In today’s SportSense Entertainment Newsletter…

There were plenty of predictions to go around yesterday across the NFL and MLB, with our model focusing in on two of those predictions in our Featured Matchup. Those predictions went 2-0 overall, and you can see how each of the models performed below.

Money Line Predictions: 1-0

Over/Under Predictions: 1-0

Spread Predictions: 1-0

Featured Matchup: 1-0

Money Line Predictions: 7-1

Over/Under Predictions: 5-1-2

Run Line Predictions: 4-4

Featured Matchup: 1-0

🤕 Bryce Young likely out for Week 3. The Carolina Panthers are likely to be without quarterback Bryce Young for their upcoming game against the Seattle Seahawks due to an ankle injury. Veteran Andy Dalton has taken all the first-team snaps in Young's absence, and expressed his enthusiasm for being in a starting role again. Despite the Panthers' 0-2 record and Young's struggles, offensive coordinator Thomas Brown hasn't discussed the possibility of giving the rookie quarterback a break, but hopes Dalton can bring efficiency and leadership to improve the team's performance in a crucial game against the Seahawks.

👎Trevon Diggs suffers torn ACL. Dallas Cowboys star cornerback Trevon Diggs has suffered a season-ending ACL tear in his left knee, which occurred during Thursday's practice. This is a significant blow to the Cowboys' top-ranked defense, which had excelled in yards allowed and points per game through the first two weeks of the season. Diggs, who had recently signed a lucrative contract extension, had been a standout performer, with 18 interceptions since entering the NFL in 2020, tied for the most in the league.

💪 49ers dominate Giants on TNF. The San Francisco 49ers secured their 13th consecutive regular season victory with a 30-12 win over the New York Giants, relying on a combination of Christian McCaffrey's touchdown streak and key passes to playmakers like Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. The Giants heavily blitzed quarterback Brock Purdy, who capitalized on these plays with 247 of his 310 passing yards and two touchdowns, aiding the Niners' 3-0 start for the second time in 25 seasons. The Giants, hampered by injuries and offensive struggles, couldn't mount a successful comeback this time around, even after doing so against Arizona on Sunday.

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

Seattle Mariners @ Texas Rangers

Model Predicts- Mariners ML, UNDER 9, Rangers +1.5

The Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers will square off in a massive AL West matchup on Friday night.

Seattle and Texas both enter tonight’s game at 84-68 and just 0.5-games back of first place in their division. Both teams are also tied for the final wild card spot in the American League, making this game even more important.

The Mariners and Rangers each have ten games remaining in the regular season, with seven of those matchups coming against one another. The next week and a half will essentially decide which team makes the postseason, and our model thinks Seattle will get things started tonight with a win. Let’s dive into why that is and see our model’s best bet for this matchup.

Seattle Mariners

• Sluggish offense in September

  • Rank 19th in wRC+ (98), 21st in BABIP (.288), and 22nd in OPS since September 1st (FanGraphs)

  • Struggling to see the ball- 25.4% Strikeout rate and 7.2% Walk rate this month

• However, offense has improved over last three games

  • 3-0 in that time, albeit against the Athletics

  • wRC+ has risen to 126, OPS to .813, and Strikeout rate has fallen to 18.7%

  • 6.0 runs per game during win streak

• Bryce Miller (8-5 record, 3.88 ERA) will get start on mound

  • 2.98 ERA and 2.55 FIP dating back to August 6th

  • Surrendering 0.21 home runs per nine innings in that time

  • Vulnerable to hard contact (41.1% Hard Hit rate), but keeps balls in the ballpark and limits walks (4.8% walk rate)

Texas Rangers

• Went into massive slump in August, but have turned things around

  • 8-4 overall since September 9th

  • Rank 1st in wRC+ (128), 7th in BABIP (.314), and 1st in OPS (.840) since that date

  • 12.5% walk rate- 1st in MLB as well

• • 2-4 overall

  • wRC+ has fallen to 99 and OPS to .734

  • Having trouble seeing baseball- 28.4% Strikeout rate over that six game span

  • -7 run differential in those games, even after scoring 15 runs against Boston in last game

• Dane Dunning (10-6 record, 3.78 ERA) will get start on mound

  • 5.12 ERA since All-Star break. Was 2.84 prior to the break

  • .333 BABIP and 47.1% ground ball rate in that time

  • Vulnerable to home runs- 1.80 home runs per nine inning since All-Star break. Has risen to 2.24 over last four starts

What’s the Play?

In reality, this AL West battle could go either way with so much on the line. However, we agree with our model that Seattle can pull out the win in Game 1.

The Mariners had an easy last three games against the Athletics, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that this offense is trending in the right direction at the right time. Meanwhile, Texas’ offense has started to struggle at the plate, and striking out in nearly 30% of their at-bats over the last six games is a huge concern.

