Courtesy of OddsShark.com: Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The National Football League begins its first week of exhibition play, and golfers hit the links at Whistling Straits in the PGA Championship.
Colliding on the gridiron . . .
There are three games on the NFL's preseason schedule for Thursday as the league gets its exhibition slate underway in earnest: Carolina at Baltimore, Oakland at Dallas, and New Orleans at New England. The oddsmakers expect that the Saints and Patriots will play the tightest game of the three, with New England set as a slim 1.5-point home favorite against the defending champs (and the total at 35.5 points). The Ravens and Cowboys are then both pegged as 3.5-point home favorites, with the total for both of those contests sitting at 34 points. Dallas will play without injured rookie WR Dez Bryant.
As well, there's a single Canadian Football League game on tap for Thursday, with British Columbia at Saskatchewan. The Lions (1-5 SU, 2-4 ATS) have lost five games in a row heading into this game, while the Riders (4-2 SU, 4-2 ATS) beat B.C. 37-18 on the road in Week 2. Saskatchewan is an 8.5-point home favorite for Thursday's contest.
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Meeting up on the diamond . . .
The American League has just four games on the schedule for Thursday, with Boston at Toronto, Baltimore at Cleveland, the Yankees at Kansas City, and Minnesota at the White Sox. Francisco Liriano (10-7, 3.33 ERA) will take on Gavin Floyd (8-8, 3.49 ERA) in that Twins/White Sox matchup. Lefthander Liriano beat the ChiSox back on July 16, surrendering just two runs on six hits over 7 2-3 innings of work. Righthander Floyd has won three straight starts, allowing three runs on 15 hits over his last 21 innings pitched.
Over in the National League on Thursday it's then Colorado at the Mets, Arizona at Milwaukee, the Cubs at San Francisco, Pittsburgh at San Diego, Florida at Washington, and the Dodgers at Philadelphia. Clayton Kershaw (10-7, 3.19 ERA) gets the ball for Los Angeles on Thursday, while Joe Blanton (4-6, 5.65 ERA) takes the hill for the Phillies. Lefthander Kershaw was beaten by the Nationals last time out, giving up six runs over six innings. Righthander Blanton is coming off a no-decision against the Mets in which he gave up two runs on seven hits over seven innings, while striking out four.
Rounding out the Roundup . . .
The PGA Tour gets its fourth major event of the season underway on Thursday morning, with the world's top golfers teeing off in the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin. Tiger Woods is pegged as the 11/1 sportsbook co-favorite to win this week, but he might struggle to find support after his ugly showing at Firestone last week. Phil Mickelson is also at 11/1 on that odds list heading into the tournament, with Rory McIlroy at 16/1, and both Padraig Harrington and Steve Stricker at 22/1. Y.E. Yang won the PGA Championship over Woods last year when it was played at Hazeltine National Golf Club, but he's well back at 150/1 odds to win this week.
Finally, there's one game on the WNBA's schedule for Thursday, with Los Angeles at Minnesota. The Sparks (10-19 SU, 8-21 ATS) were beaten 82-76 by Indiana last time out, while the Lynx (11-17 SU, 15-13 ATS) are coming off a 73-66 win over San Antonio. The Sparks and Lynx met in Minnesota back on July 27, with Los Angeles rolling to a 71-58 road win. Tina Thompson was good for 24 points in that Sparks victory.