The Chicago White Sox host the Detroit Tigers on Thursday in the finale of a series at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox will be looking to sweep the Tigers after winning each of the first two games of the series on either side of the rained out second game.
The AL East division’s two scariest offenses meet up in Maryland on Thursday night, except one is trending upward and the other is mired in stagnation over the past few games.
The Indians had won 9 of 10 before getting cooled off by Kansas City the last couple of games. They are in amazingly tight race in the AL Central where all the teams are within a couple of wins of each other with Detroit on top because they have the fewest losses.
The UFC returns to beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia this Saturday for UFC 174 – a card that is highlighted by a Flyweight Championship bout between Demetrious Johnson and dangerous challenger Ali Bagautinov.
A fight with Welterweight Title shot implications between Rory MacDonald and Tyron Woodley is also on the card as well as former UFC Heavyweight champion Andre Arlovski’s return to the organization.
It promises to be a stellar night of fights – let’s break it down.
UFC 174: Johnson vs. Bagautinov
Date: June 14, 2014
Venue: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia
Broadcast: Pay-Per-View, Fox Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass
UFC Odds From Bovada
Demetrious Johnson (19-2-1): -565
Ali Bagautinov (13-2): +435
Demetrious Johnson will defend the Featherweight strap for the third time Saturday looking nearly impossible to stop. In his last three fights he has won by decision by armbar and by knockout! Translation – he can and will beat you anywhere the fight happens to go. Ali Bagautinov, the 2012 World Sambo Champion provides the challenge Saturday and himself brings with him a good set of all around skills.
Bagautinov will attempt to utilize his strong striking game and hope to throw some of his patented takedowns in there. But perhaps his best weapon ahead of this fight is his takedown defense – he has shown a tremendous ability to shrug his opponents’ takedowns and keep fights standing – exactly where he likes it.
Johnson’s quickness is already legendary in the UFC – you have to catch him in order to do any damage. While I don’t see Johnson being able to drag this fight to the mat, I do see Johnson being able to stay out of the danger zones with his insane footwork and speed. It looks like a lopsided win for Mighty Mouse as he peppers Baugautinov during a standup war en route to a relatively easy decision win.
Bring on John Dodson!
Pick: Demetrious Johnson -565
Rory MacDonald (16-2): +125
Tyron Woodley (13-2): -145
Rory MacDonald will attempt to climb the Welterweight ladder on Saturday when he takes on Tyron Woodley who has absolutely taken the UFC by storm. MacDonald, ranked #2 in the division is coming off a unanimous decision against Demian Maia while Tyron Woodley is fresh off an incredible knockout win against the terrific Carlos Condit – his third KO win in his last four fights overall.
MacDonald has struggled in his career against top level competition and he has been largely unflattering in his last couple of fights. On the other hand Woodley has been uber-impressive every time out – his only loss in the organization was controversial to say the least – against Jake Shields.
Woodley’s aggressiveness, his wrestling prowess and his power will serve him well against a fighter that seems to retreat into a conservative shell when pressed in fights. One mistake is all Woodley needs – I think MacDonald is good for one of those Saturday night.
Pick: Tyron Woodley -145
Ryan Bader (16-4): -143
Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante (12-4, 1 NC): +123
Light Heavyweight do battle on Saturday night when former Strikeforce champion Rafael Cavalcante takes on Ryan Bader for a little credibility within the Light Heavyweight division. Bader brings a smothering wrestling game to the Octagon on the heels of a win while Cavalcante brings a 1-1 record in the UFC – his win came in TKO fashion last time out against Igor Pokrajak and his loss was at the hands of Thiago Silva in his UFC debut.
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This fight is a true contrast in styles with both fighters are desperate to climb the UFC ladder – neither can afford a loss. Look for the former two-time All-American wrestler Ryan Bader to impose his will in this fight – any sense of trouble for the American and he will certainly drag this fight to the mat where he has a distinct advantage. It may not be the most exciting win but Bader should be able to grind out a victory here.
Pick: Ryan Bader -143
Andrei Arlovski (21-10, 1 NC): +125
Brendan Schaub (10-3): -145
Andrei Arlovski will be welcomed back to the UFC by #13 ranked Heavyweight Brendan Schaub on Saturday night, nine years after he wore the UFC Heavyweight strap. While Arlovski has lost a step or two he will have a distinct striking advantage in this fight which should be enough. Both of these fighters have been knocked out in the recent past – neither has a particularly good chin.
