Mark Lammey
Show Bio
It’s finally Friday and we’ve got a loaded MLB slate. Teams are fighting for their playoff lives, while others have either waved the white flag or have already clinched. There’s a lot of moving parts in each matchup, but we have a way to isolate plays as well. By predicting if a run will be scored in the 1st inning or not, we can eliminate a lot of the variables in a 3-hour long game. It also allows us to profit in just about 15 minutes, and we’ve targeted the best spots for today’s action. Along with these early plays, be sure to check out our MLB picks for all of today’s games.
Let’s take a closer look at my 2 favorite YRFI/NRFI bets for today.
Bet $5 on any MLB game today at DraftKings Sportsbook and get $200 in free bets instantly! New customers sign up here to claim now.
Cleveland Guardians vs Texas Rangers: YRFI (+110)
Both the Guardians and Rangers wrapped up divisional series yesterday before meeting up for this weekend series. They’ve only met for one other series this season, and there was a run scored in the 1st inning of the opener of that series.
The same should be the case tonight given the advantageous matchup for each lineup. It was the Rangers that produced in that previous series, and the top of their lineup has only gotten stronger. Marcus Semien and Corey Seager are 2 of the top home run hitters in the league, and Seager just hit a 2-run bomb yesterday. Behind them is Nathaniel Lowe, who has the 4th-most hits in the AL with 168. Those studs will be hitting Guardians rookie starter Cody Morris. He’s had just 3 career starts and allowed a 1st-inning run in his debut.
There may also be a run scored before the Rangers even have a chance. Cleveland has been hot recently as they make their playoff push and now get to face Texas starter Jon Gray. They’ve scored a run in the 1st inning in each of their last 4 games, and Gray has allowed one in both of his starts since returning from injury. He’s clearly not in midseason form and now has to face one of the league’s best hitters, Jose Ramirez, in the 1st inning. With Cleveland’s number 2 hitter Amed Rosario tied with Lowe in terms of hits, both sides can do early damage in this one.
Be sure to check out our full Cleveland Guardians vs Texas Rangers predictions
St. Louis Cardinals vs Los Angeles Dodgers: YRFI (-115)
The Cardinals and Dodgers have also only met for one other series this season. Although there wasn’t a run scored in the 1st inning over 2 months ago, there’s plenty of reason to expect one tonight.
Firstly, neither of tonight’s starters featured in that previous series. The Dodgers’ Andrew Heaney hadn’t even made his first of the year yet. The lefty has been steady recently but finished last month allowing a 1st-inning run in 3 straight starts, two of which were back-to-back starts against the Brewers. They are the 7th-worst lineup against lefties, and now Heaney faces a nightmare matchup. The Cardinals absolutely smash lefties and have the highest OPS against them this year. Such dominance against them has been led by NL MVP-favorite Paul Goldschmidt.
He’s guaranteed an at-bat in the 1st inning and has a .411 average and ridiculous .822 slugging percentage against lefties this year. That’s the best of any hitter with at least 5 at-bats against a lefty, and he has 58 of them. Similarly, the Dodgers themselves are a top-10 team against lefties, and will be facing one in Jose Quintana. The former Pirate has a tall task ahead of him as he faces 3 NL MVP candidates as the first 3 hitters of the game. Mookie Betts has already won the award before, and recently became just the 3rd hitter with at least 35 doubles and 35 home runs. Following him are Freddie Freeman and Trea Turner, who have the most and 2nd-most hits in baseball. With Freeman also leading the league in doubles, the Dodgers lineup is too potent to doubt in this spot.
Be sure to check out our full St. Louis Cardinals vs Los Angeles Dodgers predictions
Pickswise is the home of free MLB Picks. Check out the latest MLB Prop Bets and MLB Parlays as well as our MLB Best Bets from the experts.
