NRFI and YRFI Bets for MLB Games Tonight: May 16

There are several things that MLB has done in recent years that makes you scratch your head. But, the league has made good decisions too. One of those is rivalry weekend. That's when teams meet in natural rivalries all over the same weekend in May.

This weekend baseball fans have a chance to see these matchups:

• New York Mets vs New York Yankees in the Subway Series
• Chicago White Sox vs Chicago Cubs in the Crosstown Classic
• Los Angeles Dodgers vs Los Angeles Angels in the Freeway Series
• Cleveland Guardians vs Cincinnati Reds in a battle for the Ohio Cup
• Pittsburgh Pirates vs Philadelphia Phillies in the Keystone Classic
• Houston Astros vs Texas Rangers in the Silver Boot Series
• St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals in the I-70 Series
• Washington Nationals vs Baltimore Orioles in the Beltway Series
• Miami Marlins vs Tampa Bay Rays in the Sunshine Series
• Minnesota Twins vs Milwaukee Brewers in the Border Series
• Colorado Rockies vs Arizona Diamondbacks in the Rocky Mountain Showdown
• Athletics at San Francisco Giants in the Golden Gate Series

Only a few teams don't have a natural matchup for MLB rivalry weekend. Namely the Padres, Mariners, Braves, and Red Sox. To a lesser extent, the Tigers vs Blue Jays series is also a marginal rivalry.

With 15 MLB games on the schedule tonight, you have many opportunities for game prop odds. We are choosing three games and placing wagers on the First Inning Scoring markets. We bet on whether a run will be scored in the opening frame by either team. If we're successful, our $100 unit grows.

Odds for this Friday edition of MLB Best Bets are from Bet365 Sportsbook. As always: please practice responsible gambling.

YRFI Odds: Braves at Red Sox

Our best pitching matchup Friday evening is in Boston at Fenway Park. We'll see Chris Sale return to face his former team, battling against Cy Young Award candidate Garrett Crochet.

So far this season, Crochet has allowed just three runs in the opening inning, across nine starts. His 1.93 ERA is among league leaders.

Sale has regained his form the last two seasons following several injury-plagued campaigns. He finally won his first Cy Young last year. So far in 2025, the rail-thin left hander has allowed six runs in nine starts in the first inning. Opponents are batting .357 in the first inning off Sale.

You may think this pitching matchup is screaming for a NRFI wager. But, we don't like Sale's performance in the opening frame in 2025, and we think his former teammates will have the inside scoop on how to attack his three-quarter sidearm offerings.

PICK: Yes Runs First Inning (-102 from Bet365 sportsbook)

Yes Runs First Inning: Rays vs Marlins Game Prop Odds

We can be certain of this: the Rays come up with pitching every year from seemingly out of nowhere. Taj Bradley has seemed like just another serviceable shoulder for a few seasons. But the Tampa Bay coaching staff has harnessed his pitches, and the righty from southern California is putting it all together. He has three quality starts in his last four appearances, and hasn't allowed a first inning score in three starts. Which means we don't like the odds for that to continue.

The Marlins have yet to announce their starting pitcher. Expect Edwin Cabrera, who last pitched on May 10, to toe the rubber. The Marlins could push ace Sandy Alcantara into the starting role tonight: he last pitched May 11, which means he would have four days rest. Alcantara has been battered lately: 25 earned runs in his last 21 1/3 innings for a dreadfully frightening 10.42 ERA.

PICK: Yes Runs First Inning (+100 from Bet365 sportsbook)

YRFI: Angels at Dodgers at Dodger Stadium

Unfortunately we won't see a reboot of the epic Ohtani vs Trout matchup tonight that took place in the last World Baseball Classic. That's because Shohei Ohtani isn't pitching yet, and Mike Trout is on the Injured List (again).

But, this three-game series between the two LA teams will be loads of fun for fans in SoCal. Tonight, Jack Kochanowicz and Dustin May will be on the hill for the Angels and Dodgers, respectively. We respect both of those tossers, but we respect the lineups for these teams even more. The Dodgers will send Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Ohtani to the box to face Kochanowicz. We love the chances for a run to score in the first inning at Chavez Ravine.

PICK: Yes Runs First Inning (-125 from Bet365 sportsbook)

Have any Rivalry Weekend Matchups Ever Taken Place in the World Series?

Yes, there have been four rivalry series Fall Classic matchups. The World Series was first played in 1903.

• The White Sox and Cubs battled in the 1906 World Series, which the White Sox won.
• The Royals and Cardinals played a thrilling seven-game World Series in 1985, won by Kansas City.
• The 1989 World Series featured the A's and Giants. The A's, then playing for Oakland, won that series in a four-game sweep.
• The Mets and Yankees met in the only Subway Series Fall Classic in 2000, won by the Yanks.