Baseball, baseball and more baseball. That’s the schedule for today as games are on all day long, starting just after noon ET in Pittsburgh and going throughout the day until Sunday Night Baseball in Los Angeles. Let’s get into my MLB best bet for Sunday, and be sure to also visit our MLB predictions for all of today’s games.
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Boston Red Sox vs Chicago Cubs NRFI (-105)
Available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing
Thanks to the strong winds at Wrigley Field, the total for the series finale is inflated by a run. However, I don’t hate that one bit. The higher the total, the better odds on the NRFI. That’s exactly the situation we find ourselves in today as Kutter Crawford toes the rubber for the Red Sox and Justin Steele will make the start for the Cubs. Immediately, I’m drawn to the NRFI. Crawford was moved into the starting rotation at the beginning of June and has been a serviceable arm for them. He’s no Chris Sale, but he’s done a decent job. But where Crawford has excelled is the first inning. He’s allowed a first-inning run in only 1 of his last 6 starts and has been great in the first time through the order. Crawford struggles in the later innings when hitters are seeing him for a second or third time, but I’m eliminating that risk by focusing on the opening frame.
I can’t talk about Justin Steele enough. The lefty is the future of the Chicago Cubs with a 2.56 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP in 91.1 innings. His nasty slider and ability to limit such weak contact have been the keys to his success, and it starts in the first inning. Steele has allowed 4 total runs in the first inning of his 16 starts, which makes for a 2.25 ERA in the first frame. Hitters have just a .203 batting average with a .254 on-base percentage along with a 32.2% strikeout rate in that time. The southpaw has thrown a scoreless opening frame in his last 5 starts and should be able to make it 6 against a slow-starting Boston offense. At this good of a price, it’s hard to say no to the NRFI.
You can also read today’s MLB mega parlay and our YRFI/NRFI Best Bets
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