Last season, the Golden State Warriors received every first-place vote available when we asked the ESPN NBA forecast panel for the most likely team to win the NBA title. This year, four teams received at least one first-place vote. This is going to be a different season than what we got used to under the Warriors' dynasty.

The LA Clippers lead the way in the NBA champion voting results for 2019-20, but the Milwaukee Bucks aren't far behind. (Voters were asked for their top three most likely title teams, and we calculated a weighted point total).

What is the greatest advantage for each of the seven teams that received votes this season? What's the biggest lingering question?

Our NBA experts dive into the title chances for the Clippers, Bucks, Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz.

1. LA Clippers | 117 points

First-place votes: 54.5%

Greatest advantage: If not quite a requirement for winning a championship, having a big wing who can create his own offense and excel defensively has been a huge boost to teams' chances. Since the most recent lockout, seven of the eight champions -- all but the 2015 Warriors -- have had one of Kevin Durant, LeBron James or Kawhi Leonard on the roster. With Durant unlikely to play in 2019-20 following his ruptured Achilles, I'd say four players qualify for this designation: LeBron, Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Paul George. The Clippers have two of those four players, and we haven't seen a duo quite like that since LeBron and Dwyane Wade combined for two titles in Miami.

Biggest question: The answer is health, which will be a concern for every team and particularly for the Clippers, given Leonard's past issues with a mysterious quadriceps tendon injury and George's undergoing surgery on both shoulders this offseason. Besides that, I'd say the question will be how the Clippers deal with teams with quality size at power forward, including their co-tenants at Staples Center, assuming Anthony Davis starts at the 4. The Clippers' best lineups will surely include George and Leonard at the two forward spots, but they could be forced to adjust by playing bigger with JaMychal Green at the 4 to deal with Davis, which would give them a little less mobility and floor-spacing by taking sharpshooting guard Landry Shamet off the court. -- Kevin Pelton

2. Milwaukee Bucks | 85 points

First-place votes: 36.4%

Greatest advantage: Their reigning MVP.

Giannis Antetokounmpo's secret sauce is how he responds to disappointment. After Milwaukee lost the 2019 Eastern Conference finals, Giannis sat silent at his temporary locker in Toronto. He didn't say it, but you could feel his brain whirring. This is what Antetokounmpo does: He asks himself what went wrong and how he could've been better. It took 24 hours for reflection to set in, he said at exit interviews. He had to shimmy off the sadness and frustration. But then, he said, those emotions turned into fuel.

Antetokounmpo has had a busy summer: releasing his first signature shoe, playing for the Greek national team, attending the MVP ceremony. Videos surfaced on social media of him lifting weights with his brother and shooting 3-pointers with new teammate Kyle Korver. If Antetokounmpo is able to take the next step in his game -- shoot a bit better and make a few more free throws -- the Bucks will be scary. Yes, Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton must contribute. Sure, Milwaukee's bench would be wise to pick up where it left off last season. But Antetokounmpo -- the Bucks' biggest and best weapon -- sets the tone for all of that. And he knows it.

Biggest question: Last season, the Bucks were playing with house money, but that luxury of operating under minimal pressure is gone. The Bucks were the little engine that could: huffing, puffing, defying odds, winning games and proving doubters wrong. Milwaukee made it all the way to the conference finals before being eliminated at the massive hands of Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors. Then free agency came, and the Bucks have emerged as East favorites.

The question for Milwaukee now: How will the team respond to that new external pressure? The ramifications of this season are great. The Bucks have the free agency of their franchise star looming. Milwaukee has an excellent locker room culture. Led by Antetokounmpo, the team has the unique ability to wick away outside opinions. But those voices will get louder, and the Bucks' culture must prove strong enough to not only endure it but also spin it into ammunition. -- Malika Andrews

3. Philadelphia 76ers | 38 points

First-place votes: 6.1%

Greatest advantage: Size and versatility. Philadelphia is going to turn back the clock and roll out an enormous starting five featuring 6-foot-10 Ben Simmons, 6-foot-6 Josh Richardson, 6-foot-9 Tobias Harris, 6-foot-10 Al Horford and 7-foot Joel Embiid. That size will translate to a defensive identity. With the addition of an elite defender in Richardson on the wing and Horford and Embiid anchoring the frontcourt, the 76ers should jump from No. 14 into the top five in defensive rating.

