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: 9-2

Over/Under Predictions: 8-3

Run Line Predictions: 6-5

3-star Predictions: 1-0

💪 Chase Young ready to roll for 2023 season. Washington Commanders defensive end Chase Young has had his fair share of injuries since entering the NFL in 2020, but the former Ohio State Buckeye says the he is 100% healthy as the regular season approaches. “Just overall, I feel a a lot stronger,” Young told Kay Adams. “I feel sturdy. I’m ready to go.” The 24-year-old and former second overall pick has only played in 12 games over the last two seasons and had his fifth-year option declined by Washington earlier in the offseason, but a fully healthy Chase Young can easily cause problems for offensive lines around the NFL.

❌ Titans waive Jamarco Jones after he was ejected from practice. Tennessee Titans offensive lineman Jamarco Jones was waived by the team on Thursday following his ejection from practice. Jones’ ejection on Thursday resulted from a blind-side block on linebacker Chance Campbell, which did not sit well with the Titans players and coaching staff. It was his second ejection in as many days after being kicked out of practice on Wednesday, and now Jones will be on the hunt for a new employer before the season begins.

🐻 Chicago signs Yannick Ngakoue to one-year deal. The Chicago Bears and free agent pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue have reportedly come to terms on a one-year, $10.5 million deal, per Adam Schefter. The signing is a rather large one for Chicago, a team that recorded a league-low 20 sacks during the 2022-23 season. Ngakoue, who has recorded at least eight sacks in all seven of his NFL seasons, will join a Bears defense that has also added Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards this offseason, suddenly making Chicago a threat on the defensive side of the football.

There are 14 MLB games scheduled to take place throughout this afternoon and evening, and our model has predictions for all 14 matchups. You can see all of today’s predictions below.

Chicago White Sox @ Cleveland Guardians

Model Predicts- Guardians ML, Under 8.5, White Sox +1.5

The Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians are scheduled to begin a three-game series on Friday night in Cleveland.

Chicago enters this matchup with a 43-67 record, good enough for fourth place in the AL Central division. Cleveland isn’t much better at 53-56, but the Guardians are second in the AL Central and just 2.5 games back of first place.

11.5 games separate Chicago and Cleveland in the standings, but our model is predicting a tightly contested contest tonight. Will we see that take place, or will one of these teams jump out ahead against their division rival?

Chicago White Sox

Not much has gone Chicago’s way during the 2023 season. Not only are the White Sox 24 games below .500, they have also lost eight of their last ten games, which includes four consecutive losses.

The nonexistent hitting attack is what has sent Chicago into a free fall in the standings as of late. In the last four games alone the White Sox own a -19 run differential, with Chicago being held to one run or less in three of those four contests.

However, for some reason the Guardians can’t seem to keep Chicago’s bats cold when facing their division rival, one of the reason’s why our model is predicting a closer matchup than many sportsbooks.

The White Sox own a 6-4 record in their season series with Cleveland, most recently splitting a four-game series down the middle at two games apiece. In those ten matchups we’ve seen Chicago post a stellar +13 run differential, while averaging 3.9 runs per game. For some perspective, the White Sox own a -97 run differential for the 2023 season, further establishing that Cleveland is a team the White Sox are comfortable with.

Cleveland Guardians

Rookie pitcher Logan Allen (4-4 record, 3.70 ERA) will get the start this evening for Cleveland, a guy that Chicago has handled well this season.

Allen has been on the mound against the White Sox on three separate occasions this season, posting a 4.71 ERA across 17.2 innings. That is more than one full run above his season ERA listed above, and it is right in line with his xERA in 2023 (4.58).

Additionally, the 24-year-old owns a 1.57 WHIP against the White Sox this season, well above his 1.37 season WHIP. He got hit around early and often in his most recent start against Chicago just last week, allowing eight hits, three walks, two home runs, and five earned runs in 6.0 innings of work.

Clearly, Logan Allen is vulnerable on the mound against this White Sox team, which may come as a surprise given Chicago’s general struggles at the plate.

Allen’s low fastball velocity and high fastball frequency may be to blame. Per Baseball Savant, the southpaw throws his four-seam fast ball on 46.3% of his pitches despite the pitch coming in at just 91 mph and carrying a .279 xBA (expected batting average). That same fastball carries a 13.5% barrel rate as well, showing that the pitch is easy to size up.

What’s the Play?

Normally we choose to stick with the money line or over predictions for our 3-star plays, but today we agree with our model that the White Sox can surpass their team total of 3.5 runs.

Chicago’s bats are as cold as ice at the moment, but Allen and the Guardians have been a catalyst for getting the White Sox going at the plate. Chicago has scored an average of four runs per game against Cleveland this season when Allen starts on the mound, highlighted by a seven run performance back on July 29th.

It’s a bit of an unorthodox prediction, but our model has identified some value on the play with its current odds of -110.

