⚾ Red Dog Days
Cincinnati still can make the MLB postseason.
Happy Friday. It's Eric.
🎈Color the sky: Aug. 4 is National Water Balloon Day. Fill 'em up, and let 'em fly.
🎶 Sounds like: "Tequila" by Pee-wee Herman.
This newsletter is 1,105 words — a 5-minute read.
💪 QUICK HITS
🏟️ The Reds need more pitching to be serious contenders.
⚽ Jamaica is making history at the Women's World Cup.
💰 Beware of the Dolphins with a healthy Tua Tagovailoa.
🎯 Red Alert
The Cincinnati Reds weren't expected to do much this season. But entering the dog days of summer, the Reds were in first place in the NL Central. It won't be easy to finish there unless they get better pitching support.
📣 Singing the blues: These aren’t the dog days for nothing. After going 50-41 in the first half to lead the NL Central, the Reds started the second half with a 9-11 record and got kicked out of first place by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first week of August.
👀 Central intelligence: The NL Central is shaping up to be a three-way dogfight with the Brewers, Reds and Cubs down the stretch. Cincy has struggled against division opponents, going 14-22 (entering play Aug. 4). Milwaukee (23-10) and Chicago (21-14) both have winning records.
Milwaukee Brewers +115
Cincinnati Reds +190
Chicago Cubs +240
St. Louis Cardinals +9500
Pittsburgh Pirates +25000
🍿 Pitch session: The Reds pitching staff ranks third to last in the National League in ERA (4.84) and has given up 153 home runs, tied with the Rockies for most home runs allowed in the NL. The funny thing is, they have a lower ERA in the second half (4.69) than in the first half (4.87). The Red made a minor move to upgrade their bullpen at the trade deadline by adding lefty reliever Sam Moll from the A's for prospect Joe Boyle. They also could get a boost when Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo, two of their young guns, return from injury soon.
👏 Youth movement: Elly De La Cruz remains one of the most exciting players in baseball and has the makings of a generational superstar. De La Cruz is still setting franchise records, and since being called up in June, he's hitting .273 with eight homers (two leadoff), 21 RBI and 17 stolen bases. Other young Reds have contributed, including Will Benson, Spencer Steer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Matt McLain.
National League Rookie of the Year 2023
Corbin Carroll -3000
Matt McLain +2000
Elly De La Cruz +3500
✅ Climbing the ladder: The Reds have been a feel-good story this season and still can win the NL Central or get a wild card. But they haven't won a playoff series since 1995 or won a World Series since 1990. While this won’t be the year of the Reds, they are not that far away.
Atlanta Braves +135
Los Angeles Dodgers +195
Philadelphia Phillies +1200
San Francisco Giants +1600
San Diego Padres +1700
Milwaukee Brewers +1800
Arizona Diamondbacks +2100
Miami Marlins +2500
Cincinnati Reds +2600
Atlanta Braves +300
Los Angeles Dodgers +440
Tampa Bay Rays +700
Houston Astros +700
Texas Rangers +800
Baltimore Orioles +1400
Toronto Blue Jays +1600
Philadelphia Phillies +2100
Minnesota Twins +2500
San Francisco Giants +3200
San Diego Padres +3500
New York Yankees +3500
Milwaukee Brewers +4200
Arizona Diamondbacks +5000
Boston Red Sox +5500
Cincinnati Reds +6000
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🏦 Quote du Jour: Moving Company
"We were on the other end of that barely two years ago. What we're trying to do is just change our position. You're either growing and you're moving to try to best position yourself, or you're vulnerable. For the first time, the Big 12 is moving in the other direction. If I had to choose which side of that I'd rather be on, I'd rather be on this one, for sure."
A Big 12 athletic director on Colorado leaving the Pac-12 to join the Big 12 in the 2024-25 academic year. In 2021, Big 12 co-founders Oklahoma and Texas announced their intent to join the SEC. In 2022, USC and UCLA decided to join the Big Ten.
🇯🇲 Jamaica Likes Jammin' Too
Jamaica tied Brazil in the Women's World Cup to advance to the Round of 16 for the first time in the country’s history. Jamaica also is the first Caribbean team to win a Women's World Cup match. Not bad for a team that needed a GoFundMe to pay for their trip to Australia and New Zealand. The underdog Jamaicans play Colombia next.
England +250
United States +470
Spain (+470)
France (+650)
Japan (+850)
Netherlands (+900)
Australia (+1000)
Sweden (+1800)
Colombia (+4400)
Denmark (+8000)
Nigeria (+10000)
Norway (+10000)
Jamaica (+12000)
Switzerland (+12000)
South Africa (+28000)
Morocco (+43000)
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🎧 Listen Up
⛳️ Sweet Carolina: Betting Predators podcast host SleepyJ and Uncle Dave Essler talk Wyndham Championship and give their picks. The 2023 tournament marks the 84th edition of North Carolina’s oldest professional golf event.
📈 Number of the Day: 7.0
That's the average number of pass yards after a catch per completion (YAC/Cmp) for Jimmy Garoppolo in 2022 with the San Francisco 49ers. Garoppolo led the NFL in YAC/Cmp last season, and Patrick Mahomes was No. 2 at 6.6 YAC/Cmp. Garoppolo, who’s a Las Vegas Raider now, is having a good training camp with his new team and could be a better scheme fit for the Raiders at quarterback than Derek Carr.
🧠 Sports Betting Tip
Bet the winless team in Week 2 of the NFL preseason against an undefeated team.
The longest-running preseason trend is the 1-0 team versus the 0-1 team. Betting the winless team in Week 2 of the preseason against an undefeated team is a winning bet over 60 percent of the time, since 1994.—Steve Reider, NFL, Betting Predators
🌴 Miami Nice
Good news for the Dolphins is bad news for the NFL. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has added muscle to protect himself after being sidelined with multiple concussions last season. The team already has noticed a difference in his play in training camp, and the over/under for Dolphins wins is 9.5 (-110). If Tagovailoa can stay on the field all season, Miami could make a Super Bowl run.
Kansas City Chiefs +600
Philadelphia Eagles +800
Buffalo Bills +900
Cincinnati Bengals +1000
San Francisco 49ers+1000
Dallas Cowboys +1400
New York Jets +1600
Baltimore Ravens +1800
Detroit Lions +2100
Los Angeles Chargers +2100
Miami Dolphins +2500
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