NCAAF

• Four-star QB Air Noland commits to Ohio State
  • Noland, the No. 84 player for 2024, fielded significant interest from Miami, Texas A&M, and Clemson, among others, but the allure of staring in Ohio State’s explosive offense is probably what pulled the signal-caller to Columbus. If Noland ever starts for the Buckeyes, he’ll be surrounded by an embarrassment of riches at the wide receiver position. It’s hard to outrecruit Ryan Day at the quarterback position right now.

NBA

• Jazz 118, Nuggets 114
  • 2016 No. 5 overall pick Kris Dunn played in just 18 NBA games combined in 2021 and 2022, but I wonder if he’ll get a further look based on his play with Utah this season. Dunn registered 19 points, eight rebounds, and 14 assists in this game, combined with his typical stout defense.
  • The Nuggets are not in a good place right now. Losers of three consecutive games, Denver’s quest for the West’s No. 1 seed will come down to the season’s final day. Nikola Jokic’s impact was a bit limited in this tilt, as the center scored just six points in 27 minutes.
• Clippers 136, Trail Blazers 125
  • The Clippers needed this win to be in the driver’s seat to avoid the play-in tournament. Russell Westbrook has played a little better than expected as a Clipper, as the former MVP tallied 20 points, six rebounds, and six assists yesterday. Westbrook is still probably playing too many minutes for Los Angeles, though, as the Clippers have a deep roster with minutes needed to be distributed to guys like Terance Mann, Robert Covington, Norman Powell, and Mason Plumlee off the bench.
  • It’ll be hard for him to erase the bust label, but Kevin Knox has played well in two straight games for the tanking Blazers. The 2018 No. 9 overall pick has scored 54 points in those two games, and has probably extended his NBA career in the process.

MLB

• Twins 9, Astros 6
  • It’s obviously extremely early, but the defending champs shouldn’t be feeling awesome about their 3-6 start, especially considering that the middle of the order has been producing. Yordan Alvarez, Jose Abreu, and Kyle Tucker are all off to good starts, but Houston would clearly benefit if Alex Bregman, slugging just .139, picked it up.
• Cubs 10, Rangers 3
  • It’s been apparent for quite some time, but the Cubs really have something in Justin Steele. The starter can improve in terms of going deeper into games, but the 27-year-old has been awesome in 2023, pitching to a 0.75 ERA through two outings.
• Phillies 3, Reds 2
  • Nick Lodolo is going to be so good, and may be Cincinnati’s most promising player — even ahead of Hunter Greene. Yesterday, Lodolo tossed 7.0 scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts. The Reds need some of their prospects to turn out, but there’s a chance for a bright future in Cincinnati.
• Royals 6, Giants 5
  • Kansas City needs Salvador Perez to be one of baseball’s best hitters to have even a chance of going .500, and Perez did his part yesterday. The Royals’ franchise player had a home run and three RBIs in this affair.
  • The Giants need to stay the course. The team is just 3-5, but San Francisco has a positive run differential and many of the club’s everyday players are faring well.
• Red Sox 14, Tigers 5
  • Adam Duvall’s start to the season (.483/.545/1.138) is laughable at this point, but Rafael Devers’ consistently great offense shouldn’t be ignored. Devers has a 1.133 OPS and has been a big part of Boston’s torrid offensive start.
  • Oof, Javier Baez. Baez is proving to be a bad signing for Detroit, and is batting just .069 with zero extra-base hits through eight games.
• Mets 5, Marlins 2
  • I was leaning towards betting on the Mets in this game, but held off, needing to see one more Kodai Senga start before believing in the Japanese import. Senga delivered in this contest, throwing 6.0 innings and allowing just one run.
  • Avisail Garcia has lost it. Garcia struggled in 2022, and it’s carried over immensely to this season, as the 31-year-old’s OPS through eight games is just .395.
• Rays 11, Athletics 0
  • The Rays couldn’t have asked for a better start. 64 runs scored. 18 runs allowed. Eight wins. Zero losses. Times are good in Tampa.
• Mariners 3, Guardians 2
  • Former top prospect Jarred Kelenic’s career has gotten off to a less than ideal start, but he’s been contributing in 2023. Kelenic is batting .304 and already has two stolen bases for the Mariners. The 23-year-old may never be a star, but if he’s even a plus for Seattle, it would be a big development.
  • The Guardians guaranteed Josh Bell $33 million this past winter, and the low-budget club may already be having some regrets. The lumbering Bell doesn’t have any extra-base hits through 29 at-bats, and is hitting just .103. Cleveland knows how to win, though, and is still 5-4 despite this.
• White Sox 11, Pirates 5
  • Luis Robert is underrated. The 25-year-old outfielder has already had a few good seasons, and is off to a scorching start in 2023, slashing .366/.366/.732. It would be great if Robert started walking more, though.
  • Pittsburgh is off to a nice 5-3 start, but Ke’Bryan Hayes has been left behind from all the fun. The defensive-minded Hayes holds an OPS of just .364 — a far cry behind teammates Bryan Reynolds and Andrew McCutchen.
• Yankees 4, Orioles 1
  • New York should be pleased with how the top and middle of its order is producing, but the bottom hasn’t met those standards. Was Anthony Volpe, the Yankees’ No. 9 hitter, rushed to the majors? The 21-year-old tripled yesterday, but has struggled to the tune of a .516 OPS. Volpe isn’t Derek Jeter.
• Cardinals 6, Brewers 0
  • Some of the batting averages of Cardinals that played in this game: .353, .357, .364, .333, and .355. Sure, it’s early, but averages are up all throughout baseball, and I like it. We don’t want to see this statistic creep too high, but I don’t think that’s anything to worry about, and it’s important that we’re getting away from last season’s ridiculous average of .243.
  • Christian Yelich is tending towards bad. The 2018 NL MVP has posted a .585 OPS thus far, not to mention dwindling defense in left field.
• Padres 4, Braves 1
  • Josh Hader might be back on track. The talented reliever had a nightmare 2022 campaign, but he’s been nails so far this year, recording three saves. Hader struck out three Braves in 1.0 innings last night.
  • There’s no place for Marcell Ozuna in MLB. Ozuna hasn’t been a plus at the plate since the shortened 2020 season — not to mention aggravated assault, battery, and DUI charges since then. Ozuna is hitting .083 this year. I don’t get it.
• Diamondbacks 12, Dodgers 8
  • Another season, another slow start for Max Muncy. Muncy is hitting just .129 through eight contests.