The new-look Padres get their first shot at the Dodgers, plus the best football bets for the weekend

Last night did not go according to plan. I thought what would happen was that I would watch the first few minutes of the Hall of Fame game, get bored, and then find something else to watch. Instead, the weather delay changed everything. Instead of watching the start of the game, I watched the last 10 minutes of the fourth quarter.

When I turned the game on, Las Vegas led 20-3, and it looked like our under-30.5 game was safe. The Raiders then went on a quick touchdown drive to make it 27-3. Soon after, the Jaguars — who had done nothing on offense all night — drove 86 yards in nine plays to score a meaningless touchdown to beat the under.

One NFL game down, and we’ve suffered our first painful loss of the season. Oh well, better get it out of the way quickly, right?

Okay, so the NFL returned last night and the Premier League returned this weekend. Along with some MLB plays tonight, I have football picks to share to get you through the weekend. Let’s hope we avoid more painful losses.

All time Eastern, and all odds by Caesars Sportsbook

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🔥 The Hot Ticket

Padres at Dodgers, 10:10 p.m TV: MLB Network

• Key trend: The Dodgers have won 40 of the last 55 meetings at Dodger Stadium.
• The Pick: Dodgers (-160)

When the Padres traded for Juan Soto and everyone else at the deadline, they realized they weren’t going to win the NL West this season. It’s not impossible, but with the Dodgers 12.5 games out they’d have to play like the worst team in baseball for that to happen. no.

Tonight we get our first glimpse. While it’s hard to argue that adding a player like Soto (and others San Diego picked up) doesn’t make the Padres much better than they are, I still think the Dodgers are the better team. Also, the Padres are highly regarded on the market in moves.

Tony Gonsolin isn’t a household name, but he’s one of the best pitchers in baseball this season. He has excellent control, misses the bat and avoids hard contact. The Padres are sending Sean Manaia to the mound, and while he strikes out more hitters than Gonsolin, he walks more, misses fewer at-bats and is prone to giving up the long ball. It’s not good news that the Dodgers have a wRC+ of 117 against lefties (5th in MLB), a wOBA of .333 (5th) and a home run rate of 3.44% (5th).

The Padres are much improved, but that’s unlikely to make much of a difference tonight.

Here’s what SportsLine has to say about the game: Looks like I’m not the only one who believes you should be firing on the Dodgers tonight..

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💰 The Pix

⚾ MLB

Red Sox at Royals, 8:10 p.m TV: ESPN+

Picks: Over 9 (-120) — Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City is one of several baseball parks that play differently depending on the season. Overall, it consistently proves to be one of the more difficult parks to homer (only Comerica Park is more difficult). But that all changes during the summer when the City of Fountains starts baking in the sun.

When KC is hot, balls fly, and tonight’s forecast calls for temperatures in the 90s. That’s great news for us because the pitching matchup has two pitchers who don’t miss a bat. Boston’s Josh Winkowski has a 5.00 ERA in nine starts and a 14.1% strikeout rate. Kansas City veteran Zack Greinke has a strikeout rate of less than 13.4%. The balls will be put in play tonight, and when they are, they will travel a long way. Runners will circle the bases. Runs will be scored. We will cash the ticket.

Key trends: Over is 14-5-2 in the last 21 meetings at Kauffman Stadium.

⚽ Football

Bournemouth v Aston Villa, Saturday, 10am | TV: Peacock
Pick: Aston Villa (+104) — Some sportsbooks offer odds on the first manager to be sacked, and Bournemouth’s Scott Parker could be priced out. Parker helped bring Bournemouth back to the Premier League after failing to keep Fulham two seasons ago, but is unhappy with how the summer has gone for the club as it prepares for the Premier League. Is. In short, Parker believes Bournemouth don’t have nearly the talent and depth they need to survive the season and maintain their place in the league. Usually, a manager says “we’re not good enough” before the season starts.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa continued to strengthen their squad over the summer, attacking early to address some serious needs for upgrades in midfield (Boubakar Kamara) and centre-back (Diego Carlos). Philippe Coutinho also returns after a semi-successful loan spell last year, and manager Steven Gerrard plans to challenge for a European place this season. It’s probably too much to ask, but Villa finished ninth in the league last year if you just look at the standings after Gerrard took over from Dan Smith in December. While Europe may be a pipe dream, three points against Bournemouth on the opening weekend is not.

Newcastle United v Nottingham Forest, Saturday, 10am | TV: Peacock
The Pick: Newcastle (-150) — We have a bit of a theme: betting on mid-tier clubs with big ambitions facing newly promoted sides in the opening week. The summer at Newcastle has not gone as well as its fans had hoped. All the new money from the new owners hasn’t immediately resulted in superstars joining the Toon Army in the north of England, but this is a much improved team than it was a year ago, and should be off to a good start. Should.

Nottingham Forest are a club with a lot of history, but this will be their first Premier League match since 1999. Forest have spent enough this summer to ensure they stay for a while, but for the most part, this is a brand new team. In comparison to the winner of promotion from the Championship. A few pre-season friendlies haven’t been enough for the team, and I can see Forest getting off to a slow start. That includes a potential loss to Newcastle to kick off the new era.

Manchester United vs Brighton, Sunday, 9am | TV: Peacock
Choice: Brighton or Draw (+135) — Why do I get the feeling we’ll be blurting out Manchester United a lot this season? As you would expect from United, the off-season was a mess. While I like the services of Erik ten Hague, he has a lot of work to do to get United to where United think they should be, and it will take more than one summer to complete. Toss in all the off-field drama about Cristiano Ronaldo no longer wanting to be there (so much for this happy reunion), and there’s already a bunch of drama and turmoil around the club.

Then there’s Brighton. Reliable, tough Brighton. A team without any superstars, but led by a good coach in Graham Potter with a clear vision. The club gets more out of its team than it should. Honestly, these teams are mirror images of each other. United are full of stars who let you down, and Brighton are full of people who constantly surprise you. I’d be more surprised if Brighton didn’t get a result in comparison.

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