After another 2-1 night the focus shifts to Saturday’s slate, which has more evening starts than normal. Be it a No Run First Inning or a Yes Run First Inning bet, the aim is to combine recent hitting and pitching trends, ballpark data, and the first-inning moneyline tool at OddsShopper. Here are the best value plays for today’s action with the best NRFI picks for Saturday, Aug. 27.
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Best NRFI Picks Today: No Run First Inning Bets 8/27
Reds at Nationals Pick | RISK FREE BET up to $1,000
Back to the nation’s capital after a successful YRFI in last night’s game between these two teams. The Reds continue the series with Luis Cessa, countered by Paolo Espino from the Nats side. Neither pitcher is anywhere near good enough to counter how bad each team is, especially taking advantage of the many strikeouts in both lineups. Espino has an ERA of 4.31 but carries a 1.31 WHIP — the numbers for Cessa are even worse, notably the 1.49 WHIP.
The Nats give up .63 runs per first inning (RPFI) at home, second worst in all of baseball. The Reds are one of baseball’s worst teams in MLB when it comes to RPFI on the road, but as evident by last night, the Reds can still victimize bad pitching. Expect that from both sides tonight.
Best NRFI Bet Today: Reds at Nationals YRFI (-105 BetMGM)
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Tigers at Rangers Pick | RISK FREE BET up to $1,000
For the third time this season alone, Dallas Keuchel will get the start for a major league club. This isn’t by choice, as the Rangers need to fill a spot on their rotation, and Keuchel has been flat out awful this year. The problem is so has Detroit, in the first inning while on the road. The Tigers average a major league worst .20 RPFI on the road, and are equally as bad as their opposing pitcher. The other side is a Tigers pitcher who has performed well over his last couple of starts, holding opponents scoreless in two of his last three starts. He’s worked his WHIP down to 1.34 on the year and the Rangers are bottom third in RPFI at home, averaging just .49 on the year.
Best NRFI Bet Today: Tigers at Rangers NRFI (-130 BetMGM)
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Braves vs. Cardinals Pick | RISK FREE BET up to $1,000
Two top teams in the league continue their series with Charlie Morton squaring off against Jordon Montgomery. The latter has fit in nicely with his new team, which is probably an understatement as Montgomery comes off a complete game 1-hit shutout. It’s been difficult for any lineup to get to the new Cards arm, as it has for Morton with a 29.1% K rate.
The Braves exploded last night against the Cardinals and are hitting the ball as well as any team in baseball. St. Louis is still fourth best in baseball with a .74 RPFI average at home, and the Braves are one of only 12 teams to average over .50 RPFI on the road. The +115 number for YRFI should come down as it gets closer to first pitch, if not well before that, as the offenses on each team are each good enough to get to the opposing pitcher. Even if it’s way more likely the Cards get to Morton.
Best NRFI Bet Today: Braves at Cardinals YRFI (+115 BetMGM)
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