#Matt Chapman

MOST of you will never have heard of Al Hakeem - but I'm hoping that will change in the next 48 hours. Al Hakeem is a French-trained colt and horses across the channel have been pants at home in Group 1 races this season. So, the Jean-Claude Rouget runner is a massive price to land tomorrow's Arc. The Longchamp thriller, screened live on ITV, has…

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Carlos Baerga always had time for reporters when he played for the Indians. Now he's become one. Baerga, who spent 14 years in the big leagues, hosts a popular podcast in Puerto Rico called "I Love Sports with Carlos Baerga and Friends." During the winter meetings in December, Baerga was first with the news that Cy Young winner…

The Toronto Blue Jays are betting big on themselves come 2023. Bringing in three new position players into their everyday lineup, Toronto opted for a fairly massive roster overhaul after a disappointing end to the 2022 season that saw them crash out of the playoffs with a Wild Card series sweep loss against the Seattle Mariners. While names like…

The Rays are among AL contenders while the A's are expected to be one of the league's bottom-feeders. Oakland has been competitive in the first two games of the series, but we like Wander Franco & Co. to grab a statement win tonight in our betting picks. The Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays face off in the third game of a four-game set at…

TORONTO - Wander Franco is back in the lineup on Tuesday afternoon as the Tampa Bay Rays get ready to tangle twice with the Toronto Blue Jays. It's a day/night doubleheader as the two teams try to make up games lost during the first week of the season before the lockout was settled. Franco, who came off the injured list on Friday, had three hits…

IT might surprise you, but in general terms the 2022 Cheltenham bumper form has been absolutely pants. Of course, the obvious exception has been the brilliant winner, Facile Vega, who simply looks well, errr, brilliant! But outside of Willie Mullins's star most of those who went on the level at Prestbury Park have disappointed. There's still hope,…

THE final race on day four is the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes, but who will our top tipsters be backing? With tips from our very own Templegate, Matt Chapman and the latest race trends, we've got the all-important views on each race right here. Templegate - Fujaira Prince FUJAIRA PRINCE won twice from three starts last season at a lower level and he…

This is one of baseball's most exciting weekends for those who follow and love the MLB draft process. Later today is the All-Star Futures Game, where two Blue Jays prospects Ricky Tiedemann and Yosver Zulueta made the roster and could potentially pitch an inning or two in the game at some point through the day (start time 4. p.m. PT). On Monday the…

We've got five days of Flat racing fun to look forward to - and you can watch this year's Royal Ascot for FREE with Paddy Power. It's set to be a jam-packed week with 35 races on the schedule and our brilliant live streaming service is all you need to catch every section of the action. Our traders have been busy pricing up every single renewal and…

Who's ready for some west coast action? The Oakland Athletics will travel to Anaheim to battle it out with the Los Angeles Angels. It is time to take a sneak peek at our MLB odds series, where our Athletics-Angels prediction and pick will be revealed. Standing with a record of 56-97 entering the final week of the regular season, the A's are eager…

With the MLB trade deadline just weeks away, the baseball rumor mill is heating up. While the majority of baseball has been distracted by who is likely to land Juan Soto, there is likely to be a flurry of other activity at the deadline that could drastically impact the results of the 2022 MLB season. Since everybody loves trade speculation, we…

Sky Sports Racing presenter and London & The South manager Matt Chapman is back with the first of his Racing League blogs ahead of Thursday's opener at Doncaster. Jamie Osborne is doing his best to rattle my cage - but I won't let him! Racing League 2022 gets under way at Doncaster on Thursday, live on Sky Sports Racing, and I'm ready as Team…

Few teams struggled like the Oakland Athletics last season. The perrennially cash-starved ballclub finished last place in the American League with a 60-102 record. Much of the Athletics' issues stem from their money problems. The team has always been among the lowest payrolls in the MLB. Additionally, their home field, the O.co Coliseum, has been…

It's been a wild ride over the last four days at the Royal Ascot festival, and there could be a few more ups and downs to come with a cracking card of seven races to round it all off. And our top team of tipsters will be holding on tight with their best bets for Saturday's action. Matt Chapman, Ruby Walsh, Jason Weaver, Mick Fitzgerald and Rory…

IF at first you don't succeed - try, try again! That's certainly the case for TRUCKERS LODGE in today's big betting race of the day, the Coral Welsh National on ITV. The three-mile-six marathon is sure to spark tremendous reaction from the back-again Chepstow fans… and hopefully a Truckers revival! I think this is a wide open renewal, and Truckers…

