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: 8-2

Over/Under Predictions: 3-6-1

Run Line Predictions: 4-6

Featured Matchup: 1-0

😬 Brian Burns misses another Panthers practice. Carolina Panthers' Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Burns missed his second consecutive practice amid ongoing contract negotiations, raising uncertainty about his participation in the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons. Coach Frank Reich referred to Burns' absence as a "personal matter" and mentioned having no influence in contract talks. Burns, who seeks a lucrative long-term deal, attended team meetings but didn't practice, creating an interesting situation just a few days before the season begins.

👟 Kyle Rudolph officially hangs up the cleats. Two-time Pro Bowl tight end Kyle Rudolph has announced his retirement from the NFL after a 12-year career, primarily with the Minnesota Vikings. He expressed his intention to retire as a Viking and be recognized by the team during their Week 3 game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Rudolph, who caught 482 passes for 4,773 yards and 50 touchdowns in 165 career NFL games, will transition to a broadcasting career, serving as a Big Ten analyst for Peacock and co-hosting a Sunday night show on Fox Sports radio in the upcoming fall.

🤕 Cooper Kupp sees specialist for hamstring injury. Los Angeles Rams' star wide receiver Cooper Kupp traveled to Minnesota on Monday to consult a specialist in an effort to address his ongoing hamstring issues. Kupp's availability for Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks remains uncertain, with McVay stating that they will have more clarity on Wednesday. While Kupp's absence has allowed for the development of other Rams' receivers, McVay emphasized the importance of Kupp returning to full performance when he's ready, considering his significant contributions in the past seasons.

There are 15 MLB games scheduled to take place throughout this 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 13 of today’s matchups.

Colorado Rockies @ Arizona Diamondbacks

Model Predicts- Diamondbacks ML, OVER 9, Rockies +1.5

The Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks will continue their three-game series on Tuesday night in the desert.

Arizona got the better of their division rival in Game 1, securing a 4-2 victory thanks to a stellar performance from Merrill Kelly on the mound. However, Arizona is just 4-6 in its last ten games, while Colorado is even worse at 2-8.

The Diamondbacks need every win they can get after moving into a tie with Cincinnati for the final wild card spot in the National League, and our model gives them a slight advantage this evening. Let’s take a look at why that is the case and where our model sees value in this matchup.

Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies once again put together a sub-par season, on track to finish below .500 for the fifth consecutive year. However, even though this team has nothing left to play for, we’ve seen the Rockies keep things close with some opponents over the last few days.

Colorado is coming off a series loss to Toronto to begin September, a series in which we saw the Rockies put up 22 runs across three games. That stretch truly highlighted that the Rockies are capable of doing damage at the plate against good teams, as evidenced by their 118 wRC+, .385 BABIP, and .863 OPS.

Normally those numbers would be good enough to win a series, but Colorado’s pitching staff posted a 9.00 ERA and 7.37 FIP in that three game stretch, splits that simply aren’t good enough to win many baseball games.

Kyle Freeland (5-14 record, 5.18 ERA) will be in charge of bringing those numbers down to an acceptable level this evening, but his struggles on the mound may make that a challenge.

Freeland made six appearances in August, posting a 6.50 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in that time. Freeland’s biggest flaw is his inability to avoid contact, which has plummeted him to the bottom 3% of the MLB in both strikeout rate (14.5%) and Whiff rate. His 5.62 xERA is also 0.44 runs higher than his season ERA (5.18) showing that more regression is on the horizon for an already struggling pitcher.

Arizona Diamondbacks

As previously mentioned, the Arizona Diamondbacks find themselves in a race for the final wild card spot in the National League, entering tonight’s matchup in playoff position but tied with Cincinnati.

Wins haven’t been easy for Arizona to come by in the second half of the season, resulting in a 19-28 record since play resumed after the All-Star break. The Diamondbacks have several things leaning in their favor today, but nothing is guaranteed with Brandon Pfaadt (1-7 record, 6.21 ERA) set to take the mound as today’s starter.

Pfaadt has shown flashes of why he is one of Arizona’s top prospects in his first season in the MLB. His 4-seam fastball tops out around 94 mph, but according to Baseball Savant he throws that pitch nearly 47% of the time, making his rather predictable on the mound.

That predictability has often made life easy for opposing hitters. Pfaadt ranks in the bottom 13% of the majors in Hard Hit rate (45.7%), Average Exit Velocity (90.6 mph), and Barrel rate (11.7%), showing that he is easily sized up. Additionally, his ground ball rate comes in at just 31.8%, further proving that his pitches are often taken for a ride.

Pfaadt’s xERA (5.04) does come in well below his season ERA (6.21), but neither number is pretty and indicates the first-year pitcher is often struggling.

What’s the Play?

Last night’s battle ended with a score of just 4-2. However, tonight’s matchup on the mound is hinting at runs being scored in bunches, so we agree with our model on the over at nine runs.

Kyle Freeland is no stranger to high-scoring games. All six of his starts in August saw a total of at least nine runs, with Colorado and its opponents combining for an average of 11.33 runs per game in that time. The over hasn’t been nearly as frequent for Pfaadt, but the Rockies are in a position to pile on the runs with him on the mound.

Additionally, Arizona and Colorado have combined for an average of 10.82 runs per game in the season series, further exemplifying the high-scoring trend between the two teams.

