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Case of the Mondays: Yankees' Division Hopes All but Over


by - 8/6/2018

Montreal Alouettes Quarterback Johnny Manziel

It was a rough weekend for the New York Yankees, and it has been a rough season for the New York Mets. Whereas the latter is going nowhere, the former still has a chance to salvage the 2018 campaign despite having just been swept by the Boston Red Sox in four games. Meanwhile, football is on the immediate horizon-but will Urban Meyer be roaming the Ohio State sidelines?

Odds provided by Bovada Sportsbook unless otherwise indicated.

New York Yankees . With so many head-to-head games with Boston remaining on the schedule, New York was right in the thick of things in the American League East with a 5.5-game deficit going into last weekend's four-game set. It's safe to say the Yankees are in the thick of things no more. They are 9.5 games back of the Red Sox after getting swept, suffering defeats of 15-7, 4-1, 4-1, and 5-4. The Yankees led 4-1 going into the ninth inning on Sunday night only to squander their entire lead with two outs before watching the Sox prevail 5-4 in 10 innings. New York is +220 to win the division and +550 to win the World Series.

Steven Matz . As for the other New York team, the Mets placed Matz on the 10-day disabled list last Friday due to a flexor pronator strain in his left arm. That is not what was needed for a banged-up pitching staff on which only two others have made at least 20 starts this season (Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom). Matz, though, hopes to be back after missing just one outing. "We have the time right now just to miss one start," the 27-year-old said. "It's not the end of the world and (we can) just let it calm down and try to finish strong." Even if New York finishes strong, however, it will be too little too late. With a 45-64 record, the squad is 17 games out of first place in the National League East and 15.5 games out of a wild-card spot. The Mets (Syndergaard) are -170 home favorites over the Reds (Bailey) on Monday night.

Odell Beckham, Jr. The Giants' receiver is hoping for a contract extension; right now it is not happening. Beckham's agent met with team management in New York last week but left without reaching a deal. The 25-year-old, who has an option for 2019 but can also become an unrestricted free agent after this season if he chooses, reportedly wants at least as much as the $16 million per year that Chiefs' WR Sammy Watkins is averaging on his current contract. Beckham remains optimistic despite last week's developments. "Optimistic? Yeah, I'm optimistic," he assured. "I'm confident it will all work itself out. It always does." The Giants are +3.5 home underdogs against the Jaguars in Week 1.

Urban Meyer . Meyer's status is murky at best as the college football season rapidly approaches. Ohio State's head coach was put on administrative leave last Wednesday, when the school announced that it would be investigating claims that Meyer and others close to him knew of an alleged domestic violence incident involving former assistant coach Zach Smith and Smith's ex-wife. Meyer admitted last Friday that he "failed" when he denied having any knowledge of the allegations made against Smith. Ohio State is +150 to make the College Football Playoff.

Johnny Manziel . Manziel's first start in the Canadian Football League was an unmitigated disaster as he threw four first-half interceptions in the Montreal Alouettes' 50-11 setback against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Manziel's former team) last Saturday. He left in the fourth quarter, finishing 11-of-20 for 104 yards with no touchdowns to along with the four INTs. "I felt I just made some uncharacteristic plays today, and you know, this game is humbling," Manziel admitted. "This is a humbling experience…. Today went the way it went. It went just about as bad as it could possibly go. Only up from here." Montreal is +2800 to win the Grey Cup ( MyBookie.ag).

Chelsea . Manchester City won the Community Shield when it defeated Chelsea 2-0 at Wembley Stadium this past weekend. Sergio Aguero scored both goals for the Sky Blues, who outshot Chelsea 18-5. Nine of City's 18 shots were on goal, while the Blues put only two of their five attempts on target. Meanwhile, goalie Thibaut Courtois has informed new Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri that he wants to leave the club. In other words, Chelsea does not have much momentum behind it going into this week's start of the 2018-19 English Premier League campaign. Manchester City is a -165 favorite to win the Premier League; Chelsea is +1400.

Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods . Tiger has endured all kinds of weekend woes this season, either for the entirety of Saturday and Sunday or just at the tail end of final rounds. His weekend at the Bridgestone Invitational was one of those that was bad from start to finish, coming on the heels of a Thursday and Friday performance that had him in contention. After shooting 66 and 68, the 14-time major champion slumped to consecutive rounds of 3-over 73 to finish in a tie for 31st at even par. As for McIlroy, he also carded a 73 on Sunday after being squarely in contention at 11-under going into the last 18 holes. The Northern Irishman dropped into a tie for sixth place as Justin Thomas coasted to a four-stroke victory at 15-under par. Tiger is +2800 to win this week's PGA Championship; Dustin Johnson is a +800 favorite.

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