Lots to get through this week starting with the Houston Astros. The Stros made the biggest splash at this past Wednesday’s trade deadline. We dig deeper into that before heading across the pond with some soccer news. Then, we get into Formula 1, UFC, the Basketball World Cup, and, of course, the good old NFL!
Weekly Sports Update – August 5th Edition
Houston Astros Leap to World Series Favoritism
In the last hours of the 2019 MLB Trade Deadline, heck, in the last 10 minutes, the Houston Astros pulled off the unthinkable. The Stros made a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks for Zack Greinke. Yes…that Zack Greinke.
Why is this important? Houston’s starting rotation before acquiring Greinke was already exceptional. Because of Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, it ranked third in MLB with a 3.69 ERA. Even Wade Miley added to the awesome team ERA with his 3.05. With Greinke taking the third spot in the rotation behind Verlander and Cole, Houston will have 3 ace pitchers heading into the MLB Postseason.
That’s unheard of. The real scary part if you’re a Yankees, Red Sox, or Twins fan? The Astros also have the third ranked bullpen based on ERA. Houston goes a legit four deep with their starting pitchers. Knowing how A.J. Hinch uses his starters as relievers in the postseason should make everyone else in the American League quake with fear.
One other interesting note is that Zack had 10 teams on a no trade too list: Orioles, Red Sox, Rockies, Tigers, Reds, Twins, Dodgers, Angels, A’s, Phillies, Yankees, Padres, Giants, Cardinals, and Blue Jays.
Even if the Dodgers, Twins, Yankees and Red Sox wanted to acquire Greinke, they couldn’t have. Talk about player power!
Dodgers, Yankees, everyone else, failed to grab an impact player
Neither the Dodgers, nor the Yankees, nor any other team in MLB made as big of an impact as the Houston Astros. The L.A. Dodgers are still a solid second choice to win the World Series. The Dodgers are at +270 while the Yankees are at +350.
The Astros are now +180 favorites to win the World Series. We’ll post a more in depth blog about how the trades have affected World Series odds later this week. For now, just marvel at how a single move by a Fall Classic contender can change the entire World Series betting landscape.
English Premier League Starts This Weekend
The deepest, most interesting, soccer league in the world right now must be the EPL. The English Premier League boasted four teams that made it to last year’s Champions League elite eight: Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Manchester City. Two of those four, Liverpool and Tottenham, made it all the way to the finals.
What’s interesting is that neither Tottenham nor Liverpool won the EPL in 2019. Manchester City won the English Premier League. For this season, Man City is a huge -150 to repeat as champions. They’re followed by Liverpool at +215, Tottenham at +1600, and Man United at +2500.
Don’t forget to check out our soccer betting picks for this week. We analyze and make picks for three EPL matches along with the International Champions Cup battle between Atletico Madrid and Juventus.
Hamilton Catches Verstappen at Hungarian GP
Max Verstappen looked to be in charge for most of the Formula 1 Hungarian GP this past Sunday. But, Lewis Hamilton caught the Red Bull racer. That makes it 8-of-12 victories for Hamilton this season.
Verstappen has won 2-of-4, though. Not only that, but he finished second at the Hungarian Grand Prix. He’s absolutely taken over Sebastian Vettel’s mantle as Hamilton’s top rival.
There are a lot of races left. The trend points to Hamilton and Verstappen battling it out for the F1 Championship the rest of the way. It’s no longer possible to blindly back Hamilton to win every time he gets behind the wheel of his race car.
Team USA Prepares for Hoops World Cup
Now that the earthquake shift in the NBA is over, it’s time to turn our attention to the FIBA World Cup China 2019. The tournament goes from August 31 through September 15. As to be expected the United States is a massive -350 favorite.
The U.S. would be an even bigger favorite if their most talented players had decided to make the trip to China. Steph Curry, Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Anthony Davis have all decided to stay home and prepare for the season. The biggest name on the World Cup roster is Kemba Walker. The second biggest name is Kyle Lowry.
Sounds crazy, but second choice Serbia at +400 has a real shot to upset the mighty Americans. The Serbs, no doubt, will put the best player at the 2019 FIBA World Cup onto the court. Nikola Jokic averages 20 points, 7.2 assists, and 10.8 boards per game in the NBA.
Jokic should dominate any time he’s on the court. It won’t matter who the U.S. tries to match up with him. So, yes, the Serbs can take down the United States at FIBA World Cup China 2019.
NFL Preseason Week 1 and Pats Extend Brady
NFL Preseason Week 1 is here. Can we make money wagering on NFL Preseason games? Yes, we can! The key to wagering on NFL Preseason games is to handicap coaches. Coaches use preseason differently. By handicapping coaches, you can get a better idea of which teams are likely to cover the spread.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, we can turn to other NFL News. The biggest this past week concerned Tom Brady. Brady got a two year extension that pays him $23 million this year. It’s sort of incredible because it shows how much faith the Pats have in Tom. It also shows how much faith Tom has in the Patriots. The amount is pretty decent for a 42-year-old quarterback, right?
Other teams are having trouble with their star players. No word on when, or if, Ezekiel Elliott will show up to Dallas’s training camp. Melvin Gordon’s agent told the L.A. Chargers that they should consider trading the star running back. Antonio Brown posted a terrible photo of blisters on his foot. AB must see a specialist. He hasn’t really practiced with his new team, the Oakland Raiders.
On the field a couple of quarterback battles are heating up. Over in Miami, Ryan Fitzpatrick took the lead over Josh Rosen in the first week of training camp. The former UCLA quarterback fought back in the second week. The Dolphins aren’t expected to challenge for a playoff spot this season. Why not start Rosen and see if he’s the quarterback of the future?
In Washington, it’s a three-man battle between Colt McCoy, Case Keenum, and Dwayne Haskins. Keenum has started 30 games in the past couple of seasons. He’s got the slight edge. But, who knows? Washington might want to throw Haskins into the deep end of the pool. It worked for the Philadelphia Eagles in Carson Wentz’s rookie season.
Haskins could be the next Wentz. He’s a pocket passer who has looked good in training camp, has no fear, and is willing to put in the work.
Have a great week!
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