With the Olympics going on and taking center stage in the world of sports, much of the sports world is taking a little break this weekend. While Major League Baseball is still going strong, the PGA Tour and NASCAR both have the weekend off. This will be the last Sunday without football until the Super Bowl is played, so football fans will be thrilled to see some NFL football starting next weekend. Let’s take a look at the top events of this weekend’s limited sports schedule.
Top Sports Events for This Weekend – July 31 – August 1
Olympics
As we’ve already stated, the Olympics are the main focus of the sports world this weekend. On Saturday, we’ll see plenty of big events taking place in Tokyo, Japan. Baseball will begin on Saturday, as Team USA, with its major league prospects, along with some former major leaguers, will try to win the gold medal. The US will begin its quest for gold with a tough matchup against South Korea.
The US Men’s Basketball team will also be in action on Saturday. The favorites to win the gold medal will play a crucial game against the Czech Republic. Since the Americans have already lost a pool play game, they can’t afford to lose another one. With a win, Team USA will move on to bracket play. With a loss, they’ll go home without a medal, and that would be a huge blow to USA Basketball.
Major League Baseball Action
The series of the weekend will pit two teams with World Series aspirations against each other, as the San Francisco Giants will clash with the Houston Astros. San Francisco is currently leading the National League West and owns the NL’s best record. Houston is leading the American League West and has the best record in the American League.
On Saturday, we’ll see a very good pitching matchup, as Houston will send Zack Greinke to the mound. Greinke is 10-3 with a 3.48 ERA. Greinke will be opposed by Alex Wood. Wood has been a surprise this season, as he has gone 9-3 with a 3.65 ERA.
The Astros want to show everyone that they can win without cheating, while the San Francisco Giants are looking to show baseball fans that you don’t have to have big names to win. This one should be a very fun midseason series and could possibly be a preview of the 2021 World Series.
Another huge series this weekend will be an American League East battle, as the Boston Red Sox travel south to take on the Tampa Bay Rays. The Red Sox currently hold a 1.5 game lead over Tampa Bay. Both teams have been making improvements prior to the trade deadline. Tampa Bay acquired Nelson Cruz from the Minnesota Twins, while the Red Sox just picked up Kyle Schwarber from the Washington Nationals.
These two teams will be fighting for the American League East crown. This series will go a long way in helping to determine who will win the division. Both of these teams have a great shot at making the playoffs, but neither one of them wants to play in the one-game Wild Card elimination game.