Because of that, I have to go with the better striker – a motivated Arlovski is that guy!
Pick: Andrei Arlovski +125
Ovince Saint Preux (15-5): -145
Ryan Jimmo (19-3): +125
Light Heavyweights kick off the Pay-Per-View portion of UFC 174 when Ovince Saint Preux takes on Ryan Jimmo, who will attempt to win two straight fights for the first time in his UFC career. Saint Preux has been on fire – three straight wins but Jimmo possesses a very dangerous right hand as displayed in his seven second knockout win in his UFC debut.
Jimmo’s pattern recently has been win one and then lose one. No reason to think that the pattern changes against a very confident Saint Preux. Saint Preux makes a statement Saturday night and takes another step up the UFC ladder.
Pick: Ovince Saint Preux -145
Daniel Sarafian (8-4): -360 vs. Kiichi Kunimoto (16-5-2, 1 NC): +295
Pick: Daniel Sarafian -360
Valerie Letourneau (5-3): -130 vs. Elizabeth Phillips (4-1): +100
Pick: Valerie Letourneau -130
Yves Jabouin (19-9): +155 vs. Mike Easton (13-4): -180
Pick: Yves Jabouin +155
Kajan Johnson (19-10-1): -170 vs. Tae Hyun Bang (16-8): +145
Pick: Tae Hyun Bang +145
Preliminary Card (on UFC Fight Pass)
Roland Delorme (9-2): -105 vs. Michinori Tanaka (9-0): -115
Pick: Michinori Tanaka -115
Josh Shockley (11-2): +115 vs. Jason Saggo (9-1): -135
Pick: Jason Saggo -135
NASCAR’s Sprint Cup series rolls into Michigan this week for the running of the Quicken Loans 400. This Sunday’s race is scheduled to get underway at 1 p.m. and it will be broadcast nationally on TNT.
Golf’s second Major of 2014 comes our way from North Carolina this week when the US Open is contested on Pinehurst #2. The world’s best minus Tiger Woods will tee it up looking for one of the most prestigious titles on TOUR.
The draft is over, the rookie mini-camps are in the books and mandatory mini camps have begun – the business of football is back into full swing – thankfully.
While the Marlins (34-30) have loads of captivating young pieces on their club and are exceeding expectations, the Rangers (31-34) are currently the exact opposite. It is somewhere in that equation that makes this a perfect Interleague match-up.
The Angels got swept by the A’s last month but that was without Mike Trout, who did miss time in that series with a back injury. But the slugging outfielder didn’t miss a beat on Monday in the series opener, driving in a pair of runs in a rare 4-1 victory over Oakland.
The Colorado Rockies host the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday in the third game of a four-game set at Coors Field. The Braves have won both a low-scoring, and a high-scoring game at Coors Field to begin this series, claiming a 3-1 decision in the opener on Monday, then taking a 13-10 win in the second game of the series on Tuesday.
After their long losing streak came to an end the Red Sox rattled off 7 wins in a row but since then have been up and down.
The Cup Is In The Building – Kings Look to Sweep Rangers Wednesday Night
The New York Rangers were put on the brink of a disheartening Stanley Cup Final series loss Monday night in a game that they should have won. Now the Broadway Blueshirts have to regroup and do something that only four teams in NHL history have done – come back to win four straight games after losing the first three of a series.
The first place Brewers continue their eight-game road trip against the faltering New York Mets when they open a three-game set at Citi Field on Tuesday night.
This pick was written before this AM’s news, it just wasn’t published. NOTE: Masahiro Tanaka vs. Mariners Hisashi Iwakuma won’t take place Tuesday at Safeco Field after the Yankees switched up their rotation following a Monday rainout in Kansas City. Iwakuma will face Vidal Nuno, with Tanaka going Wednesday against Chris Young.
Game two was close but ultimately a loss for the Spurs who had no answer for LeBron James down the stretch.
The Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs will be back in action on Tuesday evening as the NBA Finals shifts to South Beach for Game 3. LeBron James was back in fine form in the second game, shutting up his critics with a dynamic performance.