Although there are questions about the Horford/Embiid fit, the addition of the former Celtic gives head coach Brett Brown an insurance policy when Embiid is out of the game. Philadelphia has the flexibility of putting Harris at power forward (his true position) to pair with Horford. The same holds true when it comes to moving Richardson to small forward, a position he has played the majority of the past three seasons.

Biggest question: The promise of this starting five comes with uncertainty about how it all works. Harris will revert to small forward, a position he has not played consistently since his rookie year. Horford is sliding back down to the 4. And although this group can defend, who will close at the end of games with Jimmy Butler and JJ Redick gone? In 12 2019 playoff games, Butler led the team in fourth-quarter scoring (6 PPG). -- Bobby Marks

4. Los Angeles Lakers | 29 points

Greatest advantage: The Lakers have two of the top five players on the planet in LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Both will come into this season incredibly motivated. James is fresh off having his playoff streak snapped at 13 consecutive postseasons. After missing a chunk of last season with an injury, he will be hungry to remind everyone that he is the best player in the game. Davis spent much of last season stuck in purgatory. Now he has a new team and new life.

With Kyle Kuzma and a veteran supporting cast of shooters led by Danny Green, the Lakers are built to make a deep playoff run. If James and Davis can stay healthy, there aren't many teams -- if any -- that can match up with the Lakers' duo.

Biggest question: The health of James and Davis is vital for the Lakers' championship success. But the Lakers also have a lot of new pieces to incorporate this season, and chemistry will play a major role. Along with six new players who could be part of the rotation -- not including whomever the Lakers pick up to help offset the loss of DeMarcus Cousins -- the Lakers have a new coaching staff trying to make it all work. Frank Vogel replaces Luke Walton, and that means James will have to adjust to a new system for the second straight season, while Vogel will have to try to develop a rapport with James quickly.

There are a lot of moving parts, and a trip to China in the preseason accelerates the timeline. That said, the opening part of the schedule is favorable. The Lakers will want to get off to a quick start, or else Vogel and James could face early pressure. -- Ohm Youngmisuk

5. Golden State Warriors | 15 points

First-place votes: 3.0%

Greatest advantage: The Warriors return the foundation of a team that has been to the past five NBA Finals. Two-time MVP Stephen Curry and former Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green are healthy and motivated to resume their roles as offensive and defensive anchors, and that shouldn't be underrated. They also have chips on their shoulders to show that they can still contend after Kevin Durant's departure and in the face of Klay Thompson's injury.

With D'Angelo Russell giving them a third All-Star-caliber player and the potential of a Thompson return by the playoffs, the Warriors could quietly be fielding four All-Stars who have a lot to prove just in time to push for a sixth straight conference championship.

Biggest question: Will Russell be able to maximize his production and coexist in this system? If he can give Golden State the offensive boost it needs as the secondary scorer and tertiary ball handler, the Warriors could be among the best teams in the league even before Thompson's return. If not, the Warriors lack quality depth to maintain their spot at the top. -- André Snellings

6. Houston Rockets | 11 points

Greatest advantage: The Rockets rank at or near the top of the NBA in raw talent. Houston features two of the past three MVP winners with Russell Westbrook joining James Harden. GM Daryl Morey didn't have to gut the team's core to get a perennial All-Star to pair with Harden, parting with Chris Paul and future picks to land Westbrook, a significant upgrade in terms of production who has a lot more prime left than the future Hall of Famer he is replacing. Eric Gordon, Clint Capela, P.J. Tucker and Austin Rivers return as high-caliber, proven fits for a contender's supporting cast. A historically elite offensive team added firepower.

Biggest question: Are the Rockets too combustible to be contenders? Westbrook is in Houston due in large part to a mutual desire to play with Harden, but there are questions about how the former Thunder teammates will mesh now that they've developed into the league's two most ball-dominant stars. There could be some hard feelings to smooth over with the team's key complementary pieces, considering that Capela, Gordon and Tucker are well aware that they were shopped in the summer trade market, particularly when the Rockets were pursuing a sign-and-trade deal with Jimmy Butler. And it appears that coach Mike D'Antoni will work under lame-duck status after occasionally contentious discussions about extending his contract beyond this final year of his deal broke down twice over the summer. -- Tim MacMahon

7. Utah Jazz | 3 points

Greatest advantage: The Jazz aren't a superteam in any traditional sense, but with their offseason, they've built a super team. Depth was something of a question for Utah last season, but now it's an expected strength. There's a balance to the roster and a talent base that hasn't been there in the past. A large amount of the potential still resides in Donovan Mitchell's evolution, but having Mike Conley should both ease the pressure of that and possibly accelerate it.

