Ricky Dimon
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Both of the League Championship Series resume on Thursday evening. No World Series spots will be handed out, but both the Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers have a chance to take complete control. Philadelphia leads the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-0, while Texas is 2-1 up on the Houston Astros despite Wednesday’s home loss.
The YRFI/NRFI market has become extremely popular in baseball betting. After all, you don’t have to sit around for 3 hours (or maybe a lot less now that games are not as long on average!) to see if your wager hits; the satisfaction (or in some cases disappointment) is immediate. It all comes down to the first inning.
Here are my favorite YRFI/NRFI plays for Thursday, and also be sure to check out all of our MLB picks.
Philadelphia Phillies vs Arizona Diamondbacks: YRFI (-130)
As the visiting team, the Phillies will be coming up to bat first and they can be expected to cash the YRFI right away. They scored twice in the first inning of Game 1 and Trea Turner went deep in the opening frame of Game 2. Philadelphia has crossed the plate 15 times in total through the first 2 contests in the NLCS. Now, this red-hot lineup is facing a rookie in Arizona’s Brandon Pfaadt. The 25-year-old was a horrendous 3-9 with a 5.72 ERA during the regular season, so it’s hard to see him successfully dealing with Philly on such a big postseason stage.
The Phillies are sending Ranger Suarez to the mound. Suarez has been outstanding so far in the playoffs, but it wouldn’t be a big shock if the Diamondbacks get to him in the early stages of Game 3. Ketel Marte is 6-for-15 lifetime against Suarez, while Christian Walker is 5-for-15 with a triple and 2 doubles. We should rely on the Phillies for this play, but don’t rule out the Snakes picking up the slack in the bottom of the inning if necessary.
Check out our expert’s MLB best bets for today
Houston Astros vs Texas Rangers: YRFI (-130)
Look no further than the top of the Houston lineup’s success at the expense of Andrew Heaney over the years to know that the YRFI is the only play to make in this matchup. Jose Altuve is 12-for-37 lifetime at the left-hander’s expense with 2 home runs and 3 doubles; Alex Bregman is 11-for-35 with a homer and a triple. Additionally, Jose Abreu has gone deep 4 times in 19 at-bats. In his last 2 appearances against the Astros during the regular season, Heaney allowed 6 earned runs (including 3 in the first inning) in 9.2 innings.
Houston is countering with Jose Urquidy, and that is music to the ears of Texas leadoff hitter Marcus Semien. The second baseman is 8-for-21 all time in that matchup with 3 home runs and 2 doubles. Batting right behind Semien is Corey Seager, who is 3-for-9 with a homer and a double off Urquidy. The right-hander surrendered a first-inning run in his division-series start against the Minnesota Twins and I wouldn’t be surprised if he does the same on Thursday.
Don’t miss our Astros vs Rangers Same Game Parlay (+786!)
