Games to Watch — Thursday, July 2: World Cup knockouts, and Sasaki draws the Padres

Three World Cup knockout matches headline Thursday, led by Austria vs Spain and Croatia vs Portugal. The domestic marquee is Padres at Dodgers (10:10 PM ET, Dodgers -1.5), with Roki Sasaki on the mound for LA.

Games to Watch — Thursday, July 2: World Cup knockouts, and Sasaki draws the Padres
Padres at Dodgers, Thursday night at Dodger Stadium. Source: ESPN.

Editor's note: the picks below are Vegas lines, not our own calls, and only the marquee game carries one for now. For the full slate with live tiles for every game, head to watch.uristocrat.com.

The World Cup owns the day. Three knockout matches run from mid-afternoon into the night, with Spain and Portugal both on the field. Once the sun goes down the domestic slate takes over, and the pick of it is a late one out west: the Padres visit the Dodgers at 10:10 PM ET with Roki Sasaki starting for Los Angeles. There's a full MLB card and three WNBA games in between.

World Cup today

  • Austria vs Spain (3:00 PM ET, FOX). Spain, the reigning European champions, open the day at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Austria are the underdog and have nothing to lose in a single-elimination match.
  • Croatia vs Portugal (7:00 PM ET, FOX). The prime match of the three, at BMO Field in Toronto. Croatia reached the final in 2018 and the semifinals in 2022. Portugal have the deeper roster on paper, so this one should be tight.
  • Algeria vs Switzerland (11:00 PM ET, FS1). The nightcap from BC Place in Vancouver. A late window for anyone who wants to close the day with more soccer.

Marquee: Padres at Dodgers, NL West under the lights (10:10 PM ET, MLB Network / Sportsnet LA)

Los Angeles carries the best record in the National League at 56-31 and hosts a San Diego club sitting at 43-42, still in the wild card mix but chasing. Roki Sasaki gets the ball for the Dodgers against Randy Vasquez. The two teams don't need extra motivation, but a division game at Dodger Stadium in July always brings some. San Diego needs to make up ground, and the Dodgers keep piling on at home.

Vegas line: Dodgers -1.5, total 9, moneyline LAD -198 / SD +162 (DraftKings, via ESPN).

Also tonight

  • Reds at Brewers (2:10 PM ET). Milwaukee owns the best record in the majors at 53-31 and hosts a Cincinnati team ten games back in the division. A day game with a big gap in the standings, but the Brewers are worth watching right now.
  • Cardinals at Braves (7:15 PM ET). Atlanta is 50-34 and St. Louis is 44-39, so both are in the playoff picture. A solid early-evening matchup at Truist Park.
  • Rays at Royals (7:40 PM ET). Tampa Bay has quietly built a 50-33 record and rolls into Kansas City, where the Royals sit at 35-52. The Rays have been one of the better stories of the first half.
  • Angels at Mariners (9:40 PM ET). An AL West nightcap at T-Mobile Park. Seattle is 44-43 and trying to stay in the race; the Angels are 36-51.
  • Dream at Mystics (7:30 PM ET). Atlanta comes in at 12-7, one of the top records in the league, against a Washington side hovering at .500. Good early-season measuring-stick game.
  • Wings at Sun (8:00 PM ET). Dallas is 11-8 and visits a Connecticut team having a rough year at 4-15. The Wings should be the story here.

The through line: it's a World Cup day first, and the baseball waits until night. If you only watch one thing before dinner, make it Croatia and Portugal. If you stay up, it's Sasaki and the Dodgers.

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