Thursday's slate brings another cinema of World Cup and MLB showdowns after forward Vinícius Júnior propelled Brazil past Scotland in sound fashion, 3-0, with a clutch two-goal performance.
However, the biggest storyline last night was South Africa defeating South Korea, 1-0, and advancing to its first-ever World Cup knockout stage matchup this Sunday against Canada.
Meanwhile in MLB, Pittsburgh's Braxton Ashcraft feasted on the mound against the Seattle Mariners, striking out 10 batters and issuing no walks. The cherry on top to his gutsy outing was DH Ryan O'Hearn going 4-for-5 at the plate while the Pirates' offense as a whole exploded for 11 runs.
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First Pick: Türkiye vs. USA--Under 2.5 Goals
Rundown: With USA a lock for the Round of 32, tonight's matchup should be low-stakes given that Türkiye has been eliminated from the tournament after subsequent losses to Australia and Paraguay.
USA manager Mauricio Pochettino's squad has been playing solid, fundamental soccer throughout this first stretch of the World Cup.
Over their last two games, USA has scored at least two goals while holding their opponent to one or fewer. Most notably, Folarin Balogun shined during the team's opener against Paraguay, banking in two goals around the 31st minute and stoppage time at the end of the first half.
In addition to Balogun, Alex Freeland has been another reliable option who will look to break out once again after he scored the team's second goal against Australia last Friday.
Türkiye, on the other hand, never managed to find the spark needed to stay in contention after finishing its first two matchups scoreless.
Consequently, bettors can expect a tight, no frills contest from both teams.
Second Pick: Chicago Cubs ML (-105) Over New York Mets
Rundown: Chicago (43-37) will aim for the sweep over the Mets (34-46), who are 3-7 in their last 10 games and 16-25 at Citi Field.
The Cubs' lineup has been one of MLB's hottest offenses, combining for 19 runs in a doubleheader to open the series. Shortstop Dansby Swanson went up to the plate on a mission in both games, tallying a combined 11 RBI and ultimately tying for the third-most RBI produced in a doubleheader.
Furthermore, Chicago's pitching has picked up the pace as well with Matthew Boyd taking the mound tonight. Despite his 6.00 ERA, Boyd has been 2-1 in games pitched so far and currently has 31 strikeouts. He has also allowed only 25 hits in his last seven starts compared to the 44 allowed by Freddy Peralta, his challenger in tonight's bout.
While the Mets' offense hasn't had the same luck as Chicago, star outfielder Juan Soto leads still commands the lineup with an impressive .299 batting average plus a team-high 17 home runs and .395 OBP. Additionally, Bo Bichette has made his mark in his first season with the squad, leading with 82 hits and 45 RBI.
Following Swanson's monster night, anticipate Chicago to come out fired up more than ever this time around.