Today's MLB, Golf and NFL Bets to Watch, Ohtani is Back on the Mound, and a WNBA Finals Rematch

In today’s newsletter…

• Leading Off: Shohei Ohtani achieved a not-so-great personal first

• Top 10 Bets: Could the Jags be the NFL’s most improved team this season?

• Game of the Day: It’s (finally) a WNBA Finals rematch

• Player to Watch: Nathan Eovaldi has allowed just 1 ER in July

• Overtime: Is Trey Hendrickson’s holdout over?

Shohei Ohtani achieved a personal first Tuesday — but not in a good way. He struck out in his first four plate appearances vs. the Reds, part of an 0-5 day (the Dodgers did win 5-4).

Ohtani’s performance (.989 OPS) hasn’t quite been up to the standards of his last two seasons, where he posted an OPS of 1.000+ each time.

That said, Ohtani is still the overwhelming favorite to win National League MVP. He’s -2300 at FanDuel; Pete Crow-Armstrong (+1600) and Kyle Schwarber (+1900) are the only others with shorter odds than +8000.

And while the Dodgers are a (relatively) disappointing 63-45 thus far, they’re still the favorites (+220) to win the World Series; no other team’s odds are shorter than +900.

—Patrick Dorsey

Rutschman Bats .536 in 30 Career Plate Appearances vs. Today’s Opposing Pitcher

By Jack Dougherty

Adley Rutschman 2+ hits + runs + RBIs (-140 at DraftKings)
Happy Rutschman vs. Jose Berrios Day to all who celebrate. There’s no pitcher Rutschman likes facing more. In 30 career plate appearances against Berrios, the Orioles catcher is batting .536 and slugging 1.036 with four home runs and two doubles. Rutschman has hit this line in four of his last six starts, and he should be able to keep it rolling in a matchup he normally dominates. 

Ketel Marte 2+ hits + runs + RBIs (-140 at DraftKings)
Marte is feeling it at the plate right now. The Diamondbacks star has at least one hit in eight of his last 11 games, and he’s staring down a great matchup on Wednesday afternoon. In 16 career plate appearances against Tigers starter Chris Paddack, Marte is batting .467 with only one strikeout. Paddack throws his 4-seam fastball 46 percent of the time, and Marte has a .374 xBA and a .815 xSLG against fastballs this season.

Giants vs. Pirates under 7.5 runs (-115 at BetMGM)
Logan Webb has been roughed up for 16 earned runs over his last three starts, but they came against the Dodgers, Blue Jays and Mets. This is a great chance to bounce back against a Pirates lineup that ranks dead last in MLB in OPS (.593), wOBA (.262) and wRC+ (63) against righties this month. The Giants have also been ice-cold at the plate with just 11 runs over their last five games. 

Shohei Ohtani 4+ strikeouts (-175 at DraftKings)
Ohtani is slowly increasing his workload on the mound, throwing a season-high 46 pitches in his last start against the Twins. He could push for four innings on Wednesday night, which would give him plenty of time to hit this number. Ohtani has 10 strikeouts in his last 8.0 innings of work, and he has a career 55.6% strikeout rate against Reds hitters. 

Golf: Wyndham Championship

Harry Hall top-30 finish (+120 at DraftKings)
It’s surprising to see Hall priced at plus-money to finish inside the top 30 this week. For one, the Englishman has finished T28 or better in eight straight starts, and his putting has been immaculate over that stretch. Hall is also a Bermuda greens expert, as he ranks second in the field in strokes gained from putting on Bermuda over the last 12 months. In four starts this year on courses with Bermuda greens, Hall has three top-20 finishes. 

Nicolai Hojgaard top-40 finish (-110 at DraftKings)
Hojgaard is in an unenviable spot heading into the regular season finale. The 24-year-old currently ranks 71st in the FedEx Cup standings, and the top 70 players after the Wyndham Championship make the playoffs and secure their full-time card for 2026. Hojgaard needs a solid week to jump into the top 70. Thankfully, he’s playing solid golf with T14, T4 and T24 finishes in his last three starts. Hojgaard gained strokes from off the tee, on approach and on the green in all three tournaments. 

