NRFI Betting Odds for MLB Tonight, May 20

Last week we won five of our NRFI/YRFI wagers in our MLB betting schedule. Every Tuesday we publish our No Runs First Inning and Yes Runs First Inning picks. We scour the sportsbooks to find the most competitive baseball odds.

Odds for today's picks are from BetMGM Sportsbook, which offers betting markets for every scheduled MLB game. Also find odds for the NBA Playoffs, NHL Playoffs, WNBA, PGA, and more.

There are three matchups tonight between teams who previously met in a World Series. That's the New York Mets vs Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers vs St. Louis Cardinals, and Kansas City Royals vs San Francisco Giants. In each case, the home team is favored on the moneyline and runline.

With No Runs First Inning betting, your wager converts to a winner if both teams fail to score in the opening frame. Factors to consider include starting pitching, weather, and lineup construction. Injuries are also important to keep an eye on.

Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers. Skubal leads the American League in strikeouts per nine innings. (Getty Images)

NRFI: Tigers at Cardinals (-120)

Starting Pitchers: Tarik Skubal (DET) vs Erick Fedde (STL)

Last week, Tarik Skubal had his first rough outing since April. The lefty has been on cruise control essentially for about five weeks, but the Red Sox tagged him for five runs last Wednesday. His start tonight will be his 24th start in interleague competition, and his fourth against St. Louis. The Cards have flapped their wings mightily against the Cy Young Award winner in the past: 10 runs in 11 2/3 innings, with three home runs. This is Skubal's first appearance against St. Louis since 2021. In the years since he last faced the Cards, Skubal's 2.80 ERA and 10.5 K's per nine rank second and first among AL pitchers.

Since 2017, Erick Fedde ranks in the bottom three percent in ERA+ among pitchers who have made at last 100 starts. But Cardinals' pitching coach Dusty Blake has done some magic with Fedde in the last two seasons. The journeyman right hander from Las Vegas has lowered his WHIP and home run rate in a St. Louis uniform. Earlier this month he tossed a shutout against the Nationals, the first of his career.

The Cardinals spanked the Tigers on Monday, 11-4 in the series opener. Detroit still maintains the best record in MLB, while St. Louis is one single game out of first place in the National League Central. Could this be a preview of the World Series? Could this be a rematch of the 1934, 1968, and 2006 Fall Classics? Possibly.

PICK: Pick NRFI for the Skubal vs Fedde matchup, at -120, which means you'll bet $120 to win $100.

NRFI: Mets at Red Sox (+110)

Starting Pitchers: Clay Holmes (NYM) vs TBD (BOS)

The Mets lead baseball in starting pitcher ERA and bullpen ERA. The Mets' bullpen leads MLB in WHIP and FIP. The staff also allows the fewest home runs. All that is good news for baseball bettors seeking NRFI opportunities. Starting pitcher tonight will be Clay Holmes (5-2, 3.14 ERA).

The Red Sox have yet to announce its starter as of early Tuesday morning. Most likely we will see a spot starter or bullpen game from Alex Cora. Boston is probably the best team in baseball that currently has a losing record. The Sox have lost five of seven, but that includes tough series against the Tigers and Braves.

Anticipate zeroes in the opening frame for NYM vs BOS in Tuesday's 6:45 PM start.

PICK: No Runs in the First Inning for Red Sox vs Mets at +110 from BetMGM ($100 to win $110 if both teams fail to score).

NRFI: Diamondbacks at Dodgers (-110)

Starting Pitchers: Ryne Nelson (ARI) vs Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD)

The Dodgers are no stranger to Cy Young winners. Eight different pitchers have won 12 Cy Young awards in a Dodger uniform. The next winner may be the man who will toss the first pitch in LA tonight: Yamamoto. The Japanese ace has a 2.12 ERA (3.05 FIP) and he's the stingiest pitcher to hit off. Opponents are getting six hits per nine innings off of Yamamoto. Tonight he faces the pesky DBacks, but he's familiar with the Arizona lineup and shouldn't struggle to hold them off the scoreboard.

Did you know Torey Lovullo is the winningest manager in the history of the Diamondbacks? In his ninth season at the helm, Lovullo has won more than 600 games for the Snakes, and his five winning seasons are a franchise record. One thing for certain with a Lovullo team: they will play hard. That's the DNA of this team in the desert. Tonight they are in Chavez Ravine facing the rival Dodgers.

Arizona starter Ryne Nelson has an elite cut fastball. But he can't always command the pitch. He relies a bit too much on his four-seam fastball (nearly 3 out of every 5 pitches), which means he better have his cutter. The Dodgers have scored only one run off Nelson in his last three appearances against them (12 innings). That bodes well for the Tuesday game at Dodger Stadium in regards to NRFI.

PICK: Bet $110 to win $100 on No Runs First Inning for LAD vs ARI.