This Week in Sports Betting A-Z 7/6/2018

by Ricky Dimon - 7/6/2018

A. Arkansas . That was the kind of stuff that you don't recover from-at least not anytime soon. In an all-time College World Series collapse, Arkansas was one out and even one strike away from the title when a popup by Oregon State that should have been caught for the clincher landed between the first baseman, second baseman, and right fielder. The Razorbacks promptly allowed a game-tying single to that hitter, gave up a two-run homer two batters later, lost the game 5-3, and lost last week's Game 3 decider 5-0 one day later. Incredible. Sports.

B. Baltimore Ravens . The Ravens' offseason includes drafting Lamar Jackson and signing Robert Griffin III. So what is Joe Flacco's mentality heading into the 2018 campaign. Safety Eric Weddle said, "Drafting Lamar and bringing Griffin in, it's lit a fire under him. You can tell. It has shown." Check out our breakdown of Baltimore's 2018 road schedule .

C. Chris Froome . Froome's anti-doping case was dropped by the governing body of cycling earlier this week and his start in the Tour de France will go on as planned. The Brit's bid for a fifth title begins on Saturday.

D. Doug Pederson . The Eagles will be wearing home jerseys when they play the Saints in Week 10. The game is in New Orleans. So what's the deal? Well, Pederson
beat New Orleans head coach Sean Payton in a golf bet during the NFL's meetings in March. No word yet if Payton had a four-shot lead on the final hole and blew it with a quintuple bogey on 18….

E. England . England had a 1-0 lead over Colombia in their World Cup round of 16 match on Tuesday only to give it up in stoppage time. With momentum gone, surely the English would once again suffer penalty-kick heartbreak on the biggest stage in soccer. They even trailed 3-2 after three kicks before saving Colombia's last two and winning 4-3. Get this: the World Cup final and the Wimbledon men's singles final will overlap next Sunday. Just think if England is in it…. Check out our England vs. Sweden preview .

F. Federer, Roger . Speaking of Wimbledon, the 36-year-old Swiss has cruised through two rounds. So, too, has Rafael Nadal. Ten years after their epic 2008 final, these two all-time greats are still No. 1 and No. 2 in the world and on a collision course for another showdown in the title match. Federer is the favorite to win Wimbledon, and why not? He is 94-11 lifetime at the All-England Club with eight titles.

G. Grand Slam . Michael Lorenzen hit a pinch-hit grand slam for the Reds last Saturday. Michael Lorenzen is a relief pitcher. And it was no fluke, either. Lorenzen has three dingers on the season and out-homered Bryce Harper in June.

H. Heat wave . Three players left the Cubs-Twins game early last Saturday, when the heat index reached 107 degrees. In another hot one at Wrigley Field on Wednesday, Detroit manager Ron Gardenhire peaced out before the end. Speaking of being hot, the Cubs have won six in a row and have scored at least five runs on all six occasions-including in double-digits four times.

I. Indianapolis Colts . Running back Robert Turbin has been suspended four regular-season games for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy. Turbin played only six games in 2017 due to an elbow injury but he has been working with the Colts' first team this offseason because they did not re-sign Frank Gore and Marlon Mack is dealing with a shoulder issue. Andrew Luck is +3000 at Bovada Sportsbook to win NFL MVP.

J. Justify . What's next for the Triple Crown winner? "He's going to have a lot of girlfriends," said trainer Bob Baffert. "Like, hundreds and thousands of them. He's going to get rewarded. Lot of sex. Lot of sex." So, you know, probably not unlike the reward for most star athletes.

K. Kylian Mbappe . There seems to be a breakout star at every World Cup, and this time around-and least so far-it's Mbappe. The 19-year-old scored twice in France's 4-3 win over Argentine last Saturday and also set up another goal by drawing a penalty in the box. Check out our advice for betting the World Cup knockout rounds .

L. LeBron James . LeBron is a Laker. Take that, Dan Gilbert! XBet.ag has LeBron at +350 to win NBA MVP.

M. Maple Leafs . The NHL's hot stove does not hold a candle to that of the NBA, but there was some recent news. John Tavares, who has averaged 69 points per season in his nine-year career, signed a seven-year deal with Toronto.

