Wednesday’s Betting Tips
Covers.com
Who’s hot
MLS: Vancouver is 3-3-3 so far on the road this year.
WNBA: Seattle is 7-2 ATS in its last nine.
WNBA: San Antonio Silver Stars are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games as a favorite.
Who’s not
MLS: Toronto is just 2-11-4 this season.
WNBA: Washington Mystics are 1-7 ATS in their last eight games overall.
WNBA: Chicago Sky are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 home games.
Key stat
-15 – Toronto FC owns the worst goal differential in MLS at -15. Toronto has just 18 goals for and 33 against.
Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked
Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees – A report in the New York Post indicates that the Yankees could have their closer back on the hill sometime this season. The report indicates that Rivera only suffered a partial tear in the ACL of his left knee earlier this year.
Game of the day
Atlanta Dream at Seattle Storm (-6, 144.5)
Notable quotable
"You always try to heat up a rivalry. We've definitely created one over the past couple seasons against Toronto, and that's a good thing. Any time we can get up for the games and perform well in a rivalry setting, the better it is for everyone, including the fans. We just have to make sure we're on the right side of the result this time." – Vancouver Whitecaps captain Jay DeMerit about Wednesday’s MLS matchup against Toronto FC. Toronto downed Vancouver in the Amway Canadian championship back in May. Toronto is set at +125 with the draw at +210 and a Vancouver win at +195.
Notes and tips
New York Mets' pitcher Dillon Gee will be placed on the 15-day disabled list after a blood clot was found in the artery in his right shoulder. Gee was taken to the hospital in New York after experiencing numbness in his fingers and was scheduled to undergo several tests including an angiogram and MRI on Monday when the clot was discovered. Gee, 26, is 6-7 with a 4.10 ERA this season and 21-15 in his career. He was scheduled to pitch in one of the opening games this weekend Atlanta. The best-case scenario for the Mets would be Gee missing only one start. Because he pitched July 7, the move made retroactively makes him eligible to return July 23.
The Atlanta Braves plan to start veteran right-hander Ben Sheets in Sunday's series finale against the New York Mets. It will be the first big-league start for Sheets since July 19, 2010. Sheets, 33, has undergone two elbow surgeries and last pitched in 2010 with the Oakland Athletics. He had his best years with the Milwaukee Brewers where he was a four-time All-Star. He has a 90-92 record with a 3.79 earned run average.
The New York Knicks have agreed to a contract to re-sign guard J.R. Smith to a two-year deal worth $5.6 million. The first year of the deal is guaranteed and he holds a player option for 2013-14. Smith averaged 12.5 points per game last season.
The Calgary Stampeders are set as 6-point underdogs at Montreal on Thursday. The Stamps will be forced to start backup quarterback Kevin Glenn after starter Drew Tate suffered a shoulder in jury last week.