Best NRFI and YRFI Bets June 5: The MLB Teams to Watch Today

Three picks are on tap for Thursday MLB games. I have a trio of NRFI/YRFI bets for baseball bettors. There are seven afternoon games in the league this afternoon.

The Detroit Tigers are on the opposite end of I-94 to face the White Sox in Chicago. The Dodgers and Mets are squaring off at 4:10 PM ET in a matchup of possible postseason competitors.

(Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)

Odds in this article are from DraftKings Sportsbook. The baseball experts at DraftKings list odds for every MLB game every day of the season. Find odds for traditional game props like Total Runs.

Or find odds for other game props like First Team to Score Three Runs or Alternate Run Line.

Or if you prefer, locate player props odds like Over/Under Hits for almost any player

You could also build your own same-game parlay where you stitch together many player props into one bet that has long odds with a chance for a big payoff.

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NRFI: Tigers at White Sox, -120

Despite splitting the first two games in this four-game series against division rival Chicago, the Tigers own the best record in baseball. The Bengals are the only MLB club with at least 40 victories.

A large part of their success is due to pitching coach Chris Fetter.

In May the Tigers went 19-9, allowing only 3.7 runs per game on a 3.19 ERA. Last month, Detroit pitchers and defense held opponents to two runs or less 13 times out of 28 games.

It's this oppressive pitching that keeps Detroit rolling with a +91 run differential

Few hardcore fans probably know much about Fetter, who oversees the Detroit pitching staff. Since he first donned the Old English D in 2021, Fetter has transformed the way the organization handles pitchers.

The results have been dramatic.

Two years before Fetter was hired, Detroit finished 14th out of 15 teams in ERA. The following season they were dead last last in ERA in the American League.

But with Fetter changing the emphasis to throwing strikes early in the count while also focusing more on utilizing his pitchers' best pitches, the team climbed to 9th in ERA 2021, 11th in 2022, 9th in 2023, and 2nd in 2024.

This season, Detroit's 3.20 ERA is third in the AL, and the bullpen ERA of 3.38 is fourth in the league

Fetter has guided young pitchers like Jackson Jobe, Casey Mize, Reese Olson, and 2024 CY Young award winner Tarik Skubal to rely heavily on pitches that produce swings and misses.

Impressively, he's accomplished that while lowering walk rate

The team ranks fifth in walk rate, and fourth in K rate. Notably, Detroit pitchers under Fetter are allowing fewer four-base hits: Detroit's HR rate is tied for lowest in the AL.

I suspect Casey Mize and the Tigers will keep the game scoreless in inning number one against Chicago in an afternoon, getaway day game.

PICK: Bet $120 to win $100 if the Tigers and White Sox both fail to score in the first inning today.

YRFI: Minnesota Twins at Athletics, -110

Much of what's happened in Sacramento has been irritating for the Athletics. The ballpark is subpar, attendance is ho-hum, and the team has been like a thick steak on a backyard grill: uneven.

Still, the A's have bene doing something correct in Sacramento: scoring early

The A's rank seventh in MLB in first inning runs at 0.65 per game, and they rank 4th in that category in their own ballpark. If you attend an MLB game in Sacramento, you want to get to your seat early.

First inning runs are likely in this Triple-A ballpark.

Bailey Ober of the Twins has allowed just four runs in the first inning in 12 starts, but that trend can't continue.

PICK: Bet $110 and win $100 if at least one run is scored in the opening frame in the MIN/ATH game on Thursday.

YRFI: San Diego vs San Francisco, +110

Padres' starter Dylan Cease has surrendered 35 first inning runs in 12 starts in 2025. That ranks in the top 15 most runs allowed in the first frame by National League starting pitchers.

What has been the issue with Cease so far this season? Hitters are destroying his fastball.

Cease has thrown his four-seam fastball a little over 400 times, and opposing batters have a .528 SLG with four home runs off the pitch. He's averaging 96.8 MPH, which is in line with his historic norms for the pitch, which he throws about 35% of the time.

Last season, MLB hitters had a puny .387 SLG off the Cease four-seamer

Absent an effective heater, Cease is a slider-only pitcher basically. That pitch has been fine for the righthander in 2025, but man cannot live on one pitch alone.

I like the Giants to scratch across a run against Cease (whom they know well) in the opening inning at home

Maybe it's time for Cease to shave off that scraggly beard: when he was clean-shaven, Dylan was one of the steadiest pitchers in baseball. Now, he's pitching and looking more like Rasputin.

PICK: Wager $100 and you will earn $110 if a run is scored by either the Padres or Giants in the first inning.