Will the Guardians cover vs. Royals? | NBA Draft projection: Bronny James to Lakers at 55

Good afternoon, sports fans.

The 2024 NBA Draft got underway on Wednesday with the Atlanta Hawks taking French forward Zaccharie Risacher with the first pick. The NBA now holds its draft over two days, so second-round selections will get underwayat 4 p.m., and there will be heavy interest in the destination of one Bronny James. When it comes to the action on the diamond, the Cleveland Guardians have all the tools to take down the Kansas City Royals on Thursday night. In fact, the Guardians have won four of Ben Lively's last seven starts by at least two runs. Consider this a sneak preview for the type of expert analysis and insight you will receive as a SportsLine subscriber.

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All times Eastern |Game odds via SportsLineconsensus

NBA SECOND ROUND MOCK DRAFT

The 2024 NBA Draft resumes this afternoon with the second round taking place. The Toronto Raptors will be on the clock first with the No. 31 pick, and there are still several high-profile players that will hear their names called near the top of the second round. CBS Sports college basketball writer Kyle Boone has predicted how the final 28 picks will unfold in his second round mock draft. In addition, you can follow along all of the second-round action in the CBS Sports draft tracker.

• Boone: "Those names include several former five-star recruits and McDonald's All-Americans -- led by former Duke star Kyle Filipowski and former Kentucky one-and-done Justin Edwards. We're not expecting them to have to wait long on Thursday to be selected, though, with Edwards, Filipowski and fellow blueblood product Johnny Furphy all likely to go off the board relatively soon after the resumption of the draft at 4 p.m. ET Thursday."

Guardians at Royals, 8:10 p.m. | TV: MLB.TV

• The Pick: Guardians -1.5 (+146)
• Key trend: Five of the Guardians' last seven wins may have by at least two runs.

SportsLine expert Jason La Canfora is 7-3 in his last 10 MLB picks.

• La Canfora: "The Guardians just took two of three from the Orioles, which is no joke. Cleveland is playing great ball with seven wins in its last last eight games, while Kansas City has lost eight of their last 12 contests with half of those coming by multiple runs. Outside of Bobby Witt Jr. and Salavdor Perez, the lineup doesn't offer a ton of pop. Thursday's starter Michael Wacha has lost three straight starts, and the Royals are 5-8 when he takes the mound. The Guardians definitely have the potential to win this game by multiple runs."

Here's what else SportsLine is saying about the game:The Projection Model has a "B" pick on the moneyline and total, while having a "C" pick on the spread.Get one week of picks from SportsLine completely free with the promo codeNEWSLETTER*.Sign up here to get started!

Angels at Tigers, 9:38 p.m. | TV: MLB.TV

• The Projection: Angels (+141)| Grade: B -- Moderate

SportsLine's Projection Model has "B" grades on the moneyline and spread with a "C" grade for the total for the contest. The Angels are 4-1 in their last five games, so we'll back them to stay in the win column against a struggling Tigers team.

SportsLine expert picks:Our staff has combed through the Thursday night MLB slate and offered their best plays as the season continues.Get one week of picks from SportsLine completely free with the promo code NEWSLETTER*.Sign up here to get started!

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