Wimbledon quarterfinal action continues on Tuesday with a match between the third seed Ons Jabeur taking on Marie Bouzková. Jabeur, from Tunisia, has been red-hot so far this season with a 34-9 record with two titles to show for it. She reached her first final of the year at the Charleston Open before winning the Madrid Open. It was her first WTA 1000 title but wouldn’t be her last. Bouzkova is also enjoying a strong season with an 18-9 record and a finals appearance in the Abierto Zapopan in Guadalajara Mexico back in February. She was eventually beaten by Sloane Stephens. Here are the odds for this quarterfinals match, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook. Marie Bouzková vs. Ons Jabeur Odds, Spread, Total Spread: Bouzková: +4.5 (-110) Jabeur: -4.5 (-110) Moneyline: Bouzková : +265 Jabeur: -350 Total: 20.5 (Over -105/Under -115) Marie Bouzková vs. Ons Jabeur Prediction and Pick The Tunisian is a solid favorite here for good reason. Jabeur followed up her victory in Spain with an appearance in the finals of the Italian Open a few weeks later. She was beaten by Iga Swiatek but didn’t make the finals by accident. After a disastrous first-round exit in the French Open, Jabeur bounced back and won the Bett Open in Berlin when her opponent, Belinda Bencic, was forced to retire with an ankle injury. As the third seed at Wimbledon this year, she has yet to disappoint and beat Katarzyna Kawa and Dian Parry in straight sets to reach the last of 16. She then beat up Elise Mertens, a 24th seed, to make it here. The pair have never met on the court before with the winner advancing to play either Jule Niemeier or Tatjana Maria in the semifinals. Jabeur is clearly in better form right now and has been very good on the grass with a 25-9 career record. She's on a nine-match winning streak on grass and only lost one set in that span. While Bozkova won't be a total pushover, I don’t have the confidence in her to bet against a streaking No. 3 seed. Pick: Jabeur -4.5 (-110)
The Golden State Warriors were unable to retain all of their key pieces after they won another championship, and their decision to let one player in particular walk was clearly not a unanimous one. Gary Payton II signed a three-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers at the start of free agency. The Warriors were expected to lose some players this summer, but the veteran guard was not one of them. What was particularly surprising was that Golden State chose not to give Payton $9 million per season, though he would have cost them a lot more because of their luxury tax situation. According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, several in the Warriors organization were “stung” when Payton signed with Portland. Payton was viewed as a valuable member of Golden State’s championship core. For a team that has essentially ignored the luxury tax in recent years, not re-signing Payton was somewhat surprising. The 29-year-old scored 7.1 points per game during the regular season last year. He also played significant minutes off the bench in the playoffs and is a great defensive player. You can understand why he will be missed, but his departure should not be make-or-break for the Warriors.
The All England Club and the Lawn Tennis Association will appeal a fine imposed by the Women's Tennis Association for banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing. News of the fine and appeal were first reported by the Daily Mail. According to the report, the All England Club and the Lawn Tennis Association have been fined a collective total of $1 million. The two federations are expected to have the support of the British government behind them when they appeal. The club announced its decision to bar Russian and Belarusian players back in April. The stance by the WTA comes as most international sporting events have prohibited Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating because of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. "Since February the vast majority of the international sporting community have come together in solidarity to condemn Putin's barbaric actions in Ukraine," British Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries told Sportsmail. "Regrettably, the international tennis federations appear determined to be outcasts in this. The LTA and Wimbledon should be praised for their move to make Russia an international sporting pariah, and doing what is right in the current circumstances." The appeal process is a messy one, the Mail reported, as the club is expected to pay the fine in full before the appeal process can begin. "It's the subject of a legal process, so I can't comment specifically on that," All England Club CEO Sally Bolton said Monday, via ESPN. "We stand by the decision we made. We're deeply disappointed at the reaction of the tours to that decision, and I probably can't say any more than that at this point in time, I'm afraid." In addition to the fines, the WTA decided it would not award rankings points to any players at the Grand Slam tournament, which kicked off last week. There's no word yet when the appeal process will get underway. "It was an incredibly difficult and challenging decision to make. It was not one we took lightly. We thought carefully about the ramifications of taking it. But it was absolutely the right decision for us. It was the only viable option in the context of the government guidance in place. And we stand by that decision," Bolton said. "We accept that others will take a different view, but we absolutely stand by the decision."
