Case of the Mondays: Rays, Yankees Watching Boston Pull Away in AL East

by Ricky Dimon - 8/21/2017

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale

The Boston Red Sox have extended their advantage to five games in the American League East ahead of the second-place New York Yankees and the third-place Tampa Bay Rays. New York has watched Aaron Judge strike out at a record pace and Aroldis Chapman struggle as closer. The Yankees have still managed to win a decent number of games, which is more than Tampa Bay can say. Meanwhile, if the Seattle Seahawks win a decent number of games during the upcoming NFL season, they will do so without their starting left tackle.

Odds provided by BetOnline Sportsbook unless otherwise indicated.

Tampa Bay Rays . The Rays actually won a game on Sunday, but they are still 2-8 in their last 10 contests and 4-12 in their last 16. Tampa Bay still dropped two of three in its recent series against the Seattle Mariners, which preceded losing three of four against both the Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays. The Rays have not taken a series since winning three of four against the Houston Astros in late July and early August. They have plunged 11.5 games behind Boston and four games out of the AL's second wild-card spot-with six teams ahead of them in the wild-card standings. The Red Sox are -700 to win the division.

Aroldis Chapman . Chapman is out as the Yankees' closer, at least temporarily. The left-hander has seen his ERA balloon from 2.87 as recently as Aug. 11 to its current mark of 4.14. He gave up two runs in three consecutive outings over the past week. "Similar to what we're doing with our other relievers, I will use him at any time," manager Joe Girardi explained. "To get him back on track, I thought the best chance might be to move him around a little bit. When we get him going, there's a good chance I'll use him back in the closer's role. That's the thought process. But we might find something that works so well, we'll want to keep it." At the plate for the Yankees, Judge is +700 to win AL MVP.

George Fant . The Seahawks' left tackle is out for the season after suffering a torn ACL in last Friday's preseason win over Minnesota. An undrafted rookie in 2016, the surprising Fant started 10 games at the offensive line's most important position and was slated to line up there once again in 2017. Head coach Pete Carroll said he was "heartbroken" upon learning of the news. Seattle is +450 to win the NFC.

Nick Saban . It's total eclipse day-which means it's time for Saban to hunker down inside and avoid the chaos. Unsurprisingly, Alabama's head coach has no interest in the lunar-solar phenomenon. "I watch The Weather Channel every day," he said this past Saturday following a scrimmage at Bryant-Denny Stadium. "They're already saying what it's going to look like in every city in America. So what's going to be significant? Watch The Weather Channel, and you'll see what it's going to be like in Portland, Oregon." Saban even owns a lake house in Clayton, Ga., which is in the path of totality. Needless to say, he won't be there. Alabama is a +250 favorite to win the National Championship.

Nicolai Muller . Channeling his inner Martin Gramatica, Muller suffered a torn ACL while celebrating a goal in FC Hamburg's 1-0 Bundesliga victory over Augsburg this past Saturday. The 29-year-old scored the match's only goal, sending him into a wild celebration complete with spinning, jumping, and tripping over a corner flag. "The diagnosis has come as a huge shock to us," Hamburg sporting director Jens Todt commented. "It's a serious blow to our season and obviously absolutely gutting for Nicolai." And it's safe to say that's an injury that could have been easily avoided. Bayern Munich is -700 to win the Bundesliga.

Webb Simpson . Simpson had to like his chances heading into last week's Wyndham Championship. In fine form, he had made eight consecutive cuts and he is also a former champion of the tournament (2011). As expected, Simpson contended from start to finish in Greensboro, N.C. But he did not have quite enough to seal the deal after being a co-leader through 36 holes and finding himself in second just one shot back of Henrik Stenson prior to Sunday. Although Simpson carded a decent final-round 67, he was no match for Stenson. The Swede was in borderline 2016 British Open mode, making birdie on four of the last six holes on the way to a 64 and a one-shot victory over Ollie Schniederjans-four clear of the third-place Simpson. Stenson is +2000 to win this week's Northern Trust Open (MyBookie.ag).

Andy Murray . The new ATP Tour rankings came out on Monday, and for the first time since Nov. 6, 2016, Murray is not atop the chart. Due both to Murray's physical problems and his own solid play, Rafael Nadal is the new world No. 1. The Spaniard has that distinction for the first time since July 6, 2014. Murray, meanwhile, has been out since Wimbledon with an elbow injury. If there is some good news for the Scot, it's that he has already arrived in New York and is showing signs of being able to play the U.S. Open. The year's fourth and final Grand Slam begins next Monday. Roger Federer is a +120 favorite; Murray is a +650 third choice.

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Case of the Mondays: Rays, Yankees Watching Boston Pull Away in AL East

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