Wednesday's series finale between the Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners features a pair of solid starters, but it's also a nice opportunity for one of Toronto's coldest hitters to shine. The pregame narrative: Matt Chapman has been fade-worthy for most of the season, but he draws a matchup that we know he can exploit. As a long-time member of the…

For the second straight offseason, A's general manager David Forst is having serious discussions with multiple teams about trading his best young player - catcher Sean Murphy this time. That doesn't necessarily mean it will be business as usual for the frugal A's at the Winter Meetings, though. Forst heads to San Diego Sunday with the hope of…

The New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays will finish their three-game series with a Wednesday night matchup at Rogers Centre in Toronto. With that said, it's a good time to check out our MLB odds series, which includes a Yankees-Blue Jays prediction and pick, laid out below. New York clinched the American League East with last night's 5-2 victory…

The Toronto Blue Jays are at home and ready to welcome the Houston Astros. The series will be the first of the season between the two teams. They will meet again this summer for one more series in Houston. The Blue Jays dropped the third game of the series with the Red Sox on Wednesday to go half a game behind the Yankees for the top spot in the…

The Toronto Blue Jays have taken two of the first three games against the New York Yankees and will look to put an exclamation point on this four-game set in the series finale. Toronto hasn't exactly mashed its way to victory but has managed to win twice (as an MLB betting underdog) by keeping the Yankee bats silent, including getting by New York…

The Toronto Blue Jays have been destroying opposing pitchers of late, and they'll get some help from their mound as well in pushing tonight's total. We're (naturally) fading Yusei Kikuchi against the Tigers - get your best MLB bets for tonight's matchup. The Toronto Blue Jays' seven-game winning streak came to end last night, but they'll look to…

THE late Queen Elizabeth II is in all our minds, but there's a Princess very much in the thoughts of racing folk right now as well. When the gongs are given out at the end of the year, there is little doubt that Baaeed will take centre stage. For instance, in the Cartier Horse of the Year race, it's hard to believe that the William Haggas trained…

THERE is still time for the BHA to show strong, Churchillian leadership. You have the chance. Don't cave in pathetically. Every organisation needs strong leadership. It also needs to believe in its product. Tomorrow, when the findings of the whip review group are published, BHA and racing has the chance to excel. I'm hoping our leaders declare: "We…

The announced attendance for the Oakland Athletics home game against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night was 3748. Ouch! Will the Cincinnati Reds experience similar crowds at Great American Ball Park this season? I think it's a fair question after watching both the Reds and the A's gut their respective teams this past offseason. The Reds said…

WagerTalk MLB handicapper Andy Lang offers his Kansas City Royals vs Toronto Blue Jays betting preview for Monday, June 6. Ross Stripling takes the mound for the Blue Jays facing off against Dylan Lynch and the Royals. Still trying to secure a Playstation 5 almost 20 months after its initial release? We know the struggle. Enter our social media…

There's no lineup hotter in baseball than the one Toronto has, and tonight it'll get a look at the veteran Adam Wainwright. Can St. Louis split the series? Find out in our MLB betting picks and predictions for Cardinals vs. Blue Jays. The Toronto Blue Jays post-All-Star game onslaught continued last night, as they blasted the St. Louis Cardinals…

It sounds more like the name of a movie or a book - Waiting for Godot, Waiting for Guffman, Waiting to Begin - but for now, it remains central to this impressive, fascinating and oddly puzzling Blue Jays season. The Jays have found themselves in the standings right about where they were expected to be - among the best teams in baseball. And they've…

ERRORgetaddrinfo() thread failed to startERRORgetaddrinfo() thread failed to startERRORgetaddrinfo() thread failed to startERRORgetaddrinfo() thread failed to start *All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change The Summer Internationals get underway with a bang…

The Toronto Blue Jays bats continued to make noise over the weekend, plating 17 runs in their three-game series against the Detroit Tigers. They'll look to keep swinging hot sticks when they open a four-game set with the Baltimore Orioles. The Blue Jays have ridden those bats to wins in 13 of their last 17 games but aren't any closer to tracking…

The Toronto Blue Jays and the Oakland A's will wrap up their three-game series at RingCentral Coliseum with some afternoon baseball this Wednesday. The Blue Jays have shockingly dropped the first two games of this series to the worst team in baseball, and have now lost each of their last five contests. Can Toronto recover and avoid the sweep in…

FLAT racing superpower Aidan O'Brien has hit out at new whip rules which come into force in the New Year. The legendary trainer - who has won an incredible 83 Classics in England and Ireland - believes the latest guidelines are'shocking' and could do'irreparable damage' to racing in Britain. Talking exclusively to Sun Racing columnist and TV pundit…

