Sports Reporter | Capper
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We're set to wrap up a thrilling weekend of baseball in the major leagues, and there's no better way to say goodbye to the week than with the NRFI -- No Runs in the First Inning.
I'm incredibly interested in what should be a favorable matchup for both pitchers on Sunday Night Baseball between the Astros and Blue Jays, and I'm seeing some good value in both Robbie Ray and Bryan Woo late in the day. We'll also take a look at Brewers vs. A's.
Let's check out some of the most profitable NRFI spots and get deeper into the slate, handing out MLB NRFI predictions for Sunday, August 25th.
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The Oakland A's have maintained a league-average offense over the last two weeks, so that's most of the reason that oddsmakers are skeptical of a slow start here in the Bay Area with the troubled Frankie Montas on the hill for Milwaukee.
Montas hasn't been great this year, but he does own a friendly 17-6 record to the NRFI this season and he's seemed to make some excellent strides since joining the Brewers at the trade deadline.
I'm optimistic about Montas, and I'm surprisingly into the idea of betting on Joey Estes. He's now hit the NRFI in three straight games as he showcases much better numbers this month and the Brewers have stumbled to a poor 93 wRC+ in the last two weeks.
Looking to bet this one as the action unfolds? Check out our MLB Live Betting Guide.
I love the conditions here for both pitchers -- and not just because we're playing in Seattle, which has been a NRFI bettor's paradise this season.
Ray will be greeted by a top of the order which has struggled mightily in the past two weeks. Victor Robles has stopped hitting with a .211 average in the last two weeks while one of the Mariners' hottest hitters, Luke Raley, will find himself on the bench as a left-handed hitter.
It's hard to believe in Robles or Julio Rodriguez, hitting .214 with a .071 ISO in the past two weeks, against a pitcher who seems to be putting it all together. It's just as hard to see it for San Francisco.
There may be some problems for Woo later in the order, and I do think he'll yield a couple of runs, but this one should be incredibly low-scoring and begin with a couple of zeroes.
This is a pitching matchup that'd I'd ordinarily be smashing the Over on, but we do have to appreciate what both Yusei Kikuchi and Dean Kremer have done lately.
The best part of the matchup is that Kikuchi should pitch to a fair number of fly balls in an unfriendly park for home runs, and most of the damage the top of the order has done all year has come with the longball.
This isn't a very friendly first three, and all of them have admittedly hit the ball very well of late, but Kremer's had success pitching to fly balls in Baltimore before and shouldn't have to worry about populating the bases with some free-swingers atop the order for the Astros.
Kremer owns an excellent 16-2 NRFI record this year which is enough for me to take this underpriced line.
Not sure where to place your bet? Be sure to check out our ballislifebets section.
MLB Betting Resources:
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