Best NRFI and YRFI Bets August 27: The MLB Teams to Watch Today

Here are three picks, plus a bonus wager for tonight's MLB action.

Our player prop picks for Monday ended up going 2-for-3. That's good enough to win a batting title, but it's still not as good as we like as baseball bettors.

Tonight we'll see Shohei Ohtani start on the mound for the first-place Dodgers against the Reds. In the Bronx, the Yankees entertain the ho-hum Nationals. In another interesting game, Cal Raleigh and his 50 home runs are on the field in Seattle to play the first-place Padres.

That's right: the Dodgers and Padres are tied for first in the NL West. The division race is shaping up to be epic in SoCal, where the bitter rivals are circling one another like dolphins off the San Diego coast.

Today I'm selecting No Runs First Inning (NRFI) and Yes Runs First Inning (YRFI) picks, with odds from DraftKings Sportsbook this time.

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Phillies at Mets

There may not be a better rivalry in baseball right now than the Phils and Mets. These teams are both geared up for a playoff run, and only one of them can win the pennant. The Phils hold a six-game bulge in the National League East.

The Mets are trying to stave off challengers for the final wild card spot

Tonight, it's Taijuan Walker vs Nolan "American Pie" McLean, a rookie righthander with less than two weeks in The Show.

McLean handcuffed the Mariners and Braves in his first two big league starts, gaining wins each time. The 24-year old is a sinker-first pitcher who relies on his defense to make plays.

He does have 15 K's in 12 1/3 innings, which means his sweeper and curve have been effective: those are his whiff pitches.

I like McLean to be a puzzling opponent for the aggressive Phillies' lineup

I also like zero runs against Walker in the opening frame as these two beasts in the east square off for a critical game in this series.

BET: Wager $115 to win $100 if the Mets and Phils both fail to score in the first inning on Wednesday.

Shohei Ohtani vs Cincinnati Reds: YRFI at +120

It seems inevitable that Shohei Ohtani will win his third consecutive Most Valuable Player Award. Only one player has won the MVP as many as three times in a row: Barry Bonds, who captured four in a row from 2001-2004.

More impressive than Bonds, Ohtani will likely win his second NL MVP honor and have three in two leagues during his streak. And unlike Bonds, Shohei has done it clean and while pitching and hitting.

On Wednesday the tall righty from Japan (who has 45 home runs at the plate) faces the Reds

In his last two starts, Ohtani has surrendered nine earned runs in 8 1/3 innings. Opponents are raking against his fastball. It's highly suspicious that Shohei is getting pounded a bit more as the summer wears on.

Following more than a year off from pitching due to injury, Ohtani is bound to be rusty.

Also on the hill will be lefty Nick Lodolo for the Reds. In his last seven starts, Lodolo has a brilliant 44-to-6 K to BB walk ratio, and a 1.79 ERA.

However, the exit velocity on his two most common pitches has been trending up over his last four outings.

BEST BET FOR YRFI: Bet $100 and if either the Reds or Dodgers plate a first-inning run, you win $120, plus your stake.

Nationals vs Yankees: NRFI at -130

I love these favorable odds for No Runs in the First Inning for the Nats and Yanks, two teams that have been struggling to score runs.

The Nationals have eight games out of 31 in August where they have scored three runs or fewer.

The Yankees have scored 17 in their last two games (through Monday), but were held to four ruins in three games last weekend against the Red Sox.

New York is 5-7 in its last 12 games at Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees are sending veteran Max Fried to the mound to start against the Nationals. Fried has the sixth-best first inning ERA in baseball. He's a great choice to put up a zero in the opening frame.

BET: Wager $130 to win $100 if the Nats/Yankees game is 0-0 after one inning. Odds from DraftKings.

Bonus Pick: Tigers vs A's YRFI -150

The Detroit Tigers are baseball's most unpredictable team. The Tigers were 37-19 in April and May, but sunk into a deep hole and went 1-12 from July 9-16. Before a recent skid, the Tigers went 18-7 following their July swoon.

You can forgive manager A.J. Hinch if he has whiplash

His team has bounced up and down more than a baby buggy on a dirt road.

Tonight, the Tigers finish a three-game set in Sacramento against the A's. In the first two games, Detroit has been bitten by big innings at the hands of the A's sluggers.

Casey Mize will start for Detroit on Wednesday. It's late August and Mize, an All-Star, looks spent.

He's tossed 117 innings, which isn't near his career high

But, twice this season Mize has missed time from the rotation from a tired shoulder. He has a 6.54 ERA in his last seven starts, having allowed a horrid 51 baserunners in 31 2/3 innings.

I don't like Mize as a matchup against the Sac A's tonight on the west coast

Detroit is back to its shaky ways: the defense is sputtering again (looking at you Zach McKinstry, Colt Keith, and Javy Baez).

BEST BET FOR DET VS OAK: Bet $75 and you will win $50 plus your stake if the A's and Tigers combine for at least one run in the first inning on August 27.