The Jazz have always been a stout defensive team, and that will almost assuredly remain the case. But with an uptick in shooting, scoring and creating, they are more of a true two-way team than they've been under Quin Snyder.

Biggest question: How well will the Jazz integrate their new pieces and shift their identity (at least a touch) in the process? Mitchell will face some adjustment playing with Conley, and he will need to develop more as a catch-and-shoot threat. The Jazz will miss Derrick Favors' physicality and will rely heavily on Ed Davis plus small lineups with Jeff Green. The Jazz are built to endure an 82-game schedule, but the postseason will offer new examination and test their adjusted approach. -- Royce Young

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- Alex Anderson wants the Yankees to go away.

A die-hard Red Sox fan, the 11-year-old New Englander would like his team's archrival to disappear. Not just from the 2019 American League pennant race, but from baseball. Like, for good.

Last week, I spent two days in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, home of the Little League World Series. My mission? To find out how today's youth feel about the current state of Major League Baseball. To learn what an international cross-section of young stars thinks about the sport most of them dream of playing for a living, but that has come under siege in recent years for being too slow. Too boring. Too dangerous. Too not basketball or football.

"Get rid of the Yankees," says Anderson, when asked what one thing he would change if he could about the big leagues. Standing on a shaded knoll on the campus of the Pennsylvania College of Technology, where he and roughly 200 fellow LLWS participants are indulging in burgers and dogs and playing cornhole as part of a welcome barbecue, he's 48 hours from taking the mound as the starting pitcher for Barrington, Rhode Island, winner of the New England regional. But right now, he's the ad hoc commish of MLB. He's Mini-Manfred. As such, he has the power to do anything he wants. And what he wants more than anything -- more than extended safety netting or automated strike zones, more than faster games or fewer shifts -- is to ban the Bronx Bombers. "Eject all the Yankees players," he says. "And then get all the scrubs on their team, so then they'll never win a game."

"It's like having lots of explosions. It's nice to watch." Lincoln Gruppelaar, 11-year-old from Sydney, Australia, on MLB's home run surge

The Yankees aren't the only part of MLB that Alex Anderson doesn't like. "It's boring," he says of watching his beloved BoSox on TV. "That's why I don't watch 'em very much. It takes too long. Games are three hours, and pace of play is really slow." It's worth nothing that Anderson's favorite baseball team did, in fact, win the World Series last year. On top of that, his favorite player (Mookie Betts) won the MVP. Still, the rising sixth grader and part-time point guard would rather tune in to the Celtics than the Sox. "I like watching basketball better."

When an 11-year-old boy who's really good at baseball and whose team is riding the world champion wave (albeit just barely) would prefer to watch some other sport, it's hard to argue that there's not a marketing problem. Major League Baseball is aware of this, which is why the powers-that-be are experimenting with anything and everything to make the game as fan-friendly as possible. Fewer mound visits and shorter breaks between innings. Revamped All-Star voting and heightened Home Run Derby stakes. Automated umpires and, depending on which conspiracy theories you do or do not accept, doctored baseballs that even your Grandma Goldie would have no problem hitting over the fence. In San Francisco. With the wind blowing in. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

"I think it's exciting," says Justin Labrador of the rise in round-trippers. In fact, the 10-year-old second baseman/center fielder from Elizabeth, New Jersey, is so into Launchapalooza 2019 he makes sure to end his batting practice sessions with a bona fide bat flip.

Labrador's not the only youngster who's all aboard the tater train.

"It's like having lots of explosions," says Lincoln Gruppelaar of why he's all-in on MLB's current homer-happy climate. An 11-year-old second baseman from Sydney, Australia, Gruppelaar had only been to one major league game prior to Sunday's Little League Classic. It was the beginning of the 2014 season, when the Dodgers and Diamondbacks went Down Under to kick things off with a two-game set in which there were a grand total of two home runs. Five years later, taters are up roughly 60 percent across the league and Gruppelaar is loving it. Leading the charge is Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich, who as of Monday had hit 62 bombs in his past 162 games, a pace that helped him become the 2018 NL MVP. Not to mention a certain Aussie amateur's favorite player. Says Gruppelaar of the dinger deluge: "It's nice to watch."

Watching isn't the only thing homers are good for.

