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: 9-5

Over/Under Predictions: 8-4-2

Run Line Predictions: 6-8

3-star Predictions: 1-0

💰 Chicago Bulls re-sign Ayo Dosunmu to three-year deal. The Chicago Bulls and guard Ayo Dosunmu have reportedly agreed to a three-year, $21 million contract, per Adrian Wojnarowski. Dosunmu, a Chicago native and former star at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has averaged 8.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game in his first two NBA seasons. Dosunmu now joins Nikola Vucevic and Coby White as players that the Bulls have resigned prior to the 2023-24 season, with Chicago also adding defensive-minded players Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig this offseason.

🌍 Kemba Walker takes his basketball career across the pond. Four-time All-Star Kemba Walker has officially signed a contract with A.S. Monaco of the EuroLeague and top French league, per the team’s Twitter account. Walker, who is most known for his time with the Charlotte Hornets, spent part of the 2022-23 season with the Dallas Mavericks, but was waived in January after just nine appearances. Knee injuries have plagued Walker since leaving Charlotte following the 2019 season, forcing the 33-year-old out of the NBA for the time being.

✍️ Bryce Young signs rookie deal with Panthers. The Carolina Panthers selected former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young with the No.1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and now the team has officially signed the Crimson Tide product to a rookie deal. According to Adam Schefter, Young’s deal is for four-years and $37.9 million, with every penny being guaranteed, and includes a $24.6 million dollar signing bonus. The 21-year-old and 2021 Heisman Trophy winner threw for 79 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions in two years as Alabama’s starter, and is now tasked with taking a Panthers team that has not posted a winning record since 2017 back to the top of the NFC South.

💰 Melvin Gordon joins Ravens backfield on one-year deal. In a time where running backs are struggling to find high paydays, Melvin Gordon managed to get himself a one-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens, a contract that is worth up to $3.1 million. Gordon began the 2022-23 season as a member of the Denver Broncos, but was released in November after a costly fumble against the Las Vegas Raiders. However, Gordon would land on his feet in Kansas City, joining the Chiefs practice squad for the remainder of the season. The two-time Pro Bowl selection will join a crowded backfield that includes J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, and rookie Keaton Mitchell, likely making carries hard to come by for the 30-year-old.

🗽 New York Giants sign James Robinson, Cole Beasley. The New York Giants made two veteran additions to the roster on Friday, signing wide receiver Cole Beasley and running back James Robinson. Beasley, who played with the Bills and Buccaneers in 2022, has been signed to a one-year deal after announcing his retirement from football early on during the 2022 season. Robinson, who most recently played for the New York Jets, will provide some insurance for a Giants backfield that may be without Saquon Barkley, who has considered holding out after failing to come terms on an extension.

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

Los Angeles Dodgers @ Texas Rangers

Model Predicts- Dodgers ML, OVER 9, Rangers +1.5

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers will square off in the second game of a three-game series on Saturday afternoon at Globe Life Field.

The Dodgers got the best of the Rangers in Game 1, winning 11-5 for the team’s eighth victory in the last ten games. Los Angeles now owns a 56-40 record this season, good enough for a three-game lead in the NL West.

Texas is in a similar position despite last night’s loss. The Rangers have won six of their last seven, and were in control of last night’s game until the seventh inning.

The Rangers’ bullpen has been responsible for plenty of collapses in recent weeks, and our model is leaning towards the Dodgers in this one as a result. Will we see that prediction come to fruition, or will the Rangers find their way back into the win column?

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers have played some incredible baseball in the month of July, and it can thank the offense for much of the team’s success.

FanGraphs has the Dodgers listed with a 125 wRC+ since July 1st, the second best mark in the majors behind the Cardinals. Surprisingly though, L.A’s BABIP (batting average on balls in play) comes in at just .289, showing that the Dodgers have actually been unlucky in some instances despite winning plenty of ball games.

