The Sportsletter - Beasts of the East

BY JEFF YODER

JULY 13, 2022  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  REFER  |  WEB VIEW

Good Morning,

A record-setting MLB division is the talk of baseball after Tuesday night, and we're looking ahead to tomorrow's Open Championship at St. Andrews. Plus, the MLS All-Star squad gets revealed. Peep tomorrow's edition for an underdog setup that'll get you amped for the Home Run Derby.

Letter Rip!

MLB

Beasts of the East

Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

Orioles Tally 9th Straight to Make AL East MLB’s Crown Jewel

Here’s one you don’t see every day. There are no losing records in the top division in baseball after the Orioles claimed their ninth straight win, beating the Cubs (4-2). The win streak puts Baltimore at 44-44, making the AL East a division full of .500-plus records. The Yankees (61-26) are still baseball’s top dog, but the rest of the division is a dog fight for Wild Card hopes as we near the all-star break.

Watch: Orioles Win 9th Straight to Set AL East Apart

AL East Standings

Yankees (61-26)

Rays (47-40)

Red Sox (47-41)

Blue Jays (46-42)

Orioles (44-44)

MLB Quick-Hitters

Sale Strong in Debut: Chris Sale struck out five batters and tossed five scoreless innings in his first start of the 2022 season for the Red Sox on Tuesday. Boston fell to Tampa Bay in the end (3-2).

Cole Ks 11: Gerrit Cole threw seven scoreless frames and struck out 11 to keep the Yankees afloat against the Reds before a 9th inning rally that gave the Cincinnati the win (4-3).

Olson Boosts Braves: The Braves trailed the Mets (1-0) until Matt Olson delivered the game-winning two-run blast to swing the scoreline (2-1) and bring Atlanta within 1.5 games of New York in the NL East.

PGA

The 150th Open Championship Primer

Photo: Andrew Redington / Getty Images

Preview & Tee Times for the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews

Golf’s final major test tees off tomorrow morning from the iconic grounds of St. Andrews, but a six-hour time shift means play begins overnight. The 2022 Open Championship returns to the Old Course — the original home of golf — where the sport’s biggest stars will compete for the Claret Jug. Among the competition? Tiger Woods. And though he’s not in elite form, he’s always alluring. Here’s a look at the top betting favorites and tee times before the fourth and final major tournament of the year tees off tomorrow.

Betting Odds: R. McIlroy (+1000), X. Schauffele (+1400), J. Spieth (+1600), J. Rahm (+1800), M. Fitzpatrick (+1800), S. Scheffler (+1800), J. Thomas (+2000), C. Smith (+2500), C. Morikawa (+2500), P. Cantlay (+2500), S. Lowry (+2500), W. Zalatoris (+2500)

Tee Times (Notable Groups)

2:03 AM: C. Smith, B. Koepka, S. Power

2:14 AM: F. Molinari, T. Fleetwood, J. Rose

2:36 AM: Z. Johnson, B. Horschel, C. Conners

3:58 AM: C. Morikawa, R. McIlroy, X. Schauffele

4:09 AM: S. Lowry, J. Thomas, V. Hovland

4:20 AM: W. Zalatoris, H. Matsuyama, T. Finau

7:04 AM: S. Im, P. Casey, G. Woodland

7:15 AM: D. Johnson, A. Scott, M. Leishman

7:26 AM: S. Scheffler, J. Niemann, T. Hatton

8:59 AM: T. Woods, M. Fitzpatrick, M. Homa

9:10 AM: J. Spieth, J. Rahm, H. Varner III

9:21 AM: P. Cantlay, S. Burns, M. Pereira

*All Times ET

Additional Storylines

CBS Sports: 2022 British Open Predictions: Ranking the Field From 1-22

DraftKings: 2022 British Open DraftKings Picks, Predictions & Preview

SI: Tiger Woods Is Not Fully Healthy, But He’s Still Worth Admiring

MLS

MLS All-Stars Revealed

Photo: Shaun Clark / Getty Images

MLS Reveals All-Star Squad for Game Against Liga MX on Aug. 10

For the second straight year, the MLS will take on Liga MX in a battle of the stars. The All-Star game (Aug. 10) will go down at Allianz Field in Minnesota. With a month before the game — roughly the midway point in the MLS season calendar — the rosters dropped on Tuesday. Here’s a look at the stars:

Forwards: Paul Arriola (FC Dallas), Valentin Castellanos (NYCFC), Jesus Ferreira (FC Dallas), Taxiarchis Fountas (DC United), Chicharito (LA Galaxy), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders), Raul Ruidiaz (Seattle Sounders), Carlos Vela (LAFC)

Midfielders: Luciano Acosta (FC Cincinnati), Sebastian Driussi (Austin FC), Charles Gil (New England Revolution), Hany Mukhtar (Nashville SC), Darlington Nagbe (Columbus Crew), Emanuel Reynoso (Minnesota United FC), Ilie Sanchez (LAFC)

Defenders: Julian Araujo (LA Galaxy), Alexander Callens (NYCFC), Aaron Long (NY Red Bulls), Kamal Miller (CF Montreal), Diego Palacios (LAFC), Kai Wagner (Philadelphia Union), DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC)

Goalkeepers: Andre Blake (Philadelphia Union), Sean Johnson (NYCFC), Dayne St. Clair (Minnesota United FC)

Additional Storylines

SI: MLS Reveals All-Star Squad to Take on Liga MX

MLS: By The Numbers: 2022 MLS All-Star Team Snubs

🎥 OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

🏀 WNBA: Lynx Top Mercury in 2OT Thriller

A busy night in the WNBA featured a double-overtime epic where the Lynx beat the Mercury (118-107, 2OT). The game featured three 30-point scorers: Sophie Cunninham (36), Skyler Diggins-Smith (32) and Aerial Powers (35).

THE STORYLINES

🏀 NBA Offseason Takes

Nobody likes a contrarian, but some of the most prevalent takes on the 2022 NBA offseason need to be reined in. (B/R)

🏛️ Year 1 of NIL Impact on College Sports

The last 12 months have seen college sports rapidly change. And there are no signs that things will slow down. (Sports Illustrated)

🏈 NFL Preseason Betting Odds

The New York Jets hold the dubious distinction as the NFL franchise with the longest active postseason drought, as the team last made the playoffs in 2011. (FOX Sports)

📰 THE HEADLINES

• Duncan Keith Retires From NHL After 17 Seasons With Blackhawks & Oilers (ESPN)
• Former Cowboys RB Marion Barber III Dies of Heat Stroke (SI)
• Braves & Royals Make Rare Trade Involving Draft Pick (CBS Sports)
• Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber Joins MLB Home Run Derby (Bleacher Report)
• Climate Change Protestors Interrupt Stage 10 of Tour de France (NBC Sports)

Support The Sportsletter Team

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Content Intern: Marissa Kasch

Product Manager: Matthew Cahill

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

Technical Lead: Kevin Lonergan

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