Best Bets on Today’s MLB YRFI and NRFI Markets
I went 1-1 with Friday’s best bets and continue to be bitten by some bad luck. The Pirates took care of business for us in the bottom of the first against Kyle Hendricks cashing the YRFI, but things didn’t go as smoothly in Chicago. Eloy Jimenez had an opportunity with runners in scoring position and sent a hard line drive to deep right, a ball that had an expected batting average of .580. However, Seth Brown made a tough catch-up against the wall robbing Jimenez of an RBI. A few moments later, Luis Robert Jr. was inexplicably caught stealing at second base, stranding a runner at third and ending our chances at a sweep. Oh well, that’s gambling. Onward we go.
Top MLB Resources:
Keep reading to find out my best bets for Saturday, August 26th. I recommend two units for each. All odds are via DraftKings but be sure to shop around for the best line as prices vary dramatically in this market.
Best Bets Season Record: 51-47 (52.0%) -5.36u -2.5% ROI
Washington Nationals at Miami Marlins
Jake Irvin is 13-6 to the NRFI this season with mediocre data across the board, but he’s been trending up this month with a 2.65 ERA over his last three starts. Irvin draws a Marlins lineup that has been better in the first inning since the arrival of Josh Bell and the return of Jazz Chisholm Jr. from injury, but they still have one of the lowest scoring rates in MLB this season, and overall, they are 83-46 to the NRFI. Yikes.
Eury Perez is 13-1 to the NRFI this season and 7-0 at home. The ERA has been slightly elevated since being recalled from the minors, but the stuff is electric with 22 strikeouts in just 14.2 innings pitched this month. The Nationals lineup has been surprisingly potent in the first inning this season despite not having a ton of heavy hitters at the top. They were able to score an early run yesterday off Braxton Garrett, but Washington’s OPS in the opening frame drops 100 points when facing righties this season compared to lefties, so I think they will have a tougher time today.
I was able to find -110 available in the market and would feel comfortable playing this up to -120 which was the price on DraftKings at the time of publication.
Here’s how the starting pitchers have fared against the projected top of each lineup:
Jake Irvin vs.:
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (never faced)
Jorge Soler (1-for-2, BB)
Luis Arraez (0-for-3)
Eury Perez vs.:
CJ Abrams (0-for-2, K)
Lane Thomas (0-for-2, K)
Joey Meneses (never faced)
Bet: No Run First Inning (-120)
Oakland Athletics at Chicago White Sox
JP Sears is 16-9 to the NRFI this season with subpar data across the board. His recent form has also been poor as the lefty has pitched to an 8.00 ERA over his last four starts with a 2.22 WHIP, which means every inning he is averaging over 2 base runners allowed. I don’t love the White Sox offense overall against lefties, but I do like the idea of right-handed sluggers Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez getting an opportunity with ducks on the pond.
Touki Toussaint is just 6-3 to the NRFI this season with poor data in the first inning as well. Similar to Sears, Toussaint is also trending down in a big way with an 8.84 ERA and 2.13 WHIP over his last four starts. This A’s lineup scored 12 runs yesterday and five in the second inning, much to the chagrin of my YRFI wager, but overall it’s very fair to say they are exceeding expectations despite the lack of star power.
I was able to find -110 available in the market and would feel comfortable playing this up to -120 but not at the -130 currently being offered by DraftKings at the time of publication.
Here’s how the starting pitchers have fared against the projected top of each lineup:
JP Sears vs.:
Tim Anderson (never faced)
Andrew Benintendi (1-for-3)
Luis Robert Jr. (never faced)
Touki Toussiant vs.:
Ryan Noda (0-for-1, BB)
Zack Gelof (never faced)
Seth Brown (1-for-2, K, 4 BBs)
Bet: Yes Run First Inning (-130)
VSiN MLB Links
