Editor's note: until our picks model ships, only the marquee game carries a Vegas line. The rest of the slate is a viewing guide, not a betting card. Full tiles, start times, and streaming links live at watch.uristocrat.com.
Thursday night runs on baseball and women's basketball. A full MLB slate stacks up behind one rivalry game at Fenway, and the WNBA puts three games on national and streaming feeds after dark. Here is what is worth your time.
Marquee: Yankees at Red Sox, a hometown kid comes home (7:10 PM ET, MLB Network)
The New York Yankees (48-31) own the best record in the American League. The Boston Red Sox (32-46) sit last in the AL East. On paper it is a mismatch, but the story is the pitcher. Cam Schlittler, the 25-year-old AL Cy Young favorite, grew up in Walpole, Massachusetts and pitched at Northeastern, a Boston kid who rooted against the Yankees and now starts for them. He takes the ball at the park he grew up watching, carrying an 8-3 record, a 1.71 ERA, and 109 strikeouts. He last faced Boston in the decisive Game 3 of last October's wild-card series and struck out 12 over eight scoreless innings in a 4-0 Yankees win. Connelly Early (6-5, 3.64 ERA) draws the assignment for the Red Sox. New York has won eight straight at Fenway and leads the season series 4-1. This opens a four-game set.
Vegas line: Yankees -141, Red Sox +117, total 8 runs (DraftKings via ESPN).
Also tonight
- Dallas Wings at Las Vegas Aces (10:00 PM ET). The best WNBA game on the board, two winning teams on national TV. The Las Vegas Aces (12-5) are playing like a title contender again. The Dallas Wings (11-6) have hung with the league's best and walk in with something to prove against the franchise everyone is chasing.
- New York Liberty at Seattle Storm (10:00 PM ET). The New York Liberty (12-6) are right in the title mix and get a Seattle Storm team (3-15) sitting near the bottom of the standings. On talent this should be a Liberty win, but late West Coast tip-offs have a way of getting weird.
- Los Angeles Sparks at Toronto Tempo (7:00 PM ET). Toronto's expansion team is the novelty of the WNBA season, and the Toronto Tempo (8-9) have been more competitive than most first-year clubs. The Los Angeles Sparks (8-8) are scrapping for playoff position. On Prime Video.
- Chicago Cubs at New York Mets (7:10 PM ET). The Chicago Cubs (43-37) are one of the better teams in the National League. The New York Mets (34-46) have fallen apart and need to stop the bleeding at home. A measuring-stick game for a Cubs club with October on its mind.
- Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals (6:45 PM ET). The Philadelphia Phillies (44-36) carry the best record of any NL team on tonight's slate and lead the division. The Washington Nationals (41-40) are hovering around .500 and would love a statement win over the team ahead of them.
- Arizona Diamondbacks at St. Louis Cardinals (7:45 PM ET). Two teams above .500 with wild-card stakes. The Arizona Diamondbacks (41-39) visit the St. Louis Cardinals (42-36) in a game that matters more in the standings than the marquee billing suggests. On ESPN.
The thread tonight is young arms and contenders sorting themselves out. Schlittler is the headline, a future Cy Young pitching where he grew up, but the under-card is full of teams playing for position. Watch the marquee for the story, then flip to the WNBA late for the games that actually swing a playoff race.
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