Best Bets on Today’s MLB YRFI and NRFI Markets
The 2023 MLB season is underway and VSiN has you covered with every way you can possibly bet on a baseball game. I’m tackling YRFI and NRFI markets here, where you only have to sweat out your bet for about 15 minutes. These markets have increased in popularity over the last couple of years, and I will do my best to find you the edge. You can track the results of my MLB wagers this season here. Keep reading to find out my best bets for Sunday, May 28th.
Top MLB Resources:
All odds via DraftKings
Chicago White Sox at Detroit Tigers
Eduardo Rodriguez has emerged as the best NRFI pitcher in baseball so far this season. The lefty has yet to allow a run in the opening frame through his first 10 starts, joining Kyle Bradish as the only pitchers with at least eight starts to still feature unblemished NRFI records. Today, Rodriguez draws a White Sox lineup that has really struggled in the opening frame this season and has only scored three times in the entire month of May. Overall, they’ve only scored in 13.79% of their road games this season (4-for-29) which is the lowest rate in MLB.
Dylan Cease gets the ball for the White Sox which always gives me strong NRFI vibes. The Cy Young contender has pitched a clean first inning in nine of 11 starts this season, however both times he’s allowed a run in the opening frame this season it’s been on the road. The Tigers’ offense has been about average scoring runs early in games this season with a 30% rate (15-for-40) however that jumps to 39.1% at home (9-for-23).
Here’s how the starting pitchers have fared against the projected top of each lineup:
Eduardo Rodriguez vs:
Tim Anderson (0-for-14)
Andrew Benintendi (never faced)
Luis Robert (1-for-4)
Dylan Cease vs:
Zach McKinstry (never faced)
Riley Greene (0-for-4)
Javier Baez (3-for-16, 2 HR)
Bet: No Run First Inning (-135)
San Diego Padres at New York Yankees
This game features the most electric pitching matchup of the day with Yu Darvish squaring off against Gerrit Cole. The pair of aces have combined to go 16-4 to the NRFI this season, with Darvish posting a 4-0 mark on the road. This has also been a relatively low-scoring series thus far with just 11 combined runs and both games staying under the total.
The Yankees’ offense pushed across an early run in yesterday’s game, which snapped a string of six consecutive scoreless first innings. Overall, they are a profitable YRFI team at home this season, but their scoring rate in the Bronx has dropped since getting off to a fast start. Despite the Padres’ top-heavy offense, they’ve gone four straight games without scoring an early run, and they have a below-average rate of 28% on the road this season (7-for-25).
Here’s how the starting pitchers have fared against the projected top of each lineup:
Gerrit Cole vs:
Fernando Tatis Jr (never faced)
Jake Cronenworth (never faced)
Juan Soto (4-for-6, 2 HR)
Yu Darvish vs:
Gleyber Torres (never faced)
Aaron Judge (0-for-3)
Anthony Rizzo (2-for-8)
Bet: No Run First Inning (-140)