Thomas Rosenmueller top German (+190 at FanDuel)
Sportsbooks aren’t sure how to price the top German market this week. DraftKings has Rosenmueller as the +165 favorite against Matti Schmid and Stephan Jaeger, but FanDuel has him as the biggest underdog of the bunch at +190. We’ll gladly consider that misprice on Rosenmueller, who ranks fourth on the PGA Tour this season in approaches from 150-175 yards. Nearly 25% of approaches at Sedgefield come from that range, which is much higher than the PGA Tour average. 

Nico Echavarria to make the cut (-138 at Bet365)
Echavarria has missed the cut in two of his last three starts, but that was mostly due to poor putting. The Colombian is normally one of the better putters on the PGA Tour, and he loves putting on Bermuda greens. Over the last 12 months, Echavarria ranks fifth in the field in strokes gained from putting on Bermuda greens. He also ranks 26th on Tour this season in approaches from 150-175 yards. 

NFL Futures

Matthew Golden to win Offensive Rookie of the Year (+2500 at FanDuel)
Golden shouldn’t be this high of a price to win Offensive Rookie of the Year. The Packers don’t have a true No. 1 wide receiver, so the Texas product will have a chance to quickly emerge as Jordan Love’s favorite target in this offense. Golden’s blazing speed will make it tough for coaches to take him off the field. More importantly, Golden is much more likely to have a prominent role in his offense than the other players in this price range.

Jaguars over 7.5 wins (-110 at FanDuel)
This Jaguars offense has the potential to be one of the most explosive units in the NFL in 2025. Trevor Lawrence is back to full health, Brian Thomas Jr. is only going to get better after posting 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie, Travis Hunter is a game-breaker with the ball in his hands, and new head coach Liam Coen will be able to unlock the talent in this group. With Josh Hines-Allen, Arik Armstead and Travon Walker terrorizing opposing quarterbacks on the other side of the ball, Jacksonville is built to compete for a playoff spot this season.

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It’s a WNBA Finals Rematch At Last As Liberty Head to Minnesota to Face Lynx (-7)

The first WNBA Finals rematch of the season comes under extenuating circumstances, as the defending-champion Liberty (17-8, 2nd in the WNBA) might be without Breanna Stewart due to an injury. The Lynx (22-5, 1st), meanwhile, boast MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier (23.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists).

Liberty vs. Lynx
8pm ET
ESPN

• Spread: Lynx (-7, -114), Liberty (+7, -106)

• Moneyline: Lynx -340, Liberty +260

• Total (165.5): Over -110, Under -110

Liberty vs. Lynx 2025 Schedule

• Today at Minnesota

• August 10 at New York

• August 16 at Minnesota

• August 19 at New York

Nathan Eovaldi Has Allowed Just 1 ER In July (23.2 IP) While Winning All Four Starts

Name: Nathan Eovaldi
Team: Rangers (56-52)
Position: Pitcher
Today’s Matchup: vs. Angels (53-55)
2025 Stats: 8-3, 1.50 ERA, 96.0 IP, 16 ER, 18 BB, 101 K, 0.88 WHIP

Past 5 Games

• vs. Atlanta (7/25): W, 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 7 K

• at Houston (7/13): W, 7.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K

• at LA Angels (7/8): W, 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

• vs. Baltimore (7/2): W, 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

• vs. Seattle (6/27): ND, 3.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

Matchup

• Eovaldi has allowed a .235/.312/.316 slash line vs. current Angels hitters, with 26 Ks in 98 at-bats. He’s been especially effective vs. Taylor Ward, allowing just 3 hits in 17 at-bats, with 1 RBI, no extra-base hits and 3 Ks. Mike Trout is 7-27 with 2 2Bs, 2 RBIs, 4 BBs and 8 Ks.

In the News 

• Is the Trey Hendrickson holdout saga about to end?

• A player began the day playing for the Orioles and ended the day pitching against them.

• Another big star is reportedly coming to MLS.

• Just how bad are these NFL training camp injuries?

What to Watch (times are ET)

• 7:05pm: Rays vs. Yankees on MLBN/Prime Video

• 8pm: Liberty vs. Lynx on ESPN

• 8pm: Pumas vs. Orlando City in the Leagues Cup on FS1

• 10pm: Orange County SC vs. Phoenix Rising in the USL Championship on ESPN2

• 10:30pm: Portland Timbers vs. Atletico de San Luis in the Leagues Cup on FS1

Photo of the Day