Ricky Dimon
The week – and the proverbial first half – in Major League Baseball wraps up with a full 15-game schedule on Sunday. It includes Cubs vs Yankees, Mariners vs Tigers, Dodgers vs Giants, Rays vs Red Sox and Phillies vs Padres. The YRFI/NRFI market is extremely popular in baseball betting. After all, you don’t have to sit around for 3 hours to see if your wager hits; the satisfaction (or in some cases disappointment) is immediate. It all comes down to the first inning.
I have been in fine form so far this season, with a 50-34-2 record on best bets while going 4-for-9 on Same Game Parlays at +481, +632, +439 and +600 odds and 10-6 on YRFI/NRFI plays.
Here are my favorite YRFI/NRFI bets for Sunday, and also be sure to check out all of our MLB picks.
Tampa Bay Rays vs Boston Red Sox: YRFI (-115)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing
Tampa Bay leadoff hitter Yandy Diaz is 7-for-15 lifetime against Boston starter Brayan Bello. Those numbers alone should set the Rays up well in the top of the first inning. The visitors scored a run in the opening frame in the second contest of this 4-game series, so it would be no surprise if they do the same on Sunday. Diaz has hit safely in 6 of his last 7 outings, while Jonathan Aranda’s 7-game hitting streak features 4 multi-hit performances. Jake Mangum has hit safely in 4 of his last 5, with 2 multi-hit showings during this stretch.
The Red Sox may be in even better position to cross the plate in the bottom of the first. Ceddanne Rafaela is 4-for-11 all time against Ryan Pepiot; Roman Anthony is 1-for-3; Carlos Narvaez is 2-for-6. Boston is the #4 team in all of Major League Baseball in first-inning run percentage (33.0). At least 1 of the clubs should be able to cash the YRFI in this series finale.
Cleveland Guardians vs Chicago White Sox: NRFI (-105)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing
It should be a much different story when Cleveland visits Chicago. The Guardians are third-to-last league wide in first-inning run percentage (23.4). A matchup with Aaron Civale is not overly daunting on paper, but the right-hander has allowed a first-inning run just twice in his last 6 starts. There isn’t much familiarity between the Guards and Civale, either. Steven Kwan is the only guy on Cleveland’s active roster with more than 1 hit against Civale and Kwan has just 2.
The White Sox are dead last in the American League in total runs scored (327); only the Pirates have scored fewer. Now they are facing Joey Cantillo as the opener of a bullpen game. Cantillo is sporting a 3.79 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 35.1 innings. He has put up blanks in 8 of his last 12 appearances, so there is no reason why he can’t hurl a scoreless frame against a lowly Chicago squad.
