by Big Al Staff
Thursday, Jul 31, 2025The Thursday sports card features NFLX, MLB, and CFL action.
The 2025 NFL preseason kicks off with the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. The Detroit Lions play against the Los Angeles Chargers on NBC at 8 p.m. ET. The Lions are a 1.5-point favorite with the total set at 32.5 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise).
Major League Baseball has three games scheduled. The New York Yankees host the Tampa Bay Rays at 1:05 p.m. ET. The Yankees won for the third time in their last four games with a 5-4 victory against the Rays last night. They are in second place in the American League East with a 59-49 record. New York trails the Toronto Blue Jays by four games. The Rays lost for the sixth time in their last seven games with the setback. Their 54-55 record puts them in fourth place in the AL East, trailing the Blue Jays by 9 1/2 games. The Yankees send out Marcus Stroman to pitch against Tampa Bay’s Ryan Pepiot. New York is a -115 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5
The Cincinnati Reds are home against the Atlanta Braves at 7:10 p.m. ET. The Reds won for the fifth time in their last seven games by ending a two-game losing streak in a 5-2 victory at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday. They are in third place in the National League Central with a 57-52 record. Cincinnati trails the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the division by 7 1/2 games. The Braves lost for the seventh time in their last eight games with a 1-0 loss at Kansas City yesterday. Their 45-62 record puts them in fourth place in the NL East, trailing the first-place New York Mets by 16 games. Andrew Abbott gets the ball for the Reds to face the newly acquired Carlos Carrasco for Atlanta. Cincinnati is a -158 money-line favorite with a total of 9.5.
The Seattle Mariners are at home to challenge the Texas Rangers at 9:40 p.m. ET. The Mariners lost for the third time in their last four games in a 5-4 loss on the road against the Athletics last night. Their 57-52 record puts them in a tie for second place in the AL West. Seattle trails the Houston Astros by five games. The Rangers had won six games in a row, yet they are now on a three-game losing streak after a 6-3 loss in Los Angeles against the Angels on Wednesday. They are tied with Seattle for second place with an identical 57-52 record. The Mariners turn to George Kirby to take on the Rangers’ Kumar Rocker. Seattle is a -164 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5.
Week 9 in the Canadian Football League kicks off with one game. The Ottawa Redblacks host the Calgary Stampeders at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Redblacks are on a four-game losing streak after a 30-15 loss at home against Hamilton as a 2-point underdog back on July 20th. With a 1-6 record, they are in last place in the East Division, trailing the first-place Montreal Alouettes by four games. The Stampeders’ three-game winning streak ended with a 23-21 upset loss at home against Montreal as a 6.5-point underdog last Friday. They are in second place in the West Division with a 5-2 record. They trail the Saskatchewan Roughriders by one game. Ottawa is a 3.5-point favorite with a total of 49.5.