Santiago Leija came this close to catching a real live home run ball. It was 2017, and the young hurler from Mexico was at Yankee Stadium to take in a big-league game. As fate would have it, New York catcher Gary Sanchez went deep, depositing the ball in the very section where Leija was sitting. "It was right next to me," says the 12-year-old from Monterrey, "but I couldn't grab it." Two years later, with parks across the league preparing to roll out expanded safety netting, the odds of a young fan grabbing a game ball are dropping like a Masahiro Tanaka splitter. And the kids are less than thrilled about it.

"I don't like it," says Leija of the extended netting initiative, a response to the recent spike in high-profile fan injuries. "Because you can't get foul balls anymore."

"Even little people are hitting home runs now, and they're hitting the ball way harder. So that's really going to affect how people get hit and how bad the injuries are." Ryder Planchard, 12-year-old from Louisiana, on extended safety netting in ballparks

Based on the conversations I had with players in Williamsport, Leija's opinion is hardly a hot take. "It's sad because you can't catch foul balls and everybody wants an MLB ball," says Ryder Planchard, a 12-year-old third baseman on the Southwest regional champion squad from Louisiana. "It just really sucks that sometimes you can't get that now."

That's not to say Little Leaguers don't get the big picture. "Even little people are hitting home runs now," says Planchard, "and they're hitting the ball way harder. So that's really going to affect how people get hit and how bad the injuries are."

Even though the spike in exit velocity and homers leads to more offense and a supposedly more exciting product, some of the future leaders of America's pasttime aren't entirely sold.

"Lately, the games are a little more boring because everybody's just hitting home runs," says Jonathan Rangel, a 12-year-old Venezuelan whose favorite big leaguer is Rangers second baseman (and fellow countryman) Rougned Odor. "I like it when the game is more fast-paced. When it's 3-2, you know the game is good. But if it's like 15-0, it's boring."

Free passes can be boring, too, which is why Gruppelaar would make that his cause if he were commish for a day. "I'd make it like five balls instead of four because I want more hits to be made," he says. "I don't want everybody to be walked."

"Lately, the games are a little more boring because everybody's just hitting home runs. I like it when the game is more fast-paced. When it's 3-2, you know the game is good. But if it's like 15-0, it's boring." Jonathan Rangel, 12-year-old from Venezuela

Brett Triplett agrees that the more bats on balls (and the more balls in yards), the better. "The best part is watching the players make diving plays," says the 12-year-old from South Riding, Virginia. "And hitting the ball hard up the gaps and seeing how fast they run to get to the next base."

As fate would have it, the last time Triplett attended an MLB game, he got pretty much everything his heart desired. With the Nationals and Royals squaring off in D.C., he got to see several of baseball's blurriest burners, including Washington's Victor Robles and Trea Turner (Triplett's favorite player), and K.C.'s Billy Hamilton and Adalberto Mondesi. He got to see Max Scherzer toss seven scoreless innings during a 6-0 shutout in which the two teams combined for 18 hits, 17 of which were non-homers. As if that weren't enough, he got to see the Nats rocking their throwback Expos unis.

Perhaps most important, he got to see it all in an unusually kid-friendly 2 hours and 44 minutes, one of Washington's quickest contests of the year. Not that he was paying any attention to the time.

"I don't really care that much," says Triplett about the whole pace-of-play issue.

"It can be slow and boring. But it's mostly fun and exciting. Because no matter what happens, like even if the game's going slow and boring, if someone does something good, it feels like having fun. So baseball's always just fun." Brett Triplett, 12-year-old from South Riding, Virginia

Truth is, he's too busy watching the game to be watching the clock. "Twenty-four/seven," he says when asked about his baseball viewing habits. "I watch it on TV, and then I check ESPN on my phone. I look at the scores and the highlights. I go to YouTube and I look at the highlights."

Like many of the athletes in Williamsport, he's a young man caught between childhood and adulthood, well aware that the game he loves is imperfect, but more than willing to accept it for what it is.

"It can be slow and boring," says Triplett. "But it's mostly fun and exciting. Because no matter what happens, like even if the game's going slow and boring, if someone does something good, it feels like having fun. So baseball's always just fun."

Even with the Yankees.

Former international distance runner and British Triathlon chief executive takes on the position left vacant by Niels de Vos last year

Zara Hyde Peters has been announced as the new chief executive of UK Athletics (UKA).

The appointment of the former international distance runner, who previously worked for the national governing body from 2000 to 2008, ends the search for a successor to Niels de Vos, who left the organisation last September.

Nigel Holl, who held the interim CEO position, moves on to become executive performance director at British Curling.