N. Neck injury . Kam Chancellor didn't use the "r" word, but a recent post on Twitter suggests his NFL career is over due to a neck injury sustained last season. "To walk away from the game by choice is one thing, to walk away from the game because of the risk of paralysis is another," the Seahawks' longtime safety wrote. "I've played through all types of bruises and injuries at a high level. But this one, I just can't ignore." Seattle is +370 at GT Bets to win the NFC West.

O. Ohtani, Shohei . Ohtani is back! Well, at least half of Ohtani is back. The Angels' two-way star is batting again in game action, but his pitching status for the rest of the season remains a question mark due to an elbow injury.

P. Paul George . LeBron is a Laker; George is not. In a somewhat unexpected development, the 28-year-old decided to stay in Oklahoma City with Russell Westbrook. Now that DeMarcus Cousins is joining the Warriors, do LeBron and George still have time to reverse their decisions and jet for the Eastern Conference?

Q. Quicken Loans National . It turns out nothing Tiger Woods or anyone else could have done on Sunday would have been enough to overcome Francesco Molinari. The Italian fired a final-round 62 and won by eight shots at 21-under par.

R. Reirden, Todd . Stanley Cup-winning coach Barry Trotz is out, and Reirden has trotted into the nation's capital. Following Trotz's resignation, Washington hired Reirden-who had been an assistant with the Caps the past four seasons-last week. First order of business: make sure Alex Ovechkin does not party himself to death this summer.

S. Spain . Are you serious, Spain?!?!? The 2010 World Cup champions got a friendly draw against Russia in the round of 16 and an even friendlier draw in the entire bottom half, but they threw it all away with a shootout loss to the host nation following a 1-1 tie last weekend. MyBookie.ag has Russia at +2000 to win the World Cup.

T. Tiger Woods . Close but no cigar for Tiger once again. The 14-time major champion flirted with the Quicken Loans National lead last Saturday and again on Sunday before fading down the stretch each time. "The last two days playing 13 (and) 14 the way I did…I bogeyed 13 twice and then didn't birdie 14 either day and I was right there next to the green," said Tiger, who finished T4. "Those are things I can't afford to do and expect to win a golf tournament." Is he waiting to find the win column at a much more prestigious event? The 42-year-old is +2300 at BookMaker to win the British Open later this month.

U. U.S. Open champion . The reigning U.S. Open champion did not last long at Wimbledon, as Sloane Stephens lost her opening match to Donna Vekic. But Stephens isn't alone. A whopping six top-8 seeds on the women's side (and 11 of the top 24) exited the tournament in the first four days-including defending champion Garbine Muguruza.

V. Vertonghen, Jan . Belgium completed a comeback for the ages in last week's 3-2 victory over Japan in the round of 16. It started on Vertonghen's ridiculous header that appeared to be more of a pass than a shot. But it's better to be lucky than good, and this Belgian club is both.

W. Winston, Jameis . It's official: the NFL has suspended Winston for three regular-season games stemming from his alleged assault of a female Uber driver in March of 2016. So let's get this straight, Roger Goodell: Winston got three games for alleged sexual assault, while Tom Brady got four for letting air out of some footballs and Martavis Bryant got a full season for smoking some weed. So, if Winston steals a few crab claws again, he'll probably be banned for life?

X. Xavier Williams . The Chiefs have taken the task of improving their defensive line this offseason, and that effort includes the signing of Williams. "I've really liked it; I've enjoyed my time since I've gotten here," said the tackle, who previously played three seasons in Arizona. "The energy around my teammates has been really good."

Y. Yankees . The Yankees-Red Sox series last weekend featured a grand total of zero competitive contests. Sandwiched in between 8-1 and 11-1 routs for New York, Boston dominated 11-0. The Yankees are a decent 6-3 in their last nine outings and remain one game behind the Sox in the AL East. New York (Gray) is a -144 favorite at Toronto (Gaviglio) on Friday, per Bovada Sportsbook.

Z. Zero . That's how many games the Tigers won during a recent 11-game stretch. They somehow managed to beat Toronto on Sunday on Monday but are now mired in another three-game losing streak. Detroit is 38-51 overall and suddenly a seemingly insurmountable 12 games back of Cleveland in the AL Central. 5Dimes Sportsbook has Detroit (Zimmermann) as a -106 home favorite over Texas (Colon) on Friday.

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