Daily Sports Recap — Sunday, June 07

Setting the tone for another Sunday sports fever, we went into today brimming with optimism and perhaps a touch too much coffee. We trusted the numbers, stared at the pitching matchups, and tried to channel the ghost of Billy Beane. But sport, in its infinite wisdom, had other plans. A 4-6 slate in our main baseball picks has us swallowing some humble pie—again. June’s early trend of win-one, lose-two continues, but hey, at least the hot dogs still taste like victory in the ballpark.

The Highlights

Let’s start with what went right, because despite the bruises, we did find a few bright spots. The Toronto Blue Jays took care of business at home, rewarding patience and sticking to script. We flagged Kevin Gausman’s advantages over Grayson Rodriguez—Toronto’s ace scattered seven strong, third time through the order. A gutsy late-inning rally put the Orioles to bed and salvaged our Sunday brunch.

Props as well to the St. Louis Cardinals. Taking them -1.5 felt spicy but paid out like a Midwest casserole: warm and deeply satisfying. Their bats jumped all over Cincinnati’s bullpen, with Paul Goldschmidt doing Paul Goldschmidt things—namely, cashing in with a big double and letting the Cards coast to a multi-run win.

And let’s pour a little celebratory lager for the Milwaukee Brewers, who didn’t flinch at Coors Field. The Brewers’ rotation is deep enough to withstand whatever wind Colorado throws at them, and the bats didn’t get lost at altitude.

Capping off the winners’ club, the New York Mets headed west for a signature “oh, so you didn’t forget about us?” game, handling the Padres and Chris Paddack. These are the kinds of road trips that make or break an early summer, and for at least one night, the Mets did exactly what we predicted: grind out a road dub when most folks were already grilling burgers.

The Misses

And now, the pain. Some picks just flat-out faceplanted. Let’s look at ourselves in the mirror.

The Tampa Bay Rays: Our numbers pointed to a tight one in Miami, but what we got was a flat Tampa offense and Jesús Luzardo looking like he’s auditioning for a Cy Young campaign instead of his usual Jekyll-and-Hyde routine. There’s stubbornness, and then there’s whatever that Rays lineup was doing tonight.

Speaking of underwhelming, the Chicago White Sox teased us with a +1.5 cushion in Philly—and promptly surrendered it with their Houdini act. We backed the Sox on value, but Aaron Nola dissected them pitch by pitch, turning our underdog lean into a very predictable Phillies cruise control.

The Nationals +1.5 was another leap of faith that landed right on its face. Arizona’s late fireworks erased any comfort from our pick (so much for trusting the Nats’ bullpen these days). Houston, meanwhile, forgot to show up against Oakland—comical considering the Athletics are still two minor league call-ups from fielding an actual lineup.

In less than poetic fashion, the Cubs face-planted at home against a Giants lineup that suddenly remembered how to string together at-bats. And the Mariners in Detroit—let’s just say the Motor City might have the best under-the-radar pitching in baseball right now. We didn’t see that level of dominance from Reese Olson coming, and it cost us.

Around the Sports World

Baseball wasn’t the only show. The Knicks reminded us that Madison Square Garden in June is still inhospitable—even for a young, talented Spurs squad. WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces flexed—again—against the expansion Valkyries, who are learning firsthand what “dynasty mode” looks like on the road.

And over on the ice, our lean towards Vegas Golden Knights held water. Carolina’s offense was a rumor by mid-second period, exactly the script we outlined.

The octagon brought more of the same: most of our mixed martial arts leans delivered, from Belal Muhammad putting on a grappling clinic to Brendan Allen dismantling Edmen Shahbazyan. There’s comfort in having some sports behave according to plan amidst the MLB unpredictability.

Looking Ahead

We’re licking our wounds, but the grind resumes tomorrow. Recent days (20-29 across the board this past week) have been humbling—like a rain-shortened doubleheader in July. But what’s this game for, if not for getting up after a 0-for-4 stretch and swinging again?

So, sharpen the pencils. Review the data. Put on your lucky jersey if you must. Monday brings another batch of possibilities—and you better believe we’ll be chasing them.

We’ll be back. Wash the grass stains and meet us at first pitch.

– MatchMap Live