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: 7-6

Over/Under Predictions: 6-7

Run Line Predictions: 7-6

3-star Predictions: 1-0

🏴‍☠️ Baker Mayfield announced as QB 1 in Tampa Bay. Baker Mayfield has been declared the starting quarterback for the 2023 season by Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles, taking over the position from Tom Brady. Mayfield, who was the top pick in the 2018 draft and has played for the Browns, Rams, and Panthers, won the starting spot over Kyle Trask, the 2021 second-round draft pick. Mayfield's experience and understanding of the playbook contributed to his selection as the starter, and Trask will serve as the backup to begin the 2023 season.

🤕 Jaxon Smith-Njigba to have surgery on wrist. Seattle Seahawks' rookie wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is set to undergo wrist surgery to mend a broken bone, but may still be available for the regular season's start, sources informed ESPN's Adam Schefter. The duration of Smith-Njigba's absence will depend on the outcome of the procedure, which took place yesterday in Philadelphia, as reported by Schefter. Smith-Njigba sustained the injury during a preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys, having made a remarkable catch near the goal line, and was chosen 20th overall by the Seahawks in this year's NFL draft.

👍 Terry McLaurin avoids significant injury, should be ready for Week 1. Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin underwent an MRI on for a toe injury suffered on his right foot due to a collision with Ravens linebacker Kristian Welch on Monday night. The MRI revealed no significant damage, according to an anonymous source familiar with the test results, and X-rays conducted the previous night also showed no issues. As a result, the Commanders are optimistic about McLaurin's availability for the season opener against Arizona on September 10.

There are 15 MLB games scheduled to take place throughout this afternoon and evening. However, due to lines being unavailable at the time of writing, our model has predictions for 13 of today’s matchups.

Washington Nationals @ New York Yankees

Model Predicts- Nationals ML, OVER 9, Nationals +1.5

The Washington Nationals and New York Yankees will face off in Game 2 of a three-game series on Wednesday night in the Bronx.

Washington managed to secure the victory as an underdog in Game 1, narrowly escaping in a 2-1 victory. The win was the eighth in the last ten games for Washington, and it marked the ninth straight loss for New York.

Our model liked the Nationals to secure the victory last night by a small margin, and it makes them heavier favorites in tonight’s matchup. Let’s dive into why that is and see where our model thinks the value lies in this matchup.

Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals are a stellar 22-14 since the All-Star break and 13-6 since August 1st, making them one of the hottest teams in baseball despite still sitting in fifth in the NL East.

Last night’s two-run performance may not be the best indication of how well this team has been playing, but several metrics show that Washington was right on the cusp of doing much more damage.

For example, Washington was lighting up Carlos Rodón in the early stages of last night’s game, tagging the southpaw for six hits. Rodón threw 68 pitches across six innings, generating just three swings and misses and surrendering a 92.8 mph average exit velocity, per Baseball Savant. Additionally, 19 Nationals hitters put the ball in the play against Rodón, with 11 posting an xBA greater than .300.

Those kind of of numbers are starting to become to norm for the Nationals offense, one that ranks in the top-half of the MLB in wRC+, OPS, and strikeout rate since August 1st.

MacKenzie Gore (6-9 record, 4.38 ERA) will get the start for Washington tonight. Gore has been all over the place this season, but momentum may be on his side following a 6.1 innings, one hit, and zero performance his last time out. The 24-year-old also ranks in the top 30% of the majors in strikeout rate, whiff rate, and fastball velocity, showing that he has some great stuff despite being hit around here and there.

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees have now lost nine consecutive games after last night’s 2-1 defeat, the first time the team has had this long of a drought since 1982.

The Yanks are averaging just 2.33 runs per game across that nine game span, perhaps the biggest reason why this team hasn’t found the win column since August 12th. New York’s high strikeout rate (27.2%) has made life rather easy for opposing pitchers, and even if the Yankees make contact, negligible damage is being done, as evidenced by team’s .222 BABIP and 57 wRC+ during the losing skid.

This pitching staff has been no better, posting a 5.56 ERA and 4.67 xFIP since the losing streak began, and things are not in a position to get better with Luis Severino (2-8 record, 7.98 ERA) set to start tonight’s game.

Severino hasn’t done much right this season, but things have been horrible for the right-hander since July 1st. He owns an 11.25 ERA since that date, surrendering four or more earned runs in five of eight starts. The plethora of poor starts have come because of Severino’s inability to strike batters out, with his K% falling 9.3% from 2022 while his walk rate is up 1.6%.

What’s the Play?

Luis Severino has proven time and time again that he shouldn’t be on the mound, yet the Yankees keep trotting him out there. As a result, we agree with our model that Washington can pick up another win at Yankee stadium tonight.

Severino is pitching to contact, a tough spot to be in when you rank in the bottom 8% of the majors in Hard Hit rate (46.2%), xBA (.296), and Barrel rate (11.4%). That has made Severino vulnerable to allowing runs in bunches, and his 12 home runs allowed in the last seven starts further indicates that opposing hitters are having no problems against him.

Washington is on a roll at the plate, and we think Gore can carry the momentum he generated in his last outing int to today against what has been the worst offense in baseball this month. Our model thinks the Nationals should be -110 favorites today, so we’ll take them at +120.

