NFL

• Seahawks name Geno Smith starting QB
  • This isn’t exactly surprising. After the Russell Wilson trade, I figured Drew Lock would be the guy, but right out of the gate, Pete Carroll seemed to have different plans. Smith possess less upside than Lock, but maybe it’s true that he gives the franchise a better chance to win in 2022. The Seahawks don’t have a very talented roster, but at least Smith will have DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett to throw to. In a difficult NFC West and with a schedule that also features the AFC West, it’s hard to envision more than six or seven victories for Seattle.

MLB

• Mariners sign CF Julio Rodriguez to 14-year, $210M extension
  • This is what smart organizations do. This deal can potentially rise to over $400M with incentives, but Rodriguez is a phenom and will surely be worth it. With that said, agents and players have obviously taken note of past deals similar to this one being bargains, so the Mariners are paying a bit more than what they would’ve in the past.
• Dodgers 10 Marlins 6
  • For as great a player he is, Mookie Betts has flown a bit under the radar this season. With Los Angeles holding baseball’s best record and Betts homering twice yesterday, that may soon change.
• Phillies 7 Pirates 4
  • Philadelphia received some flak for building a position player unit with some heavy bats, but poor defenders. To this point, it’s mostly worked, with the club sitting at 71-55 and holding a wild card spot. Now, Bryce Harper is back and Nick Castellanos is hitting better, making for a dangerous team down the stretch.
• Diamondbacks 7 White Sox 2
  • I can’t believe, after their latest set of struggles, the White Sox are just four games behind in the AL Central. Cleveland simply hasn’t seized control of the division — at least not yet. I spoke positively about Johnny Cueto recently, and his ERA is still rock-solid, but his peripherals have been poor all season, so he regressed to the mean a bit with his start in this game. Cueto surrendered seven earned runs over five innings.
• Orioles 2 Astros 0
  • What were the odds of Kyle Bradish locking down a good Astros lineup? The rookie has struggled a bit this season, but he tossed eight scoreless frames in this contest. The Orioles continue to have a magical season, and I wonder if and when it’s going to end.
• Yankees 3 Athletics 2
  • Yesterday, I put together a FanDuel DFS lineup featuring Gerrit Cole as my pitcher. I was WAY behind early, but Cole’s 11 punch outs in this game saved me, allowing me to get into the money.