The long season starts to wind down as the month of August slowly comes to an end. With it comes the harsh realization for teams who hung around this long that they simply are not good enough for the postseason. There is also the balance of excitement that comes with already securing that spot, or still having plenty of life left in the tank. Those spots provide value specific to this time of the year, especially with smaller markets like we are targeting with our best NRFI and YRFI bets. Reminder — you can shop these plays on OddsShopper and still get a 70% off discount for your first plan!
Best YRFI and NRFI Bets Today: No Run First Inning Bets
Oakland Athletics at Chicago White Sox NRFI (+100, BetMGM)
The game is as ugly as it sounds. Neither team has anything to play for this year outside of seeing any future bats or arms in action. The White Sox just made changes in their front office, and the A’s relocated to Vegas. What a disaster, and it is magnified on the field tonight. Ken Waldichuk has kept some of his face above water with a decent 21.9% strikeout rate, but he falters elsewhere. His .341 xwOBA is a perfect example of how hittable he has been overall. Jesse Scholtens is no better for Chicago. While he has limited quality at-bats a little more with a .307 xwOBA, Scholtens struggles with a 16.9% strikeout to 8.8% walk rate.
All that having been said, as bad as it seems for the pitching, it is just a better bet to expect the offense struggles first. That is not to say either pitcher will settle into any groove, but both of these offenses will need some time before scoring.
Texas Rangers at Minnesota Twins NRFI (-117, BetMGM)
Two division leaders continue their push into the pennant race with a four-game set in Minnesota. The Rangers dropped their last six games and are looking for some stability with Andrew Heaney on the mound. Pablo Lopez gets a shot for the Twins and has been dominant. Even if Texas finds a way to stop this bleeding and gets to Lopez, it is not going to happen right away. Lopez is sitting people down with a 29.9% strikeout rate and keeping low quality at-bats with a ridiculous .274 xwOBA — these are not easy numbers to overcome for a team that is limping into tonight’s game. Heaney has been fine despite an injury and rough start in his last two outings. Overall, he has pitched fine, relying on his 24.1% strikeout rate and trying to limit walks. It is not easy on the road, but Heaney is healthy and should get through the first inning unharmed.
