Your Must-See Sports Headlines for Today, August 22

Melvin Gordon and the San Diego Chargers have not made progress at the negotiating table over the running back's contract.

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images Melvin Gordon and the San Diego Chargers have not made progress at the negotiating table over the running back's contract.

Welcome to the roundup of must-see sports news from Wednesday, highlighted by the headline no San Diego Chargers’ fan wanted to see – Melvin Gordon’s holdout is reportedly expected to carry into the regular season.

We’ll also take a look at the biggest upset in Major League Baseball at the sportsbooks in 15 years and the unveiling of the XFL’s eight new franchises.

All this and more as we get you up to speed with the sports world on this Thursday!


Chargers RB Melvin Gordon Reportedly Expected to Miss Regular-Season Games Due to Holdout

The possibility of San Diego Chargers’ star running back Melvin Gordon missing time in the regular season due to his holdout is becoming more of a reality as we draw closer to September.

Gordon, who is heading into the final year of his rookie contract, and the Chargers haven’t made sufficient progress with negotiations and now the team is expecting the running back to miss games this season, according to NFL.com.

The two-time Pro Bowler is seeking either a raise from his $5.6 million base salary or to have the Chargers trade him.

Despite missing four games last season due to injury, Gordon scored 14 touchdowns and rushed for 885 yards.

According to Fletcher Smith, one of Gordon’s agents, his client will be prepared to sit out for as long as it takes.

“Oh, he’s prepared to sit,” Smith said in an interview in July. “We’ll take it day by day, week by week and see how things go, but at this time, if he can’t get anything done, he certainly won’t be in training camp, and he’s prepared to sit as long as he has to.”

If Gordon doesn’t suit up, Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson are due to see the majority of touches at running back for the Chargers.

More from Heavy.com: Chargers running back depth chart without Gordon


Detroit Tigers Shock Houston Astros in Historic Upset at the Sportsbooks


The Houston Astros were massive favorites going into their game with the last-place Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night, closing as a -560 favorite at Caesars Sportsbook.

With Justin Verlander on the mound facing a 37-87 team with those odds, you’d think that’d be one of the safest bets, but…think again.

Despite throwing a two-hitter, Verlander and the Astros were stunned by the Tigers, 2-1.

Detroit closed as a +435 underdog at Caesars, making their win Wednesday night the largest upset in an MLB game in the past 15 seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

Facing his old team, Verlander retired the first 14 batters, before yielding a solo home run to Ronny Rodriguez in the fifth inning. He then proceeded to get the next 10 batters out before giving up the go-ahead home run to John Hicks in the ninth inning.

Just a few weeks ago, the Astros fell victim to another huge upset at the sportsbooks, when they lost as -460 road favorites to the last-place Baltimore Orioles.


DON’T MISS THESE STORIES: Rounding Up the Top Headlines


WHAT’S ON TAP IN THE SPORTS WORLD

PGA TOUR: FedExCup Playoffs – The TOUR Championship
The top thirty players in this season’s FedExCup points head to East Lake in Atlanta this week for the TOUR Championship.

For the first time, the TOUR will use a staggered start to begin their season finale, with players assigned starting strokes based on where they finished in the season-long FedExCup standings.

Justin Thomas, who finished atop the standings following his win at the BMW Championship last week, will tee it up on Thursday at 10-under-par and have a two-stroke lead to begin the tournament.
WHEN: Today, 1 p.m. ET (First round coverage)
TV: Golf Channel

NFL: Preseason Week 3
The third week of preseason football kicks off tonight with a slate of six games, highlighted by the Patriots taking on the Panthers and a FOX broadcast of the Jaguars facing the Dolphins.

Missed Yesterday’s Roundup? Click here for it.