Los Angeles has combatted some of its bad luck with great plate discipline, as evidenced by the team’s 11.3% walk rate this month. That is the best walk rate in the MLB since July 1st, a sign that the Dodgers have all the tools necessary to get its players on base.

However, the Dodgers’ pitching staff hasn’t made all that much noise in July, posting a 4.09 ERA and 4.53 xFIP. Bobby Miler (5-1 record, 4.25 ERA) will be in charge of providing some stability on the mound this afternoon.

Miller has been great since making his MLB debut on May 23rd. The 24-year-old owns a 4.25 ERA against a 3.75 xERA, per Baseball Savant, showing that more improvement is likely on the horizon. However, he ranks in the bottom 50% of the majors in Hard Hit rate (40.1%), average exit velocity allowed (89.1 mph), and Barrel rate (8.0%), all of which could pose problems against an elite Rangers offense.

Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers’ bullpen once again blew a lead, something that has happened far too often this season despite Texas’ stellar 58-40 record.

FanGraphs lists the Rangers’ bullpen with a 5.68 ERA in July, the sixth worst mark in the majors. Only three of the 11 relievers to have made an appearance this month own an xFIP below 4.00, furthering proving that the group is rather unreliable in the last stages of many games.

To make matters worse, the bullpen may be relied on for a bulk of the innings in today’s matchup, as Dane Dunning (8-2 record, 2.82 ERA) will get the start.

Dunning’s surface-level numbers are excellent, but owning a 2.82 ERA against a 4.71 xERA shows that regression is on its way. The right-hander also ranks in the bottom 7% of the majors in Whiff and strikeout rate (15.8%), meaning he is rarely fooling opposing hitters and pitching to contact.

Luckily for Dunning, he has an offense that ranks fourth in wRC+ (123) and seventh in BABIP (.312) in July, which should help combat any damage that is done against the 28-year-old today.

What’s the Play?

A high-scoring game is always in the cards when two of the best offenses in the MLB go head-to-head. As a result, we agree with our model that the over is a good play in this matchup.

Dunning has had regression looming for a long time now. His 4.71 xERA this season is the second-highest of his career, and we believe there is a good chance that we start to see regression this afternoon against a Dodgers team that owns a 129 wRC+ against righties this month. The ailing bullpen doesn’t help the Rangers in this spot either.

Bobby Miller is due for some improvement in his surface-level numbers, but Texas is just as good against righties this month as Los Angeles, posting a 130 wRC+. He has also allowed three or more earned runs in each of his last five starts, posting a 7.50 ERA in that time.

Last night’s matchup saw 16 total runs. We don’t think we’ll see that many again today, but we’ll still take a swing at the over in this matchup, which our model gives 52.55% chance of hitting at nine runs.

3-star play: Over 9 (-120)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Los Angeles Dodgers- 56-40 overall this season, 8-2 in last ten games

• Tampa Bay Rays- 61-40 overall this season, 36-16 as the home team

• Minnesota Twins- 51-48 overall this season, 19-12 against division opponents (Play AL Central rival Chicago White Sox tonight)

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Colorado Rockies- Under is 57-40 this season, 31-17 as the away team

• Los Angeles Dodgers- Over is 55-36-5 this season, 31-17-3 as the away team

• Texas Rangers- Over is 50-40-8 this season, 29-17-6 as the home team

Run Line Trends ➕➖

• Texas Rangers- Run line is 58-40 overall this season, 8-2 as a home underdog

• Baltimore Orioles- Run line is 57-40 overall this season, 23-8 as a road underdog

• Houston Astros- Run line is 7-1 this season as a favorite against the Oakland Athletics

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

😳 Shohei Ohtani allows four homers, Angels still pick up win. Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani’s struggles on the mound continued last night in L.A’s 8-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Despite picking up the win, Ohtani allowed five earned runs across 6.1 innings, simultaneously surrendering four home runs for the first time in his MLB career. Trade rumors have started to surround Ohtani in recent weeks, but the former MVP owns an abysmal 7.71 ERA since June 1st, making his production at the plate far more enticing to any potential team willing to trade for him.

