Dodgers deliver a message loud and clear
Los Angeles favored to repeat. Belichick's Tar Heels an underdog in opener
Good morning, all! I hope your work week is off to a terrific start. The summer days are dwindling to a precious few!
Anyone thinking the Los Angeles Dodgers were going to just slip-slide away were not paying attention to the defending World Champs. The Dodgers entered the weekend one game behind the first place San Diego Padres in the National League West. The Padres had been on a roll of their own, while the Dodgers were spinning their wheels. Had the worm turned? No way, even though the Padres have been known to wreck a Dodgers season.
Anyway, the Dodgers were not about to be embarrassed in their own backyard and they swept the Padres a weekend three-game series, culminating with an electric win on yesterday. Just when it appeared the Pods might salvage the finale, tying the game in the top of the eighth, Mookie Betts belted a home run into the left field seats in the bottom of the inning, lifting LA to a 5-4 win.
The Dodgers have had their share of injuries, particularly to the pitching staff. Injuries, however, are a part of any sport and championship caliber baseball teams are built to withstand the bumps-and-bruises of a 162-game season. The Dodgers starting rotation is healthy again and until any team can prove otherwise, Milwaukee included, the defending champs are poised to repeat. This weekend’s sweep of the Padres was a reminder of how good the Dodgers are. The bookmakers agree. According to ESPN BET, Los Angeles is favored to win the World Series again this season.
In case you are wondering, the Milwaukee Brewers - as you might imagine - are also surging among the bettors, while the Seattle Mariners are the favorites to win their first American League pennant. The Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays are right behind the Mariners.
Below are the odds for the Top 10 teams. Surprisingly, the Red Sox did not make the Top 10 and sit as 20-1 favorites to win the World Series.
Here are some other stories that caught my attention for Monday, Aug. 18, 2025:
Much has been made of the Mets signing Juan Soto but where would they be without Pete Alonso? And the Mets were hesitant to bring him back. He becomes a free agent again after this season and he has only enhanced his value, having a year that is head-and-shoulders above Soto’s.
Speaking of baseball and free agents, I saw this post on X yesterday. Bryce Harper has now played the same amount of games with the Phillies as he has for the Nationals and below is a statistical comparison.
In the event you missed Scottie Scheffler’s chip-in birdie putt at the BMW Championship yesterday, here it is:
Not a surprise that Scheffler is favored to win the Tour Championship, which features the top 30 golfers in the FedEx Cup standings and starts this Thursday. The tournament will be held at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
Make that five tournament wins for Scheffler this year, after winning the BMW Championship and earning $3.6M.
With tournament wins and bonus money, Scheffler has hauled in $46,962,883 this year. Click here for the breakdown.
Bill Belichick’s first game as University of North Carolina football coach is two weeks from tonight, Labor Day. The Tar Heels will be hosting TCU. Kick-off is at 8 p.m. on ESPN. At the moment, TCU is a 3.5 point favorite.
Big week for the Red Sox and Yankees. Boston hosts Baltimore for two games and the Yankees visit Tampa Bay for two, before the two clubs meet at the Stadium for a four-game series, starting Thursday night on “Seinfeld Night.” Listen. I’m still trying to figure why they traded Jay Buhner too!
That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Thank you for subscribing and have a great Monday!
DAN