NFL

• Jaguars sign K Brandon McManus to one-year contract
  • Kicker isn’t exactly the most valuable position in football, but having a solid player at the position can absolutely swing games in a team’s favor, especially a team like the Jaguars that’s favored to win its division. Solid certainly describes McManus, who has been one of the league’s better kickers over the course of his career, and is an upgrade over the player he’s replacing, Riley Patterson.

MLB

• Cardinals 2, Reds 1
  • The Cardinals aren’t a bad bet to win the NL Central. St. Louis has won 13 of its past 18 games and the Brewers, the current division leaders, haven’t been blowing away their competition. This division race may come down to the wire.
  • Tyler Stephenson was really good last season through 50 games before he got injured, but the catcher hasn’t found the same results in 2023, limping to a .655 OPS after a 0 for 4 showing yesterday.
• Rays 6, Blue Jays 3
  • I had some doubts regarding the Rays signing Zach Eflin this past offseason, but the addition has paid dividends for Tampa Bay. After throwing seven innings of one run ball in this tilt, Eflin improved to 7-1 with a 3.17 ERA. The Rays can defeat teams in a number of ways, and yesterday, it was the performance of Eflin combined with seven stolen bases.
  • Toronto is really struggling. The Blue Jays have lost eight of their last 10 games, and absolutely need Alek Manoah to right the ship. The imposing Manoah placed third in AL Cy Young voting last season, but after lasting just three innings in this game, holds a 5.53 ERA. 26-25 isn’t a bad record by any means, but in the brutal AL East, it has Toronto 10.5 games back of the first place Rays.
• Rockies 7, Marlins 6
  • Colorado has one of the worst pitching staffs in MLB, but the Rockies have received productive mileage from a number of relievers in 2023. In this game, Daniel Bard, Justin Lawrence, and Brent Suter all held the Marlins scoreless, while Jake Bird and Brad Hand have also been useful this year. If the Rockies fade from the playoff picture, they’ll have an abundance of relievers to dangle in trade talks.
  • It’s been a disastrous season for Jean Segura so far. The infielder was a solid player from 2016 to 2022, but after a 0 for 5 day yesterday, Segura’s WAR tumbled to -1.5, an almost unheard of level of poor play. The Marlins are in the mix, so they’ll either need Segura to improve his play or limit his opportunities.
• Padres 8, Nationals 6
  • Rougned Odor may have saved the Padres’ season yesterday with a go-ahead three-run home run in the ninth inning. At 23-27, San Diego needed this victory. Josh Hader has returned to form in a big way this season, as his ERA is 0.86 after recording his 13th save in this tilt.