Following a tragic shooting in Highland Park on Monday, the Chicago White Sox released a statement denouncing the shooting and providing guidance on tonight's scheduled home game against the Minnesota Twins. On Monday morning, a gunman opened fire at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Ill., about 25 miles north of downtown Chicago. As of 4:30 p.m. ET, 26 individuals had been identified as gunshot victims, with at least six fatalities, according to CNN. The White Sox game will continue as scheduled at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, but with some modifications in light of the tragedy. "After consulting with Major League Baseball, tonight's scheduled game against Minnesota will take place at 7:10 p.m.," the statement read in part. "However, the postgame fireworks celebration is canceled. A moment of silence will be held before the start of tonight's game." The team also expressed sympathies for those affected. "Our hearts are with the Highland Park community. The entire Chicago White Sox organization expresses our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the innocent victims of today's horrific shooting and all of those who have been affected by this tragedy."
Victor Caratini lined a three-run home run with two outs in the 10th inning to give the Milwaukee Brewers a 5-2 walk-off victory over the visiting Chicago Cubs on Monday in the opener of a three-game series. Rowdy Tellez was walked intentionally with one out in the 10th to put runners at first and second. Luis Urias popped out. Caratini, who had struck out in his previous four at-bats, lined a 2-1 pitch from Scott Effross (1-4) over the wall in center for his seventh home run. The Cubs loaded the bases with one out in the top of the 10th with a single and walk, but Brad Boxberger (3-1) recovered to strike out Willson Contreras and Ian Happ. Chicago took a 2-1 lead in the top of the ninth on an inside-the-park home run by Seiya Suzuki off Brewers closer Josh Hader, but the Brewers answered with a run in the bottom half. Urias opened the Brewers ninth with a single to right off closer David Robertson. Keston Hiura bounced a one-out drive over the wall in left-center for a ground-rule double, holding Urias at third. Kolten Wong was hit by pitch with two outs to load the bases and Christian Yelich walked to force in the tying run. Hader, who leads the majors with 25 saves, struck out Happ to open the ninth. Suzuki, activated earlier Monday after missing almost five weeks with a sprained finger, lined a 2-0 pitch off the wall in left-center. The ball caromed back past centerfielder Jonathan Davis and Suzuki didn't hesitate rounding third, sliding home just ahead of the relay throw for his fifth homer. Milwaukee, held to one hit through six innings by Justin Steele, tied it 1-1 in the seventh. Hiura drew a two-out walk and stole second. Pedro Severino, activated Sunday after completing an 80-game PED suspension, followed with an RBI double to left. Rookie Nelson Velazquez put the Cubs up 1-0 in the third with his first career home run, a one-out solo shot to left off Eric Lauer. It was the 17th homer given up by Lauer, and ninth in his last five starts. He gave up 16 all last season. Lauer allowed just one other hit -- a one-out double in the fourth to Happ -- in six innings. He struck out nine and walked two. Steele did not allow a hit until Urias sliced a double down the right-field line to open the fifth.