The Play: Over 9 (-110)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Minnesota Twins- 72-66 overall this season, 25-21 against division opponents (Play AL Central rival Cleveland today)

• Los Angeles Dodgers- 84-52 overall this season, 37-28 as the away team

• Chicago Cubs- 74-64 overall this season, 38-31 as the home team, 7-3 in last ten games

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Cleveland Guardians- Under is 79-56-3 this season, 46-23-1 as the home team

• Milwaukee Brewers- Under is 71-61-5 this season, 40-26-3 as the away team

• Los Angeles Dodgers- Over is 77-52-7 this season, 42-20-3 as the away team

Run Line Trends ➕➖

• Texas Rangers- Run line is 73-64 overall this season, 40-30 as the home team

• Colorado Rockies- Run line is 65-72 overall this season, 36-34 as a road underdog

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

🚔 Julio Urías arrested on domestic violence charges. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías was arrested on felony domestic violence charges, marking his second such arrest in the past four years. The 27-year-old, who is set to become a free agent, was arrested late Sunday and released on $50,000 bond with a court date scheduled for September 27. Major League Baseball is investigating the case, and Urías had previously received a 20-game suspension under the league's domestic violence policy in 2019, although he was not charged at the time.

⭐️ Justin Steele shines against Giants. Justin Steele delivered an exceptional performance, pitching eight dominant innings with just two hits allowed, as the Chicago Cubs defeated the San Francisco Giants 5-0. Steele, with a 16-3 record, matched the major league lead in wins, holding the Giants at bay with 12 strikeouts. The Cubs strengthened their hold on the second NL wild card spot, benefitting from Steele's outstanding outing, which was marked by precise fastballs and effective secondary pitches, and timely hitting from Seiya Suzuki and Yan Gomes.

💥 Kyle Schwarber reaches 40 home runs in second straight season. Kyle Schwarber had an impressive performance in Monday’s 9-7 over the San Diego Padres, going 2-for-3 with a solo home run, three runs scored, and three walks. This marked the second time this season that Schwarber reached base five times in a single game, and in the fifth inning he added his 40th home run of the season. He now ranks fourth in the majors in homers, achieving the 40-homer milestone for the second consecutive year following his career-high 46 homers last season.

⛳️ Ludvig Aberg wins European Masters, makes Ryder Cup squad. Former Texas Tech standout Ludvig Aberg, who turned pro less than four months ago, has been selected as one of the European captain's picks for the upcoming Ryder Cup. Aberg, a 23-year-old Swede, earned his place on the team with a two-shot victory at the European Masters in Switzerland, making him the most inexperienced Ryder Cup player in history. Captain Luke Donald praised Aberg's potential and performance, and Aberg will join other rookies in the European team's quest to regain the Ryder Cup against the United States at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome.

⚽️ Neymar provides details about his time with PSG. Brazilian forward Neymar expressed that he and former teammate Lionel Messi endured challenging times together at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), describing it as “living through hell.” Both players left PSG during the summer transfer window, with Messi joining Inter Miami CF and Neymar transferring to Saudi Pro League's Al Hilal. Despite winning domestic titles, they failed to achieve Champions League success at PSG and faced criticism from fans, a situation Neymar believes was unjust given their shared desire to make history with the club.

🔵 Duke upsets No.9 Clemson to begin season. Duke pulled off a stunning upset in their season opener against ninth-ranked Clemson, winning 28-7 in a physically dominant performance. Riley Leonard's 44-yard touchdown run was the main highlight, and Jaquez Moore's 9-yard scoring run further extended Duke's lead. Duke's strong defense repeatedly held off Clemson's attempts to score, blocking field goals and forcing fumbles near the goal line, while the Tigers struggled to find their rhythm under new offensive coordinator Garrett Riley. The victory marked Duke's first win over a top-10 opponent in 28 games, ending a streak that dated back to 1989.

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- Fenway Park is one of the more iconic ballparks in Major League Baseball, with the most interesting aspect being the wall in left field known as the “Green Monster”. How tall is the Green Monster (in feet)?

Question #2- The first Super Bowl took place in 1967. The loser of the game was the Kansas City Chiefs, but which team beat them by a score of 35-10 to be crowned the first Super Bowl Champion?

Question #3- The Olympics are a competition held every four years, an event that brings together the best athletes in the world across many sports. What are the colors of the Olympic rings?

Anyone know what has happened on September 5th throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On September 5th…

1921- Washington Senators star pitcher Walter Johnson sets a new MLB record for career strikeouts at 2,287. Johnson would continue to dominate the mound after setting the new mark, eventually reaching 3,508 strikeouts before his retirement in 1927. His record would stand for nearly 56 seasons, that is until Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan, and Gaylord Perry all surpassed Johnson in 1983.

1994- San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice catches two touchdowns and rushes for one more in a 44-14 win over the Raiders. The three touchdowns pushed Rice’s career total to 127, surpassing Jim Brown for the most in NFL history. Rice would see that number reach 208 before his retirement, 33 more than any other player in NFL history.

1995- Cal Ripken ties Lou Gehrig for the most consecutive games played at 2,130. Ripken would surpass Gehrig shortly after and blow his record out of the water, extending his streak to 2,632 games. Ripken and Gehrig still remain at the top of the list today, with Everett Scott being next in line at 1,307 consecutive games.

1. 37 feet

2. Green Bay Packers

3. Blue, Yellow, Black, Green, and Red