3-star play: Chicago White Sox over 3.5 runs (-110)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Atlanta Braves- 69-37 overall this season, 32-17 as the away team

• Arizona Diamondbacks- 57-53 overall this season, 17-16 as a road underdog

• Seattle Mariners- 57-52 overall this season, 16-11 against division opponents (Play AL West rival Los Angeles Angels tonight)

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Cincinnati Reds- Over is 59-52 overall this season, 27-27 as the home team

• Cleveland Guardians- Under is 61-45-3 this season, 33-18-1 as the home team

• Milwaukee Brewers- Under is 59-47-4 this season, 20-13 against division opponents (Play NL Central rival Pittsburgh tonight)

Run Line Trends ➕➖

• Boston Red Sox- Run line is 57-51 overall this season, 27-26 as the home team

• Washington Nationals- Run line is 60-49 overall this season, 35-18 as the away team

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

🤕 Tampa Bay places McClanahan on injured list. The Tampa Bay Rays have placed starting pitcher Shane McClanahan on the 15-day IL. The 26-year-old left-hander was forced to leave his start against the New York Yankees on Wednesday after experiencing tightness in his left forearm, but the team is still waiting for an official diagnosis. McClanahan has been Tampa Bay’s ace this season, posting an 11-2 record and 3.29 ERA, but has struggled on the mound since returning from a back injury on July 17th and has seen his ERA spike to 7.11 in that time.

🥇 Milwaukee reclaims lead in NL Central. A dog fight has been going on at the top of the NL Central for the last several weeks, with the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers going back and forth for the top spot. However, Milwaukee reclaimed first place yesterday with a 14-1 blowout victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, giving the Brewers a small 0.5-game lead. The Chicago Cubs, who are 56-53 and have won eight of the last ten games, also sit just 2.5 games back of first place in the division, setting up an exciting race in the final two months of the season.

🤕 Twins put Joe Ryan on IL with groin strain. Minnesota Twins pitcher Joe Ryan was placed on the injured list on Thursday after being diagnosed with a left groin strain. The move comes after Ryan has gotten crushed across his last seven starts, posting a 1-4 record, 8.63 ERA, and 1.79 WHIP. To fill the void, Minnesota called up 2015 AL Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel from Triple-A, who posted a stellar 1.13 ERA in six starts in the minors.

🏀 Two NBA preseason games set to take place in Canada. The NBA already has a presence in Canada with the Raptors, but the league is taking its talents to two different cities during the preseason in what will be the NBA’s ninth Canada Series. The Toronto Raptors and Sacramento Kings are scheduled to face off in Vancouver on October 8th, and the Oklahoma City Thunder and Detroit Pistons will play one another in Montreal on October 12th. 15 NBA teams have participated in the Canada Series since its creation, and it appears more will join that list in the future as the NBA continues to expand its audience worldwide.

⛳️ Russell Henley leading the pack at the Wyndham Championship. American golfer Russell Henley got off to a hot start at the Wyndham Championship on Thursday, shooting 8-under par through the first 18 holes. Henley’s round was highlighted by three birdies on both the front and back nine, but his best hole came at the 15th when he recorded an eagle to take the solo lead. Henley entered the tournament as the No.34 ranked golfer in the world, but is followed closely by Adam Svensson (-7), Byeong-Hun An (-7), and Andrew Novak (-6).

🐧 Kyle Dubas named general manager of Penguins. The Pittsburgh Penguins hired former Toronto Maple Leafs executive Kyle Dubas to be the team’s new President of Hockey Operations earlier in the offseason, but it appears that the 37-year-old will now assume the title of General Manager as well. Dubas was hired following the exit of Brian Burke and Ron Hextall in the offseason, both of whom were canned after the Penguins missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2005-2006 season. Dubas has already made a handful of moves since assuming the throne, which includes re-signing Tristan Jarry and acquiring Reilly Smith from the Vegas Golden Knights.

Today’s trivia requires you to dig into your NFL memory bank.

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

Question #1- Jerry Rice was mostly known for his time as a San Francisco 49er, but the Hall of Fame receiver was a member of three additional franchises during his career. What was the last team that Rice played a game for in his career?

Question #2- Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has been one of the most consistent coaches since entering the league. How many consecutive winning seasons has Tomlin posted since assuming the lead role in Pittsburgh?

Question #3- Kickers are often placed in extremely high-pressure situations on the field, but one kicker has been able to combat that pressure more than anyone else. Which kicker owns the highest field goal percentage in NFL history?

Anyone know what has happened on August 4th throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On August 4th…

1982- MLB player Joel Youngblood becomes the first player in league history to record a hit for two different teams in two different cities on the same day. Youngblood began the day as a centerfielder for the New York Mets in a game against the Chicago Cubs, driving in two runs on a single in the bottom of the third inning. He would be pulled from the game the following inning and was informed that he had been traded to the Montreal Expos, who requested he that suit up later that night in their matchup against the Phillies. So, Youngblood fulfilled the request, later recording a single off Hall of Fame pitcher Steve Carlton.

1984- American sprinter and long jumper Carl Lewis wins the 100 meter dash at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California. The victory was the first Olympic gold medal of Lewis’ career, one that would see the star sprinter win nine Olympic golds from 1984-1996. Lewis won four gold medals at the 1984 Olympics alone, taking the victory in the 200 meter dash, long jump, and 4 × 100 meter relay in addition to the 100 meter dash.

2007- Alex Rodriguez becomes the youngest player in MLB history to reach the 500 home run milestone in a 16-8 win over the Kansas City Royals. Rodriguez reached the milestone at just 32 years old as a member of the New York Yankees, hitting the home run on the first pitch that he saw in the game. He would end his career with 696 home runs, which places him fifth on the MLB’s all-time list.

1. Seattle Seahawks

2. 16

3. Justin Tucker