“I’m delighted to be returning to the sport I love and to do so as chief executive of UK Athletics is a massive honour,” said Hyde Peters, whose previous roles at UKA included head of potential, technical director for endurance and director of athlete development – an executive director board level role.

“It is an exciting time for the sport.

“We have a huge opportunity to build on recent successes and I’m excited about being part of the team helping to realise that potential and cement our reputation as a leader in world athletics.”

After leaving UKA, Hyde Peters spent a successful spell leading British Triathlon as CEO from 2008-2014 before taking on leadership positions within the NHS.

She has also worked with UK Sport and Sport Birmingham and currently sits on the board of Birmingham 2022, the local organising committee of the Commonwealth Games.

Hyde Peters’ career as an elite athlete saw her represent Great Britain in endurance events during the 1990s and compete for England in the 1994 Commonwealth Games 10,000m, while she received an OBE for services to athletics and triathlon in 2010.

Chris Clark, who became UKA chair in June, said: “We are thrilled Zara has accepted the offer to be UKA’s next CEO.

“Our sport has a fantastic heritage and a bright future and with Doha and Dubai 2019 and Tokyo 2020 we have some exciting events to look forward to. The board and executive team recognise that there is much work to do.

“We have a great team and wonderful support through the whole sport from our colleagues in the home country governing bodies to the network of volunteers coaching and supporting clubs and competitions; from the IAAF and UK Sport to our sponsors and our partners. I am confident that Zara’s track record of achievements of delivering in sport, coupled with a business background and her recent experiences of the complexities of leadership in the NHS, give us a unique and potent set of skills to set our future direction.

“I am also personally grateful to Nigel Holl who has held the interim CEO post for the last 10 months and moves on to his next challenge to lead British Curling. He has been a great help to me in my first few months and will be much missed by all at UKA.”

Dame Katherine Grainger, chair of UK Sport, said: “Zara brings a wealth of knowledge and understanding of sport to her new role having been both an athlete and hugely respected sports administrator. In addition, her wider business expertise will be a huge asset leading the national federation of this global sport.

“Most importantly, she clearly loves and cares deeply about the future of athletics and I look forward to working in close partnership with her and all the team at UK Athletics to make sure UK Sport’s support through National Lottery funding continues to enable future generations of British athletes to achieve their dreams and inspire the nation.”

Serie A should consider having earlier kickoffs to help grow the Asian audience and boost clubs' finances, Juventus chief revenue officer Giorgio Ricci has said.

The "big five" European Leagues enjoyed record revenues in the 2017-18 season, earning a combined €15.6 billion, but Serie A lags behind the Premier League, Bundesliga and La Liga.

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"We have to find the right balance between domestic and global audiences," Ricci told BBC Sport.

"It is not just about the broadcasting times, it is also about the rights distribution and who is showing the games.

"In that sense, the difference between the Premier League and Serie A is huge. This is a very old story and one of the more frequent reasons for fights with the league."

Juve say the evening kickoffs in Italy reduce the scope to attract viewers in Asia. The current television rights deal for Serie A matches runs until 2021.

The new Serie A season kicks off on Saturday with champions Juve playing at Parma.

Carlos Vela continued his stellar season with two goals to lead LAFC to a 4-0 victory over the visiting San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday night.

Vela raised his league-leading season goal total to 26, tied for fifth most in league history. The star striker needs just five over the final eight matches of the regular season to match the MLS single-season mark of 31 set last season by Atlanta United star Josef Martinez.

Forward Diego Rossi added his 14th goal of the season and also had an assist for LAFC (19-3-4, 61 points), who won their fifth straight match.

Forward Josh Perez scored his first MLS goal and goalkeeper Tyler Miller made six saves for his ninth shutout of the season for LAFC, who have outscored their opponents 71-25.

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The Earthquakes (11-10-5, 38 points) lost their third straight match and are winless over their past four contests. San Jose lost 5-0 to LAFC earlier this season.

Earthquakes coach Matias Almeyda was ejected in the 39th minute for vehemently arguing the non-call of an apparent hand ball against LAFC. The officiating crew didn't review the play.

LAFC got on the board in the sixth minute. Perez's hard left-footed shot was saved by San Jose goalkeeper Daniel Vega but the rebound caromed to Rossi, who slammed a right-footed blast past Vega.

The second goal was set by a hand ball on Earthquakes midfielder Anibal Godoy. Vela took the penalty kick and drilled a high left-footed shot that deflected off Vega's left hand en route to hitting the back of the net.

Shortly after Almeyda's ejection, Vela made it 3-0 in impressive individual fashion.

