MLB Odds And Best NRFI/YRFI Bets For Tuesday, May 13
There are 15 MLB games on Tuesday, May 13, and we have the NRFI/YRFI odds available for all of them.
Below, we’ll break down three of the best betting options for today.
Contents
NRFI/YRFI MLB Odds for Tuesday, May 13
| Game | YRFI | NRFI |
|---|---|---|
| Brewers at Guardians | ||
| Twins at Orioles | ||
| Red Sox at Tigers | ||
| White Sox at Reds | ||
| Cardinals at Phillies | ||
| Rays at Blue Jays | ||
| Pirates at Mets | ||
| Nationals at Braves | ||
| Marlins at Cubs | ||
| Rockies at Rangers | ||
| Royals at Astros | ||
| Angels at Padres | ||
| Yankees at Mariners | ||
| Diamondbacks at Giants | ||
| Athletics at Dodgers |
St. Louis Cardinals at Philadelphia Phillies, 6:45 p.m. Eastern (NRFI)
A pair of capable arms oppose each other in the second game of this NL series Tuesday evening when Sonny Gray and Jesus Luzardo do battle at Citizens Bank Park. The two have gotten off to impressive starts this season, as they’ll enter with a combined 7-1 record.
Gray has posted a 2.25 ERA and .148 BAA in the first inning this season, which is certainly a good starting point for an NRFI bet. The right-hander has also held Philadelphia’s current crop of talented hitters to a combined .230/.301/.331 slash line over 163 plate appearances, racking up 50 Ks in that stretch.
On the other side, Luzardo also comes in with a 2.25 first-inning ERA this season, and he’s held hitters to an innocuous .226 average in that split, as well. The young lefty has an even better track record against the opposition than Gray, albeit over a more modest sample, as current Cards hitters own a meager .182/.206/.212 slash line against Luzardo in 34 career encounters.
St. Louis has also struggled against lefties on the road, as the Cards were sporting a 26.3% strikeout rate, .214 average, .279 wOBA and -5.3 wRAA against lefties in away games this season before running into Cristopher Sanchez on Monday, who held them to two earned runs over six innings while collecting eight strikeouts.
Finally, consider that NRFI bets are 12-10 in the Cardinals’ road games, and they’re 24-18 in Phillies games overall. Philadelphia has been the majors’ best first-inning home offense, but Gray’s track record against the Phillies still gives me enough confidence for the NRFI call here.
Kansas City Royals at Houston Astros, 8:10 p.m. Eastern (NRFI)
A pair of AL rivals/contenders tangle in the middle game of this three-game series at Daikin Park. The pitching matchup has the potential to be a gem, as Kris Bubic, who’s in the early stages of what could be a career-best season, goes up against fellow southpaw Framber Valdez, who’s outperformed his unsightly 2-4 record.
Bubic owns a 4-2 record, 1.69 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 0.4 HR/9 across his first eight starts. His 8.8 K/9 is solid but not spectacular, but he does have a 13.6% swinging strike rate, the third highest of his career. He also holds an unblemished ERA in his first eight opening frames, a span in which he’s forged an impressive 10:2 K:BB.
Opposing Astros bats have just a .209 average against him in 50 career plate appearances, and Houston went into Monday with a middling .309 wOBA at home against lefties in the last month of play.
Valdez has held the opposition to a .222 average in the first inning this season, which stands in contrast to the 5.62 ERA he also sports in that split. However, that figure has simply been the result of a drip-drip scenario of sorts, as three of the five runs he’s allowed in the opening frame this year have come in separate outings and partly trace back to Valdez’s control issues (six first-inning walks).
He has a friendly matchup in the Royals, whose current hitters hold just a collective .165/.226/.296 slash line against him in 124 plate appearances, certainly no small sample. Kansas City also went into Monday night’s action with a 27.7% strikeout rate, .194 average, .051 ISO, .247 wOBA and -6.0 wRAA against lefties on the road this season.
NRFI bets are a combined 51-30 in both teams’ games when factoring in Monday’s scoreless opening frame, including 25-15 in the home/road splits that apply. Consequently, as long as Valdez can bear down and get after a Royals team that hasn’t been a threat to southpaws when traveling, we should have a good chance of a scoreless frame to start Tuesday’s proceedings.
Athletics at Los Angeles Dodgers, 10:10 p.m. Eastern (YRFI)
Two California squads that have wreaked their fair share of first-inning havoc over the first month and a half of the season face off in the second game of this interleague series. Each team’s capable offense isn’t the only factor that points in the direction of a YRFI bet, as starting pitchers Jeffrey Springs and Landon Knack have also had their bumps in the road.
Springs’ body of work in the first inning has been particularly concerning, as he sports a 13.50 ERA and .351 BAA in his eight opening frames, in which he has also yielded four homers. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he’s also had a tough time against current Dodgers bats, as evidenced by the .333 average and 1.153 OPS they own against him in 23 career plate appearances.
The Dodgers have also been extremely tough against lefties at home in the last month, producing an NL-high .310 average, .400 OBP, .883 OPS and .386 wOBA in that span.
On the other side, Knack has had his share of early-game struggles, pitching to a 9.00 ERA in his trio of first innings. The right-hander has only given up a .200 average in that span, but his 1:4 K:BB and one HR allowed in that sample have gotten him in trouble. He also has a worrisome matchup Tuesday, considering the Athletics sport a .268 average, .776 OPS and .339 wOBA against right-handers on the road in the last month.
YRFI bets are 10-8 in the Dodgers’ home games, and Los Angeles is averaging 1.22 first-inning runs per home contest, the second most in all of baseball. Meanwhile, the Athletics have been a better first-inning offense at home, but they’re still averaging 0.66 runs per first inning overall, the seventh most in all of baseball.