🏜 Diamondbacks in pursuit of Lucas Giolito. Chicago White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito has been the topic of trade rumors as the August 1st trade deadline approaches, with the Arizona Diamondbacks being the latest team to be interested in the 29-year-old. According to Jon Morosi of the MLB Network, the Diamondbacks have inquired about Giolito’s availability, joining an NL West rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in the pursuit of improving their pitching staff. Giolito owns a 3.96 ERA and 122 strikeouts across 116.0 innings in 2023, making him a welcome addition to any team.

⛳️ Brian Harman takes five stroke lead into the weekend at British Open. American golfer Brian Harman has dominated the first two rounds at the British Open, taking a five stroke lead into the weekend. Harman, who is the No. 26 ranked golfer in the world, made four birdies in the first five holes on Friday, ending a bogey-free round with an eagle on hole 18. His five-shot lead is the largest at the British Open since World War II, and his 132-shot total through two rounds is the same total Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy owned when they won the Open in 2006 and 2014, respectively. Tommy Fleetwood (-5) and Sepp Straka (-4) are the closest to Harman on the leaderboard with 36 holes to play.

⚽️ Lionel Messi makes official debut with Inter Miami. Lionel Messi made his debut last night in Inter Miami’s matchup with Mexican club Cruz Azul, and the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner didn’t disappoint. Messi won the match in the 94th minute with a free kick over four Cruz Azul defenders, giving Miami a 2-1 victory. Several prominent figures, including LeBron James, Tua Tagovailoa, and even Kim Kardashian showed out to see Messi’s debut, which will hopefully be the start of a terrific career in the MLS.

🏒 Vince Dunn signs four-year deal with Kraken. The Seattle Kraken and defenseman Vince Dunn have reportedly come to terms on a four-year, $29.4 million deal, according to the Kraken Twitter account. The deal comes as Dunn, a restricted free agent, was set to have an arbitration hearing on Monday, saving both parties from any further contract disputes. The 26-year-old is coming off a fantastic 2022-23 season, collecting 14 goals and 64 points in 81 games, ranking Dunn in the top-ten for defenseman in both categories.

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- The Sacramento Kings took the NBA by storm this season, making the playoffs for the first time since 2006. The Kings haven’t always called the West Cost home though, playing in several different cities before moving to Sacramento. What was the first city that the Kings played in?

Question #2- Former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning was originally selected by the San Diego Chargers in the 2004 NFL Draft, but refused to play for the team. His refusal resulted in a trade to New York, with the Giants giving up what other quarterback for him?

Question #3- The Arizona Diamondbacks came into the MLB as an expansion team in 2001, going on to become the fastest MLB expansion team to win a World Series. How many years did it take for Arizona to win its first title?

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

On July 22nd…

1962- South African golfer Gary Player wins the PGA Championship, beating Bob Goalby by one stroke. Player found himself buried on the leaderboard following a 2-over par performance in Round 1, but he would respond nicely in Round 2, shooting 3-under to move into a tie for second. He would go on to shoot 1-under par across the final 36 holes, giving him his third of nine major victories in his career.

1993- New York Yankees first baseman Don Mattingly hits his 200th career home run in a 12-1 blowout victory over the California Angels. Mattingly reached the milestone in the seventh inning against Doug Linton, launching a three-run homer into the stands to give the Yankees an 11-run lead. The first baseman played for New York from 1982-1995, ending his career with 222 home runs and a .307 batting average, and is currently the manager of the Toronto Blue Jays.

1995- Former Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is born in Alton, Illinois. Zeke played his college football at Ohio State University before being selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, where he finished second in Buckeye history with 3,961 rushing yards. Elliott collected 8,262 rushing yards and 80 total touchdowns in his seven-year career with the Cowboys, but was released by Dallas earlier in the offseason and remains a free agent.

1. Rochester, New York

2. Philip Rivers

3. 4