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Best NRFI Bets Today: The Pitchers to Back on Tuesday, August 20

Kenny Ducey

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Sports Reporter | Capper

Publish Date: 08/20/2024

Fact checked by: Allan Howe

Best NRFI Bets Today

The week in Major League Baseball rolls on with our first complete slate on Tuesday, and with that we'll take a look at the NRFI -- No Runs in the First Inning.

(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

I'm looking into a tantalizing pitching matchup in Atlanta on Tuesday night that should deliver the goods, and have picked out two promising young arms in Luis Gil and DJ Herz who should help us to a winning night.

Let's check out some of the most profitable NRFI spots and get deeper into the slate, handing out MLB NRFI predictions for Tuesday, August 20th.

MLB NRFI Betting Prediction for Rockies vs Nationals

The first matchup we'll have a look at will take place in the nation's capital where young DJ Herz is looking to put together another masterclass against a struggling Rockies team.

Herz has compiled a 9-3 NRFI record this season amidst an impressive campaign which has seen him post a 3.46 xERA across his first 12 big-league starts.
Now, he'll draw a Rockies team which is hitting .217 over the past week with a gaudy 27.3% strikeout rate which should play right into his hands as a strikeout artist.

The left-hander should find plenty of punchouts given that, and the Rockies' near-26% strikeout rate versus lefties. He ranks in the top 20% of all pitchers in whiff rate with a strikeout against 28.3% of the batters he's faced which borders on elite.

The bigger concern for us here is Austin Gomber, who is just 12-11 to the NRFI this season. The left-hander should find himself in a favorable spot, however, given the Nationals are significantly worse against left-handers with a 26th-ranked 85 wRC+ as opposed to a 17th-place ranking against righties.

Washington's order will also start with a left-handed bat in CJ Abrams, and the team as a whole is tied for second with a 77-48 NRFI record this season.

NRFI Prediction: Rockies vs Nationals NRFI (-115 at FanDuel)

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Looking to bet this one as the action unfolds? Check out our MLB Live Betting Guide.

MLB NRFI Betting Prediction for Guardians vs Yankees

We know by now that the Yankees don't enjoy facing left-handed pitching. The team ranks 13th in wRC+ to southpaws despite sitting atop the league against righties, and now it will have to face a competent arm in Matthew Boyd on Tuesday.

Boyd seems to have found his best stuff after missing most of the year due to injury, flirting with a no-hitter in his final rehab start before allowing just one run over 5 1/3 innings in his season debut last week.
The veteran's ability to pitch to fly balls should actually come in handy here, because while Yankee Stadium is generally uninviting to arms like these with its dimensions the Yankees as a team have been significantly better against ground-ball arms.

Then, there's Luis Gil, who will carry a shiny 19-4 NRFI record into this one against a Guardians team that is down on its luck right now with a league-worst 48 wRC+ over the last week.

Cleveland is enduring a slump from leadoff man Steven Kwan, who's hit just .143 over the last week, and Josh Naylor has also been less than his best with an atrocious .568 OPS.
Even Jose Ramirez has struggled to a .125 average in the past week, casting a murky outlook over this first inning for Cleveland.

Expect those struggles against lefties to persist for New York while Gil locks it down in the bottom half of the frame.

NRFI Betting Prediction: Guardians vs Yankees NRFI (-110 at BetMGM)

MLB NRFI Betting Prediction for Phillies vs Braves

There's some big injury news out of Atlanta which should help us make some money on Tuesday night, though it's not all bad for the home team.

The offense is now without one of its cornerstone bats in Austin Riley, who recently suffered a broken hand will miss a good chunk of time. In some better news, however, Reynaldo Lopez will make his return to the mound after missing a month due to injury.

While Chris Sale captured most of the headlines, it was Lopez who was the real savior of this Braves rotation in the first half. He turned in a 2.06 ERA prior to the injury, earning himself a spot in the All-Star Game.
Along the way, Lopez established himself as one of our favorite pitchers to bet on in the first inning of games with a spectacular 18-1 NRFI record.

The Phillies may be heating up at the dish, but now that Trea Turner's finally gotten himself going again the pair of Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber have now compiled just nine hits in their last 45 at-bats over the last week to hit .200.

That's pretty good news for our NRFI here given Zack Wheeler, one of the game's best pitchers, will be working on the other side of the frame. He has gone 20-4 to the NRFI this season and now won't have to worry about pitching to one of the Braves' best hitters in Riley.