MLB picks Friday 6/2: YRFI & NRFI best bets today: Pitchers' duel in Houston

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez (59) reacts after the final out of the third inning against the Seattle Mariners in game two of the ALDS for the 2022 MLB Playoffs at Minute Maid Park.
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Caleb Wilfinger

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Deputy Editor for Pickswise with years of experience handicapping and giving out winning picks. Lover of all US sports and Southampton FC. For Caleb Wilfinger media enquiries, please email contact@pickswise.com.
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With plenty of MLB games taking place each day, one of the quickest bets you can make is if a run will be scored in the first inning. There is value to be had and this market has become very popular over time. If you don’t like sweating out your bets for 3 hours, this one will only take about 15 minutes. We’re on 40-22 run with our YRFI/NRFI picks, so let’s keep the momentum going!

Before we dive in, don’t forget to check out our MLB picks on the side and total for every game today. There are 2 YRFI/NRFI bets I like on Friday, so let’s get right into it.

Lock in our MLB YRFI/NRFI picks at DraftKings Sportsbook, which has a great sign-up offer where you can bet $5 and get $200 in bonus bets no matter what! Click here to take advantage and get your bonus bets right now.

Los Angeles Angels vs Houston Astros: NRFI (-130)

Any time that Shohei Ohtani is on the mound, it’s hard not to look at playing the NRFI, regardless of the opponent. The best player in baseball is having a terrific season, as he’s posted an xERA of 2.87 while sitting inside the top-10 percentile of all qualified pitchers in xBA, average exit velocity, strikeout rate, hard-hit rate and xSLG per Baseball Savant. Ohtani has started fast throughout the season and he should toss a scoreless first inning against an Astros offense that hasn’t seen much success off him in his career. On the other side, Framber Valdez is pitching like the ace of the Astros, and he hasn’t allowed a first-inning run in each of his last 5 outings. Look for this hot streak to continue on Friday.

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New York Yankees vs Los Angeles Dodgers: NRFI (-120)

For our second NRFI pick, we’re going out west for a matchup between the Yankees and Dodgers. While his last couple of starts have been middling, Los Angeles is still getting another strong campaign from Clayton Kershaw, as the southpaw continues to defy expectations in the twilight years of his career. Through his first 11 starts of the campaign, Kershaw has surrendered just 23 earned runs and has 7 quality starts en route to an ERA of 3.32 on the season. He should see early success against the Yankees lineup, as Kershaw has pitched a scoreless opening frame in 4 of his last 5 outings. Luis Severino has also been stellar, pitching to an ERA of 1.59 and allowing just 2 earned runs over his first 11.1 IP. This should be a quality pitching matchup, so I’ll take the NRFI.

You can also check out Friday’s MLB mega parlay

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