Editor's note: only the marquee game carries a Vegas line while our picks model is still in the shop. Full slate, live status, and where to watch everything is at watch.uristocrat.com.
Wednesday is a baseball day with a late basketball payoff. Fourteen MLB games run from lunchtime through the West Coast, including a crosstown afternoon at Wrigley and the Yankees in Baltimore on Prime. Then at 10pm ET the two best teams in the WNBA meet at Chase Center, and one of them has never beaten the other.
Marquee: Minnesota Lynx at Golden State Valkyries (10:00 PM ET, USA Network)
Minnesota is 29-7 and has the best record in the league. Golden State is 25-9 in year two and has beaten every active team in the WNBA except this one. The Lynx took the first two meetings, and the Valkyries come in on a six-game winning streak with a playoff spot already clinched, so this is the closest thing to a seeding audition either side gets in August. Napheesa Collier has been efficient on limited minutes since returning, and rookie Olivia Miles gives Minnesota a third All-Star to throw at a Golden State defense that has carried the team all year. A home win finally settles the one box the Valkyries have not checked. A Minnesota win says the gap between one and two is real.
Vegas line: Minnesota Lynx -2.5, total 163.5, Lynx -142 / Valkyries +120 (DraftKings line via ESPN).
Also today
- New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles (6:35 PM ET, Prime Video). The Yankees are 70-55 and still chasing in the East. Baltimore is 61-65 and playing out a season that got away early. National window, division stakes on one side only.
- Chicago White Sox at Chicago Cubs (2:20 PM ET, Marquee Sports Network). Crosstown at Wrigley in the afternoon. The Cubs are 74-53 and one of the best teams in the National League. The White Sox at 65-60 are the surprise of the summer on the South Side.
- Seattle Mariners at Milwaukee Brewers (7:40 PM ET). Milwaukee is 78-48, the best record in baseball. Seattle is 59-67 and fading. The Brewers keep quietly running away with it while nobody outside Wisconsin watches.
- Atlanta Braves at Minnesota Twins (1:40 PM ET, ESPN). Atlanta is 74-52 and the best team on the afternoon board. The Twins are 62-65 and have been stuck near .500 for two months.
- San Diego Padres at New York Mets (1:10 PM ET, SNY). San Diego at 68-59 is fighting for a Wild Card. The Mets at 57-70 are not. Early first pitch at Citi Field.
- Toronto Tempo at Washington Mystics (7:30 PM ET, WNBA League Pass). Washington is 20-14 and holding a playoff position. Toronto is 10-24 in its first season. The Mystics need the win more than the record suggests.
The thread today is separation. Milwaukee, Chicago, and Atlanta are all trying to bank games in August so September means less. Minnesota and Golden State are doing the same thing at 10pm, except theirs is the only game where both teams are actually good. Track the whole board at watch.uristocrat.com.
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