We have made it the World Series! The Philadelphia Phillies will take on the Houston Astros in a best-of-7 series for the Commissioner’s Trophy.
If you aren’t interested in a bet that will take 9 innings, one of the shortest-lasting bets you can make in an MLB game is if a run will be scored in the first inning. All it takes is 6 outs to glory, and one swing of the bat can make or break your bet. There is also a lot of value in these bets because the odds are usually very well-priced, and if you’re not a fan of sweating out your bets for 3 hours then this one will take only about 15 minutes to win or lose. We cashed our YRFI/NRFI best bet on Game 1, so let’s try to keep it going!
Let’s get right into the YRFI/NRFI bet I like for Game 2 of the World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros.
Here is our World Series Game 2 preview and you can also check our our best Game 2 MLB player prop bet
Philadelphia Phillies vs Houston Astros: NRFI (-150)
Zack Wheeler was a dream come true for NRFI bettors in the regular season. He has allowed a first-inning run just once in his last 16 starts, and that includes throwing a scoreless first inning in all 4 starts this postseason. In his 26 regular-season starts, Wheeler had a 1.38 ERA and a .620 OPS in the first frame. He will face an Astros lineup that has yet to score in the first inning in the postseason, so they’ve been an excellent target for the NRFI, which is also why the price is a little steep. Wheeler will more than likely face Jose Altuve, Jeremy Pena, Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman at the top of the Houston order, and none of those hitters has faced the Philadelphia ace in their careers.
Framber Valdez was exceptional against the Phillies in his final regular-season start. He tossed 5.2 scoreless innings and surrendered just 2 hits while striking out 10 Philadelphia hitters. He proceeded to throw a scoreless first inning in both postseason outings, which means he has not allowed a first-inning run in 11 of his last 12 starts. The top of the Philadelphia order will likely be Kyle Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins, JT Realmuto and Bryce Harper, and they are a combined 1-for-11 with 3 strikeouts against Valdez. The excellent starting pitching will suppress the powerful lineups, so back the NRFI in Game 2.
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