The Houston Astros enter Tuesday's game against the visiting Kansas City Royals with sluggers Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker on a roll. Before Alvarez inflicted what has become his customary damage in the bottom of the ninth inning on Monday, he teamed with Tucker, a fellow left-handed hitter, to swing momentum by capitalizing on a situation that would typically prove disadvantageous to both. The Astros' 7-6 victory over the Royals in the opener of a four-game series pivoted when Alvarez and Tucker delivered against Royals lefty reliever Amir Garrett. Houston entered the eighth inning trailing by three runs before Alvarez worked a walk off Garrett two batters before Tucker produced a two-run single against Garrett that sliced the deficit to 6-5. Inserting a left-handed pitcher to negate left-handed hitting is commonplace. However, Tucker entered the series with better OPS (.857) against left-handers than right-handers (.838) while Alvarez had a .828 OPS against southpaws. Of course, Alvarez did enter with a 1.166 OPS against righties, and his walk-off homer in the ninth came off Royals right-hander Scott Barlow. "They're going to bring in a lefty to combat a lefty and our lefties are pretty equal to both," Astros manager Dusty Baker said. "That was big, that was real big on our lefties to draw a walk and get a hit." Right-hander Luis Garcia (6-5, 3.54 ERA) is the scheduled starter for the Astros on Tuesday. He has won each of his last three starts, posting a 3.31 ERA during that stretch. In his last appearance, Garcia limited the New York Yankees to one run on three hits and two walks with six strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings in a 2-1 victory on June 30. Garcia took the loss against the Royals on June 4, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk with two strikeouts over seven innings in a 6-0 road setback. He is 1-1 with a 2.41 ERA over three career starts against the Royals with 12 hits allowed plus 12 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings. Right-hander Zack Greinke (2-4, 4.38 ERA) has the starting assignment for the Royals on Tuesday. He has recorded consecutive wins and quality starts, limiting the Texas Rangers to one run on four hits and one walk with three strikeouts over six innings in a 2-1 victory on June 29. Greinke will make his 501st career start and move into 47th place in major league history. Greinke is 6-3 with a 2.59 ERA over 11 career starts against the Astros, for whom he went 22-10 with a 3.89 over 52 appearances (51 starts) between 2019-21. After lauding the play of his team on the road earlier on Monday, Royals manager Mike Matheny acknowledged the gut punch that followed later in the day. The Royals jumped out to a 5-0 lead through three innings and seemed to add insurance when catcher MJ Melendez socked his second homer of the game to open the eighth and extend the advantage back to three runs. But two days after surrendering back-to-back home runs in a walk-off loss at Detroit, the Royals were felled in the bottom of the ninth once again. "It's one of the tougher ones of the season," Matheny said. "You like the chances of us being able to finish that off."
Ramon Laureano and Stephen Vogt homered, Cole Irvin snapped a nine-game start streak and the Oakland Athletics kicked off a six-game homestand with a 5-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday. Staked to a three-run lead in the first inning, Irvin (3-6) combined with Zach Jackson on a five-hitter as the A's won at home for just the second time in their last 15 tries. Winless since April 24, Irvin gave up just one run on four hits in eight innings. He struck out four and did not walk a batter. Jackson pitched a scoreless ninth. Facing the daunting task of having to deal with Alek Manoah (9-3), who had been beaten just once in his past eight starts, the A's wasted little time taking charge. Laureano walked with one out in the first inning, Seth Brown singled and Sean Murphy was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Vogt, whose sacrifice fly made it 1-0. Elvis Andrus followed with a two-run double for a 3-0 lead. Laureano's homer, his fifth of the season, came in the fifth, and Vogt's, his fourth, followed an inning later, extending Oakland's lead to 5-1. Meanwhile, Irvin retired the first 11 Blue Jays in order before Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doubled with two outs in the fourth. When Alejandro Kirk followed with an RBI single, the visitors had their only run of the game. Irvin proceeded to retire 13 of the last 15 batters he faced, allowing just a fifth-inning single to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and an eighth-inning single to Santiago Espinal. Jackson served up the Blue Jays' second extra-base hit of the game when Bo Bichette led off the ninth with a double, but the next three batters went down in order. Laureano finished 2-for-3 with two runs and a walk for the A's, who out-hit the Blue Jays 7-5. Vogt and Andrus had two RBIs apiece. Manoah went 5 2/3 innings and was charged with five runs, four of which were earned. He gave up six hits, walked two and struck out five. Former A's fan favorite Matt Chapman, dealt to the Blue Jays before the start of the season, went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in his first return to Oakland. Toronto, which was opening a seven-game Western trip, lost its fourth straight contest. Oakland earned just its second victory in eight games overall.
