th when he has his first opportunity to play in a game since January 2, 2023.

🔒 49ers confident in signing Nick Bosa amid holdout. San Francisco 49ers star edge rusher Nick Bosa was not present at the 49ers first padded practice of the season on Monday, and it does not appear that the star will be back before signing a long-term extension. However, 49ers general manager John Lynch has reportedly been in contact with Bosa and his agent, with the two sides attempting to come to an agreement before the season begins. Any deal that is struck will likely make Bosa one of the highest-paid defensive players in league history, which should come as no shock after the 25-year-old recorded 18.5 sacks last season and was named Defensive Player of the Year.

🎤 ESPN hiring Doc Rivers, promotes Doris Burke and lays off Mark Jackson. The slew of lay offs continued at ESPN on Monday, with NBA analyst Mark Jackson becoming the latest victim. Jackson joins Jeff Van Gundy, both of whom were apart of the NBA Finals broadcast crew alongside Mike Breen, as the two co-analysts to be laid off this summer, with Doris Burke and former Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers expected to replace the two. No deal has been finalized yet, but Burke would become the first woman TV analyst on the NBA Finals if the rumors prove to be true, and this would be the first time that we see Rivers in the booth since the 2003-2004 NBA season.

✍️ Raptors sign Garrett Temple to one-year deal. The Toronto Raptors and veteran forward Garrett Temple have come to terms on a one-year, $3.2 million deal, per Adrian Wojnarowski. Temple has been around the block in his 13 years in the NBA, most recently suiting up for the New Orleans Pelicans the last two seasons and playing for 10 additional teams in the years prior. The Pelicans waived Temple earlier in July in what was deemed to be a “cost-cutting move”, and he now gives the Raptors their 15th player on a fully-guaranteed contract.

There are 15 MLB games scheduled to take place throughout this afternoon and evening. However, due to gaps in the season data and lines being unavailable at the time the model was run, our model has predictions for 12 of today’s matchups.

Chicago White Sox @ Texas Rangers

Model Predicts- Rangers ML, OVER 9, White Sox +1.5

The Chicago White Sox and Texas Rangers will square off in Game 1 of a three-game series on Tuesday night in Arlington, Texas.

Chicago enters today’s matchup having lost seven of the last ten games, dropping its record to 43-64.

Similarly, Texas has lost seven of its last ten, but remains in first place in the AL West division with a 60-46 record.

Neither one of these teams has strung together a great stretch of baseball in recent weeks, but our model thinks that Texas will squeeze out a victory tonight. Will wee see that prediction come to fruition, or can the White Sox turn things around and pull off the road upset?

Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox have had an abysmal 2023 season, which has resulted in the team becoming seller’s prior to the trade deadline. We’ve already seen the White Sox trade pitchers Lance Lynn, Lucas Giolito, Joe Kelly, and Kendall Graveman, and it’s possible we see more players pack their things before this evening’s deadline.

As a result of the fire sale, the White Sox are going to likely have a bullpen game in Game 1 against Texas, with Jesse Scholtens (1-3 record, 3.32 ERA) set to get the start.

Scholtens puts the Sox in a tough spot right from the jump against the best hitting team in the major leagues this season. The 29-year-old out of Wright State is often pitching to contact this season, resulting in a 14.5% strikeout rate, per Baseball Savant. He simultaneously ranks in the bottom 11% of the majors in Whiff rate, while his top-three pitches all own an xBA (expected batting average) above .252.

Behind Scholtens is one of the worst bullpens in the majors, one that owns a 4.63 ERA and 4.31 xFIP this season, per FanGraphs. Those numbers stayed relatively flat in July (4.70 ERA, 4.29 xFIP), but the departures of Kelly and Graveman make an already weak unit much weaker.

Texas Rangers

Not much has gone right for the Rangers since the All-Star break, a stretch where Texas is a mediocre 8-7 overall. That includes being 0-3 in the last three games after being swept by the Padres over the weekend.

However, several statistics indicate that the Rangers offense still has some life in them despite the slump, which bodes well for the team this evening.

FanGraphs has the Rangers ranked ninth in wRC+ since the All-Star break, which has coincided with the fifth-best BABIP (.314). Texas’ 11.1% walk rate also ranks inside the top-three, showing that the Rangers are still more than capable of getting runners on base at a high clip.

The pitching staff brings a ton of questions to the table though, including today’s starter Andrew Heaney (7-6 record, 4.62 ERA).

Heaney’s 4.62 ERA is a staggering rise from 3.10 a season ago, and his 4.78 xERA indicates that there could be more regression left in the tank. The biggest reason for the variance comes as a result of his strikeout rate falling to 23.5% in 2023, down from 33.5% a season ago. We’ve also seen his walk rate spike 3.7% from last season, proving that he is more vulnerable to allow base runners.

What’s the Play?

With the White Sox looking to sell at the trade deadline and the Rangers looking to buy, it’s entirely possible that both lineups are missing some players tonight. However, we still agree with our model that the over is a solid play in this matchup.

The White Sox aren’t the most threatening offensive team in the league, but Chicago is still capable of making some noise against left-handed pitchers, which Andrew Heaney is. The Sox own the 17th-best wRC+ (100) against southpaws this season, and given Heaney’s high Barrel rate (10.4%) and 5.45 ERA in July, we should see some runs scored by the White Sox today.

Additionally, Texas’ bullpen is worse than Chicago’s, posting a 4.83 ERA and 4.44 xFIP this season. Those numbers jumped to 6.42 and 4.46, respectively, in July.

