MLB NRFI/YRFI Best Bets Today: Expert Picks & Predictions for Friday’s Slate (6/3/23)

Saturday’s slate of MLB games features all 30 teams, including a doubleheader between the Red Sox and Rays. Some excellent pitching made for a few great NRFI opportunities on Friday. Will the pendulum swing back toward offense on Saturday? Let’s take a look at odds and best bets for June 3rd’s NRFI slate.

MLB NRFI Best Bets for June 3

Here’s a look at the best NRFI and YRFI bets for Saturday’s action.

Brewers vs. Reds NRFI (+124)

There aren’t a ton of great value NRFI opportunities on Saturday thanks to some strong pitching matchups, but this might be a game to take advantage of. It requires Reds starter Graham Ashcraft to prove he’s starting to round back into form.

The promising arm melted down with back-to-back starts of seven earned runs allowed, but he did look more confident against the Cubs in his last outing and allowed 3 ER.

The top of the Brewers’ lineup is just surviving on Owen Miller’s surprise hot streak with Willy Adames out, and Milwaukee has scored in the first just once in the last three games. Banking on Ashcraft to get through the first unscathed isn’t a bad deal, especially with Ashcraft’s FIP being nearly a run lower than his ERA and indicating better days ahead.

The bigger threat almost has to be the top of the Reds’ lineup against Colin Rea, but Rea has at least looked pretty capable of late. Rea got through the first six innings of his last start with only one run allowed. A blowup in the 7th inning stained his numbers, but NRFI bettors don’t need to worry about what he does later on. +124 may be a sneaky value here.

Guardians vs. Twins NRFI (-130)

Sonny Gray hasn’t been as dominant of late as he was early in the season, but that was a tough act to sustain. He still has yet to allow a single home run in 60.1 IP, and the Guardians rarely hit home runs. With the threat of a solo homer unlikely, it’s worth betting against the chance of Cleveland stringing together early hits against one of the AL’s best starters.

Rookie Logan Allen gets the ball for the Guardians, and it might be time to stop doubting him. He’s coming off an excellent start of seven shutout innings and carries a sub-3 FIP through seven outings. The Cleveland pitching machine might not allow him to fail.

The top of the Twins’ lineup is not too intimidating right now, and there’s enough momentum for Allen that NRFI is worth the bet even at -132.

Rockies vs. Royals YRFI (-130)

It’s well-established that the Rockies and Royals both have underwhelming offenses, with Colorado’s respectable numbers in the thin air of Coors Field masking some ugly road marks. The Rockies were still able to notch a first inning run on Friday thanks to the red hot bat of Ryan McMahon, and they may be back for more on Saturday with Daniel Lynch on the mound for Kansas City.

Lynch made his first start of the season last week, and he may be on his last chance with the Royals after posting a 5.32 ERA over his first two seasons. With McMahon hitting as well as he is, the door might be open for Colorado to strike quickly.

The same is true for the Royals, who average nearly one more run at home than they do on the road. Rockies starter Austin Gomber has a 7.00 ERA and has allowed 3+ earned runs in each of his last four starts. At -122, YRFI is the pick here.