Red Sox pitching prospect Brayan Bello is slated to make his Major League debut on Wednesday, as MassLive.com’s Katie Morrison reports that Bello has been told he’ll be starting Boston’s game against the Rays. Bello is the consensus choice as the top pitcher in Boston’s farm system, and his big 2022 season has gotten him on the radar as one of the better young arms in the sport. In the most recently updated prospect rankings, Baseball America has Bello No. 44 on their top 100 list, Fangraphs has him No. 51, and MLB Pipeline has the 23-year-old righty in the No. 75 position. The Red Sox inked Bello for a modest $28K bonus during the 2016 international signing period, and while he pitched well enough in 2021 to earn a promotion to Double-A ball, he didn’t truly emerge until this season. With a 4.66 ERA over 63 2/3 innings for Double-A Portland last season, Bello returned to Portland to post a 1.60 ERA over six starts and 33 2/3 frames, thus earning him a ticket to Triple-A Worcester. The righty continued to impress, delivering a 2.81 ERA, 34.45% strikeout rate, and 10.05% walk rate in 51 1/3 innings with the WooSox. Both Bello’s fastball and changeup are plus pitches, and his slider isn’t far behind as a strong third offering. Bello’s fastball has gained roughly 5-6 miles of velocity since 2019 and could now approach the 100mph threshold on occasion, though he’ll usually throw in the mid-90s. Command of that fastball has been an issue for Bello, but at its best, the fastball makes his changeup even more effective. As promising as Bello is, stepping right into a big AL East matchup for a big league debut in July likely wouldn’t have happened if the Red Sox weren’t very shorthanded for starting pitchers. Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi, Rich Hill, and Garrett Whitlock are all on the 15-day IL, plus Michael Wacha is battling a dead arm. This has left Nick Pivetta, Josh Winckowski, Connor Seabold, and perhaps Kutter Crawford all lined up for starts depending on who is healthy and who gets back from the IL in time. (Sale is tentatively slated to make his 2022 debut a week from Monday.) Unless Boston’s injury woes continue or unless Bello completely dominates in his first taste of big league action, he probably isn’t likely to make an extended stay in Boston’s rotation. However, a solid showing could certainly earn Bello more starts, and perhaps more time in the majors as a multi-inning reliever down the stretch. All of the injuries have created uncertainty within the Red Sox rotation, and with plenty of questions still existing in the bullpen, there would seem to be room for a highly-touted youngster to seize a foothold on the active roster.
Though not in full Uncle Sam outfit with James Brown singing “Living in America,” Madison Bumgarner still looked very patriotic on Monday. The Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander emerged from the dugout prior to his team’s Fourth of July game against the San Francisco Giants with quite the look. Bumgarner had an American flag draped around his shoulders as he came out for pregame introductions. Check it out. Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area noted that most other players had red, white, and blue socks or cleats for the game. Bumgarner decided to take it a step further however. Soon to be 33, the former World Series MVP Bumgarner has been known as a character throughout his career. But that look might be even better than the one that Bumgarner sports during off days.
Josh Allen has developed into an MVP candidate for the Buffalo Bills and one of the best quarterbacks in the league. But the 26-year-old is not satisfied and still trying to improve. During the Bills’ minicamps this offseason, Allen talked about the two things he is working on. Those items are limiting turnovers and improving his ball placement. “Main thing is still limiting turnovers, limiting bad decisions,” Allen said. “And then ball placement on some of the underneath routes, allowing the guys to get more YAC. Last year, I don’t think we were very good in that department. So it’s kind of on me to put the ball where it needs to be and allow our guys to utilize their legs and run after catch.” YAC is an acronym for “yards after catch.” That stat represents how many yards receivers gain once they catch the football. Stefon Diggs, who is Buffalo’s top receiver, ranked 26th in the league last season with 320 yards after catch. If Allen can improve his ball placement on the short routes to set his receivers up for more success while running with the ball, then the team should see easy improvement in that area. Buffalo went 11-6 last season and lost in the divisional round of the playoffs in an overtime game against the Chiefs. The Bills went 13-3 the season before and lost in the conference championship to Kansas City. Buffalo and Allen are focused on taking the next step.
