Javan Shouey
We have a loaded mid-September slate of MLB action to consume Friday, including an afternoon matchup between the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs. That game is one of our featured NRFI bets for today. Let’s dive in and discuss why before you check out our MLB picks for every game on Friday’s card.
YRFI/NRFI Best Bet: Rays vs Cubs – NRFI (-125)
Odds available at DraftKings sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to -135 odds.
Shane Baz has been a different pitcher when at home and when on the road this season. Baz has pitched 77.1 innings at home this season in the Rays minor league ballpark, and that hitter-friendly environment has resulted in a 6.28 ERA. In his 77.2 innings on the road that ERA lowers to a far more respectable 3.59 mark. Overall, I believe Baz is a better pitcher than his surface-level statistics show this season, and I am still willing to buy in on his talent. From a NRFI perspective Baz has tossed a scoreless first inning in 23 of his 28 starts this season. This includes 11 of 13 road outings.
Matthew Boyd is set to start this game for the Cubs, marking his 29th start of the season. His first 28 outings have resulted in a 2.92 ERA and 1.06 WHIP while recording 145 strikeouts along the way. Boyd has stepped up in a major way for this Cubs rotation that lost fellow southpaw Justin Steele to injury early on in the season. Now he is tasked with a Rays offense away from their hitter-friendly home park. Tampa Bay has several batters with drastic home and road splits this season, and with the posted total at just 7.5 for this matchup I expect to see a scoreless first inning.
Find our Rays vs Cubs prediction for this interleague showdown
YRFI/NRFI Best Bet: Rangers vs Mets – NRFI (-125)
Odds available at Caesars sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to -135 odds.
Our 2nd NRFI suggestion of the day comes in Friday’s matchup between the Texas Rangers and New York Mets. Jacob deGrom is set to start this game for the Rangers as the legendary right-hander takes on his former club. deGrom has had a terrific season so far for the Rangers, recording a 2.78 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in his first 27 starts spanning a combined 155.2 innings of work. He allowed 2 home runs in his last outing against the Astros, but otherwise enters this game in solid form. I expect him to come out of the gates fired up for this matchup.
Jonah Tong is set to make his 3rd career MLB start for the Mets in this game. Tong impressed during his MLB debut, tossing 5 innings with 1 earned run surrendered and 6 strikeouts against the Miami Marlins. He allowed 3 home runs and 4 earned runs to the Reds in his 2nd start, but that was across 6 innings of work in Great American Ballpark which is a known hitters park. Tong now returns home to face an inconsistent Rangers offense and with their lack of familiarity I expect him to deliver a strong first inning.
Our Rangers vs Mets prediction is correlated to this pick