The Play: Nationals ML (+120)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Cincinnati Reds- 65-61 overall this season, 28-25 as a road underdog

• Washington Nationals- 58-68 overall this season, 8-2 in last ten games

• Toronto Blue Jays- 70-56 overall this season, 38-29 as the road team

Over/Under Trends ⬇️⬆️

• Philadelphia Phillies- Under is 62-53-11 this season, 29-24-7 as the home team

• Tampa Bay Rays- Over is 67-56-4 this season, 38-24-1 as the home team

• Cleveland Guardians- Under is 73-50-3 this season, 43-20-1 as the home team

Run Line Trends ➕➖

• Seattle Mariners- Run line is 66-60 overall this season, 4-1 in last five games as road favorite

• Cincinnati Reds- Run line is 79-47 overall this season, 37-16 as a road underdog

Various injuries around the league. Full injury report at MLB.com.

👋 White Sox fire Vice President and GM. The Chicago White Sox have made immediate changes to their baseball operations leadership, firing executive vice president Ken Williams and general manager Rick Hahn, as confirmed by a team statement. Owner Jerry Reinsdorf highlighted the organization's disappointment in their performance, leading to the decision for new leadership in the baseball department. Despite a decade of rebuilding efforts, including playoff appearances, the White Sox struggled to find success, with their recent record being 49-76, prompting a search for a new leader to oversee baseball operations.

😬 Yankees lose ninth straight game, worst losing streak since 1982. The New York Yankees endured their longest losing streak in 41 years as they suffered a 2-1 defeat against the Washington Nationals. Tommy Kahnle's eighth-inning pitch was capitalized on by CJ Abrams, hitting a decisive home run, marking the Yankees' ninth consecutive loss. This streak, not seen since 1982, has seen the Yankees outscored 53-21, and they haven't held a lead since August 14th. Despite the challenging situation, Yankees manager Aaron Boone expressed determination to overcome this tough phase, acknowledging the difficulty of repeated losses in a demanding season.

⚾️ MLB places Wander Franco on administrative leave. Tampa Bay Rays' shortstop Wander Franco has been placed on administrative leave by MLB due to ongoing investigations into his alleged involvement with underage girls in the Dominican Republic. The 22-year-old player has been absent from the team's roster and is under scrutiny by both Dominican police and MLB's investigations unit. Although no charges have been filed, the administrative leave is a standard procedure used during investigations into potential violations of the league's domestic violence policy, with Franco expected to remain on leave beyond the initial seven-day period.

😬 James Harden fined $100K by NBA. Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden has been fined $100,000 by the league for his comments indicating that he wouldn't fulfill his player contract obligations unless he was traded to another team. Harden made these remarks about Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey during an event in China, calling Morey a "liar” and saying that he would never play for him again. The NBA's investigation confirmed that Harden's comments reflected his belief that the 76ers wouldn't honor his request for a trade, making an already messy situation even messier in Philadelphia.

⚡️ Brandon Hagel signs extension with Lightning. The Tampa Bay Lightning have agreed to an eight-year contract extension worth $52 million with forward Brandon Hagel, as confirmed by Vice President and General Manager Julien BriseBois. Starting from the 2024-25 season, the contract will carry an annual cap hit of $6.5 million. Hagel, who achieved a career-high 64 points in 81 games last season, has become a key player for the Lightning after being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in a trade involving two first-round draft picks at the 2022 trade deadline.

🦫 Former Clemson quarterback named starter at Oregon State. DJ Uiagalelei, formerly of Clemson, has been chosen as the starting quarterback for Oregon State's 2023 season opener, according to a source confirming to ESPN. Uiagalelei had been in competition with Ben Gulbranson and Aidan Chiles, with the latter being a true freshman. Uiagalelei’s transfer came after being benched for freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik in last season’s ACC Championship games, but it appears that the 22-year-old is off to a good start in his new home.

Today’s trivia requires you to dig into your college basketball memory bank. We’ve provided you with the logo of a university and the season in which one of that university’s players won the National Player of the Year Award. It is up tp you to guess who each player is.

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

Anyone know what has happened on August 23rd throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On August 23rd…

1923- Paavo Nurmi, a distance runner from Finland, sets a new world record in the mile run, completing the event in 4 minutes and 10 seconds. Nurmi’s world record would be just one of the 22 he would go on to set in his career, with his world record mile lasting until 1931. His time is often beaten by high schoolers nowadays, and today’s mile world record comes in at 3 minutes and 43 seconds.

1936- Cleveland Indians pitcher and future Hall of Famer Bob Feller makes his major league debut. Feller, who was just 17-years-old at the time, would record 15 strikeouts in a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Browns, the start of what was a dominant career on the mound. Feller would win 266 games in his career, posting a 3.25 ERA and striking out 2,581 batters prior to his retirement in 1956.

1947- The first Little League World Series is held in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Little League baseball was only established in Pennsylvania and New Jersey at the time, with two teams from Pennsylvania, the Maynard Midgets and Lock Haven All-Stars, facing off in the World Series final. The Midgets would win the game 16-7, starting a tradition that is now celebrated by countries all over the world every summer.

2013-2014: Doug McDermott

2014-2015: Frank Kaminsky

2015-2016: Buddy Hield

2016-2017: Frank Mason III

2017-2018: Jalen Brunson