MLB picks Thursday 4/27: YRFI & NRFI best bets today: Dream pitching matchup in Chicago

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) delivers against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning at Guaranteed Rate Field.
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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. I went 2-0 on my YRFI/NRFI picks on Wednesday, so let’s keep the momentum going! Before we dive in, don’t forget to check out our free MLB picks on the side and total for every game today. There are 2 YRFI/NRFI bets I like on Thursday, so let’s get right into it.

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Tampa Bay Rays vs Chicago White Sox: NRFI (-135)

It’s hard not to immediately gravitate toward the best pitching matchup on the board, and I think we might even be getting a slight discount on this number. Dylan Cease is one of the best pitchers in the game and he’ll be opposed by Shane McClanahan, another ace in his own right. While the White Sox’s season has not gone well to this point, Cease has been the lone bright spot, posting an ERA of 2.73 and allowing just 8 ER over his first 5 starts, including an outing against Tampa Bay. Cease should get off to another terrific start at home against a lineup that has limited experience against the White Sox ace.

On the other side, the top of the White Sox order is a combined 4-of-21 lifetime off McClanahan, so I expect a quick inning of work from him as well. Let’s back these excellent pitchers early on.

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New York Yankees vs Texas Rangers: NRFI (-120)

With Gerrit Cole on the mound for the Yankees, this is a matchup where we’d typically have to lay closer to -140 juice. However, we’re getting a slight discount because of Andrew Heaney on the other side. Heaney’s reputation as a fly-ball pitcher is earned, but he’s been pitching quite well since a terrible first outing to start the season. His xERA of 3.97 suggests that he’s due for some positive regression — which makes sense considering he surrendered 7 runs in 2.2 innings in 1 outing, which inflated his ERA as a result.

If you remove that outing against Baltimore, Heaney has allowed just 2 runs over his last 16 innings pitched. If he gets off to a strong start on Thursday, I have full trust in Cole (0.79 ERA in 34 IP) to continue to pitch at a Cy Young level against a banged-up Rangers lineup. Therefore, I’ll grab the NRFI at this number.

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