There is no stability on the mound for either team tonight. Our model gives the over a 54.83% chance to hit at nine runs, implying -121 odds. We’ll back that prediction at -110.

3-star play: Over 9 (-110)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Tampa Bay Rays- 65-44 overall this season, 19-13 against division opponents (Play AL East rival New York tonight)

• Chicago Cubs- 53-53 overall this season, 8-2 in last ten games

• Arizona Diamondbacks- 57-50 overall this season, 18-11 against division opponents (Play NL West rival San Francisco tonight)

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬆️

• Texas Rangers- Over is 54-44-8 this season, 31-17-6 as the home team

• Chicago Cubs- Over is 55-46-5 this season, 30-20-4 as the home team

• Kansas City Royals- Under is 56-49-2 this season, 30-22-1 as the home team

Run Line Trends ➕➖

• Cincinnati Reds- Run line is 71-37 overall this season, 34-12 as a road underdog

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

🏜 Mariners trade Paul Sewald to Diamondbacks. Seattle Mariners closer Paul Sewald is heading to Arizona after being traded to the Diamondbacks on Monday. Seattle obtained infielder Josh Rojas and prospects Ryan Bliss and Dominic Canzone in exchange for Sewald, giving the Mariners more skill-position players and Arizona a closer that it desperately needed. The Diamondbacks have converted just 27 of 45 save opportunities in 2023, while Sewald has tallied 21 saves of his own and posted a 2.93 ERA.

📦 Guardians ship Aaron Civale to Tampa Bay in exchange for top prospect. Cleveland Guardians pitcher Aaron Civale was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday, with Cleveland receiving first baseman Kyle Manzardo in return. Civale, who will make his Rays debut on Saturday against the Detroit Tigers, is in the midst of a great season, posting a 5-2 record and 2.34 ERA across 77.0 innings and should provide Tampa Bay’s heavily-injured pitching staff with a boost. Meanwhile, Manzardo surrently sits on the IL with shoulder discomfort, but was the Rays’ No.4 prospect and was batting .238 with 11 home runs and 38 RBIs in Triple-A prior to getting injured.

🔥 The fire-sale in New York continued with trade of Mark Canha. The New York Mets have been active in the trade market since Saturday, with New York’s most recent move being in a trade of outfielder/first baseman Mark Canha. New York shipped Canha, who is batting .235 with six home runs and 29 RBIs this season, to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for right-handed pitching prospect Justin Jarvis, giving the Brewers more versatility in the field. The trade marked the third exchange for New York in the last three days, with the Mets already sending David Robertson to the Marlins and Max Scherzer to the Rangers over the weekend.

💰 Minnesota Wild sign Gustavsson to three-year deal. The Minnesota Wild and goaltender Filip Gustavsson have come to terms on a three-year contract that carries an average annual value of $3.75 million. Gustavsson was scheduled for an arbitration hearing this Friday after coming off a two-year contract, but the new deal will keep him in Minnesota for the time being and allow him to become an unrestricted free agent in 2026. The 25-year-old was a bright spot in net for a wild team that was eliminated in the first-round of the postseason by the Dallas Stars, posting a 22-9-7 record and a .931 save percentage last season.

😳 Dan Lanning throws shade at Colorado for leaving Pac-12. Oregon Ducks head football coach Dan Lanning had some things to say regarding the Colorado Buffaloes pending exit to the Big 12 conference following the 2023-24 season. Lanning doesn’t believe that losing Colorado is going to affect the Pac-12, citing their lack of success as the reason why. More specifically, Lanning said, “I’m trying to remember what they won to affect this conference, and I don’t remember.” Colorado finished the 2022-23 season with a 1-11 record and has record just one winning season as members of the Pac-12, but the hiring of Deion Sanders has created an undeniable buzz around the team.

Today’s trivia requires you to dig deep into your NBA memory bank. We want you to guess who the top-five players on the NBA’s all-time three-pointers made list are, and we’ve provided you the logo of the team that the player played for the longest in their career.

As always, answers are at the end of the newsletter.

Anyone know what has happened on August 1st throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On August 1st…

1945- New York Giants outfielder Mel Ott hits his 500th career home run in a 9-2 victory over the Boston Braves. Ott’s homer, a solo shot, came against Braves pitcher Johnny Hutchings in the bottom of the third inning, making Ott the third player in MLB history to reach the 500 home run milestone. He would join Babe Ruth and Jimmy Foxx on the list, and currently sits in 25th on the MLB’s all-time home runs list.

1993- MLB legend Reggie Jackson, A.K.A “Mr. October”, is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Jackson enjoyed a lengthy 21-year MLB career, suiting up for the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees and California Angels. In that time he would record 563 home runs, 1,702 RBIs, 14 All-Star game selections, and five World Series championships, making his induction into the Hall of Fame a no brainer.

1994- Baltimore Orioles shortstop and third baseman Cal Ripken Jr. plays in his 2,000th consecutive game in a 1-0 win over the Minnesota Twins. Ripken joined Lou Gehrig as the only players in MLB history to play in 2,000 consecutive games, and to this day are the only two players on the list. Ripken Jr., who played his entire 21-year career with Baltimore, sits at the top of the list with 2,632 consecutive games played, while Gehrig made an appearance in 2,130 consecutive games.

1. Stephen Curry

2. Ray Allen

3. James Harden

4. Reggie Miller

5. Kyle Korver