SHE'S a living treasure, a sporting legend, the best thing since sliced bread and Black Caviar, and up there with our national pastime of "Flick the Prime Minister" as the most famous thing about Australia just now. The beauty part is, she's still racing in our lifetimes. And the even beauter part is, this Saturday could be the biggest celebration…

After six months of fighting their way into the postseason, the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics will square off in the American League Wild Card Game to keep their hopes of winning a championship alive. The Rays earned their first postseason berth since 2013 thanks to a 96-66record. Thewin total is tied for the second-most in franchise history…

The Oakland Athletics and Philadelphia Phillies will begin their 2022 season at Citizens Bank Park on Friday, April 8. The A's are coming off three straight postseason appearances, but thanks to a deep teardown by ownership there's almost no chance that streak reaches four. As for the Phillies, they're again trying to end a playoff drought that…

The first batch of MLB all-star voting results was revealed this week, which gives us a perfect opportunity to talk about the Toronto Blue Jays' brightest star. Of course, we mean Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who owns a 1.048 OPS this month. If your mind first drifted to Alejandro Kirk, don't worry - we'll mention him, too. As Toronto enjoys Thursday's…

The one good thing that can be said of the A's as they go into yet another rebuild is that top baseball men Billy Beane and David Forst have walked this path before. They know the pitfalls, and they know that teams don't take a straight line back to the top. Rather, they get better or worse by fits and starts. The A's enter 2022 without popular and…

Just being able to write about the Detroit Tigers and any sort of realistic shot at making the playoffs is so refreshing, when such thoughts have been non existent for the past five years, basically since former owner Mike Ilitch passed away. But here we are, with the much heralded prospects arriving in the major leagues and the team actually…

The 2022 Cheltenham Gold Cup hero runs today, but many won't give him a second glance with Michael Buckley's gobsmacker Constitution Hill primed to take centre stage at Ascot. I will be at the Berkshire track for Sky Sports Racing to bring you all the best interviews. Don't miss a minute. Oh yes, ladies and gentlemen, Constitution Hill goes in the…

At the beginning of the season, talk around baseball concerning the best starting rotations in the big leagues likely won't focus on the A's. But the talk should trend westward because the A's have the arms, all healthy for once, to orchestrate Oakland's third consecutive postseason appearance. The A's, winners of 97 games each of the last two…

The Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox face off at Rogers Centre on Wednesday night. This is the third contest in a four-game set between these AL East foes and after the Jays won the first two games, they are -150 home favourites tonight. Here are our best free MLB betting picks and predictions for Red Sox vs. Blue Jays on April 27, with the…

The Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles will square off in an AL East matchup Wednesday night in Baltimore. With that said, it's a good time to check out our MLB odds series, which includes a Blue Jays-Orioles prediction and pick, laid out below. The Toronto Blue Jays have catapulted back into the playoff race, with a 75-60 record that puts…

OAKS heroine Tuesday and one time Derby favourite Stone Age will spearhead a classic Aidan O'Brien Breeders' Cup raiding party. And with the champion of Ireland being joined by Britain's top gun Charlie Appleby in a strong challenge, the message is loud and clear to the Americans that the best of Europe is on its way to the World Thoroughbred…

The Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays will finish their epic five-game series at the Rogers Centre on Thursday afternoon. With that said, it's a good time to check out our MLB odds series, which includes a Rays-Blue Jays prediction and pick, laid out below. Tampa Bay has lost two in a row in this series, falling to 79-63, seven and a half games…

The MLB free-agency and trade market dominoes have continued to fall at a dizzying pace since the lockout was lifted as teams try to fit three months' worth of offseason activity into just a few weeks. Despite all of the activity, high-profile stars Carlos Correa and Trevor Story are both still searching for a new home as Opening Day fast…

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Coming off a rebuild and two seasons as baseball's nomads, the Blue Jays are looking forward to Opening Day 2022 as much as any team in MLB. Toronto's 91-71 record left the club just short of the postseason in 2021, but the Blue Jays have restocked their talent following the departures of Robbie Ray and Marcus Semien, leaving them…

The A's will add the No. 6 overall pick in this spring's amateur draft to their current rebuilding plans. MLB held its first-ever draft lottery on Tuesday night during a made-for-TV announcement, and the A's, despite having the second-worst record in the Majors last season and sharing the best odds of any team, failed to land the top pick. That…

After a season that could have been special, the Oakland A's will be hard-pressed to post the second-best record in the American League once again in 2021. The A's are still in position to contend, even with two of their main guys, shortstop Marcus Semien and closer Liam Hendriks, elsewhere after a disappointing team stumble in the ALDS against the…