VSiN By The Books | August 3, 2026 | Hour 2

**SPEAKER_1** (0:01)
This is VSiN, the Sports Betting Network.

**Dave Ross** (0:23)
Top of the hour, it is VSiN By The Books, Dave Ross right here at the Mint Gaming Hall in Franklin, Kentucky. There's our closer, Jensen Lewis, back home in Cleveland, Ohio. How was the weekend, my man? I know it's kind of, we're getting closer and closer to football season. We know that. You got out there, you hit the links.
You don't have to give us a score. Just give me a quick update on the swing, ball control. How did you feel out there?

**Jensen Lewis** (0:45)
Well, in true closer form, David, I don't start well ever in any golf round, but boy, can I finish strong. And isn't that the thing in golf too, where like your last couple of holes are your best, and that's how they keep you coming back around. So the final hole, Dave, is right into the clubhouse with where the pool and the daybeds and cabanas are all situated overlooking it. And so I drove to within about 60 yards of the hole.
My buddy, Brian, Michelle's brother-in-law, I wanted to rename him a Seve Doyle. His last name is Doyle. So in honor of Seve Byesteros, he had this chip from high on the hill, very fast green there on 18 to finish, just filleted to right within about four feet for a nice par to finish. So it was an excellent up and down. That allowed the 19th hole, Dave, which is traditionally our best hole, to be very much under par, no question about it.

**Dave Ross** (1:44)
Man, you par 18, that beer is gonna taste even better, a little colder when you get there. That's a perfect way to get to that 19th hole. I got a lot to get to here. Marty Hurney is gonna join the program in this hour. You know we're close to football. We got Marty back on a Monday. Can't wait for that. And Peter Appel is gonna join the program as well before we say goodbye to see what he thinks we might be in store here. The trade deadline is 6 p.m. Eastern tonight in Major League Baseball. But that's where we begin because the Big Bombshell already dropped over the weekend and that's where we begin our highlights and headlines.

**SPEAKER_2** (2:16)
Help your bottom line with today's highlights and headlines.

**Dave Ross** (2:25)
In the end, it's not a surprise that Tarek Skubal is a member of the Dodgers. We kind of thought that's what was going to happen all along. I guess the disappointment would be that after you see the hall, and put that up in air quotes, that Detroit got back, that the other teams, Jensen, didn't give more or bid more to get Skubal away from the Dodgers. So we'll find out what hope Ryan and Smith become, but we know what Skubal is, and now they've just vaulted up odds on to win the pennant in the National League.

**Jensen Lewis** (2:57)
Yep, and kind of the destination, I think most of the industry thought would be the final one there for Tarek Skubal once this deadline passes at 6 o'clock Eastern tonight. So it's not a bettable number per se as far as the future price goes for me, Dave, but I think the better exercise is for people now on the National League side is to try and forecast out which team you think can get to that National League Championship Series. And it's still not a foregone conclusion that the Dodgers, even if they got that buy into the division series, will just cascade right through into the NLCS. But they've certainly positioned themselves now. And I think this also Dave, for what it's worth, we've talked a lot about the show. Hey, Otani knee inflammation, the indefinite timeline of him getting back on the mound. This allows them even more patience to be able to get Otani 100% right before the end of the regular season. If indeed he's going to come back and be a starter, but this Tarrick School of Acquisition relieves the pressure on the rotational need for show. Hey, Otani as well.

**Dave Ross** (4:03)
Dodgers get swept over the weekend by the Red Sox. And they still, by the way, have a 10 game lead in that division. And they've added Tarrick Skubal. So good luck, rest of the National League West, and certainly the rest of the National League writ large.
Maybe some teams got better in the American League. You would think that the Rays got better by getting Freddie Peralta out of New York from the Mets, and really not a big haul to get him back as a potential rental. And then Luis Castillo, surprising move for some going from Seattle to the White Sox to the South Side. And Kevin Gosman went late last night from the reigning defendings, at least in the American League pennant last year. The Rays, he was the game one starter in the World Series. He goes to the North Side of Chicago. So some big right-handed arms, Jensen, that traded places last night.