Vela dribbled past defender Florian Jungwirth, and then slowed to slip past Vega. Defender Nick Lima moved into the goal area and Vela closed in and chipped the ball past him in the 41st minute.

Perez made it a four-goal margin in the 81st minute as his close-range right-footed shot deflected off Vega on its way into the net.

San Jose forward Danny Hoesen had two solid opportunities. His right-footed shot hit the right post in the 32nd minute, and Miller got a hand on a Hoesen free kick in the 75th minute to deflect the ball off the crossbar.

Vega made six saves for the Earthquakes. San Jose had a 22-18 edge in shots but LAFC put more on target (11-7).

NOTE: These rankings will be updated throughout the offseason.

As the fantasy football regular season draws closer, here are my updated rankings, by position and a top 200.

CHICAGO -- They're calling it a signature victory. And why not? The Chicago Cubs blew two leads but came back to win 12-11 over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday in a wild affair at Wrigley Field.

"We haven't won a game like that all year," first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. "They scored nine runs in the fifth through the seventh [innings]. Teams don't really win when that happens. It's just a good, hard-fought, never-quit win."

It was the Cubs' fourth victory in a row, which raised their home record to 43-19. The teams combined to hit seven home runs, including four by the Giants, but Kris Bryant's eighth-inning, two-run blast was the difference-maker. The Cubs trailed 11-10 before the home run.

"I mean, [Rizzo] said it best to me: That's a season-defining win right there," Bryant said. "It kind of felt like we weren't supposed to win that game, but it's always nice when you can steal a win from a good team in the Giants."

Cubs manager Joe Maddon agreed.

He has often talked about his team reaching its next level when the offense becomes a little more consistent. The only way the win might have been bigger would've been if it had come on the road, where the Cubs are 25-39.

But that would have deprived the home fans of a heavyweight fight in the batter's box. The teams exchanged blows until Bryant delivered the knockout.

"We haven't done that this year," Maddon said. "We haven't scored a lot of runs to win a game when we've given up a lot of runs. That has to happen on occasion."

Bryant added: "It's just that we can do this again. We're scoring runs, they're punching us right back. It's such a back-and-forth game, our bullpen grinding it out. But I love this team, I love the attitude that we have. We've been saying it all along, but we never quit, we never give up, and this is a perfect example of that."

For the second time in two weeks, the Houston Astros lost as historic favorites with Justin Verlander on the mound, helping sportsbooks to a profitable night Wednesday.

Despite closing as +435 underdogs at Caesars Sportsbook and managing only two hits off Verlander in their 2-1 victory, the visiting Tigers pulled off the largest upset in the majors over the past 15 years, according to sports betting database BetLabsSports.com.

Just 10 days ago, the Astros were -460 road favorites over the Baltimore Orioles (+390). Houston lost that game 8-7, in what prior to Wednesday was the largest upset since the Washington Nationals beat the Minnesota Twins as +395 underdogs in 2007.

On Wednesday night, Houston closed as a -560 favorite at Caesars and as high as -600 at MGM and FanDuel.

"We took a couple of straight bets on the Astros and a slew of parlays over $500 that had either the Astros money line or run line on them," Caesars director of trading Jeff Davis told ESPN.

Scott Shelton, the sportsbook shift manager at Mirage/MGM, said it won more than six figures on the game, taking a $55,000 bet on Houston at -550 (to win $10,000) and a $63,520 bet on Houston at -575 to win $11,000.

Westgate Superbook also said it did well, taking a bunch of -1.5 run-line bets on the Astros at over -200.

Verlander retired the first 14 batters he faced, with six strikeouts, before Ronny Rodriguez homered with two out in the fifth. The veteran right-hander set down another 10 straight before John Hicks connected to lead off the ninth, sending the MLB-worst Tigers to just their 38th victory of the season.

"That's the biggest win for us in a long, long time, especially against a premium team like that, a World Series contender and Verlander on the mound,'' Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said.

Betting big underdogs has been a profitable strategy in Major League Baseball.

Over the past 15 seasons, 19 teams have been at least +345 underdogs. Those teams are now 10-9 in those games. The Astros have now been the biggest road favorite (Aug. 11) and the biggest favorite anywhere (Wednesday night) over the past 15 years, losing both.

For Thursday's series finale against Detroit, Houston, with Gerrit Cole taking the mound, opened as a -500 favorite at Caesars, which would be the second-highest line over the past 15 years.

Information from ESPN's David Purdum and Ben Fawkes was used in this report.