Dunning’s inability to keep baseball’s in the ballpark will be his downfall, while keeping balls in the park is Bryce Miller’s strength. We’ll back the Mariners to win this game outright.

The Play: Mariners ML (-105)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Baltimore Orioles- 95-58 overall this season, 50-28 as the away team

• Seattle Mariners- 84-68 overall this season, 3-0 in last three games

• San Diego Padres- 75-78 overall this season, 7-0 in last seven games

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Baltimore Orioles- Over is 78-64-11 this season, 44-29-5 as the away team

• Boston Red Sox- Over is 80-69-4 this season, 38-36-2 as the home team

• San Diego Padres- Under is 78-66-9 this season, 43-30-3 as the home team

Run Line Trends ➕➖

• St. Louis Cardinals- Run line is 44-29 as an underdog this season

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

🙌 Vlad Jr. avoids major knee injury. Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. received positive news on Thursday, as an MRI on his right knee revealed inflammation but no structural damage. Consequently, he was absent from the starting lineup for two consecutive games, with his status being day-to-day. Guerrero expressed relief about the results and emphasized the importance of prioritizing his recovery to avoid risking the remainder of the season or playoff opportunities, despite his desire to contribute to the team's success.

⚾️Alek Manoah’s season comes to an end. Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah's 2023 season has concluded, as it's been revealed that he received multiple arm injections. His absence from the field since his demotion in mid-August has led to speculation about the situation between him and the team, a situation that remains unclear as the offseason approaches. This development has financial implications for Manoah, as it jeopardizes his "Super Two" status and may result in earning the MLB minimum salary in 2024.

☎️Rays call up top prospect. The Tampa Bay Rays are promoting their top infield prospect, Junior Caminero, to bolster their roster for the upcoming crucial stretch of games in one of their franchise's best seasons. Caminero, who recently turned 20, has has a remarkable season, hitting .324/.384/.591 with 31 home runs and 94 RBIs in 117 games. Despite not being in the big leagues by September 1st, Caminero is eligible for the Rays' postseason roster due to his existing affiliation with the organization, and his arrival brings added power to a Rays lineup that has seen its scoring slow down in the second half of the season.

💪 Harbaugh returns to sidelines for Michigan. Michigan is currently 3-0 following a relatively undemanding non-conference schedule, but the victories didn't live up to earlier expectations. However, head coach Jim Harbaugh will return to the sidelines this weekend for a Big 10 showdown against Rutgers, which many believe will provide an additional spark for the Wolverines. Harbaugh had missed the first three weeks of the season due a self-imposed suspension following an NCAA investigation into recruiting violations.

⁉️Could Dwight Howard potentially join the Warriors? After playing one season in Taiwan, it appears that Dwight Howard is ready for an NBA return. According to reports by Jason Dumas of KRON4 News, Howard has completed a two-day interview with Golden State, and a decision is expected soon regarding whether the Warriors will add the three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year to one of their two available roster spots. The Warriors, who emphasize small-ball lineups, still need to bolster their roster with size, and the 37-year-old Howard could offer both size and veteran experience off the bench if signed.

🏀 Duke lands another top prospect. The recruitment battle for Wisconsin's top-rated prospect has come to a close, as Kon Knueppel, a 2024 five-star forward ranked 15th in the 247Sports Composite, announced his commitment to the Duke Blue Devils. Despite having made official visits to Wisconsin, Alabama, Virginia, Marquette, and Duke, Knueppel ultimately chose Duke over his in-state option, the Wisconsin Badgers. Knueppel now joins a 2024 Duke recruiting class that includes five-star forward Isaiah Evans and four-star forward Darren Harris.

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- Which NBA player won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in the 1999-2000 season and also led his team to an NBA championship that year?

Question #2- Who holds the record for the longest field goal in NFL history, and how long was the kick?

Question #3- Clayton Kershaw is the youngest pitcher in MLB history to be name a Cy Young award winner. How old was he when he won his first Cy Young?

Anyone know what has happened on September 22nd throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On September 22nd…

1954- Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Karl Spooner make his MLB debut against the Giants. Spooner would take the league by storm following the matchup, a game in which he recorded 15 strikeouts. However, Spooner’s career would last just two seasons, a span in which he went 10-6, posted a 3.09 ERA, and won a World Series.

1969- San Francisco Giants legend Willie Mays becomes the second player in MLB history to hit 600 home runs. The milestone homer came when Mays was a pinch hitter, coming into the game for George Foster in the seventh inning. Mays would join Babe Ruth as the only players to reach the 600 home run mark at the time, and he would end his career with 660.

1991- Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula records his 300th career NFL victory. The milestone came in a 16-13 win over the Green Bay Packers, a game Miami was losing 13-6 entering the fourth quarter. Shula would end his career with 328 wins, the most in NFL history.

1. Shaquille O’Neal

2. Justin Tucker (66 yards)

3. 23