It was a wild weekend in Major League Baseball with the top story being the Braves winning their 11th straight game. Atlanta sits 5.5 games behind the Mets in the N.L. East as they open up a three-game set with the Nationals tonight. The Phillies have also been hot, going 9-1 over their last 10. They start a three-game series with the Marlins tonight in Philadelphia. Other notable matchups on tonight's 10-game slate include the Padres taking on the Cubs at Wrigley and the Giants looking for their fourth straight win, starting a three-game series with the Royals. Below I've listed my top three No Runs First Inning (NRFI) wagers for tonight:
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Miami Marlins vs. Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies saw their nine-game win streak snapped yesterday at the hands of the Diamondbacks. They'll look to get a new streak going tonight as they start a three-game series with the Marlins. Miami is also playing well, going 5-1 over their last six games and coming off of a series win against the Astros. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET from Philadelphia with a pitching matchup featuring Sandy Alcantara and Aaron Nola.
Alcantara has been phenomenal this season and he enters tonight's game with a 6-2 record to go along with a 1.61 ERA (2nd) and 0.94 WHIP (7th) over 12 starts. The right-hander is on a Cy Young pace and hasn't allowed a run over his last two starts, spanning 16.0 innings.
Nola is putting together a nice season as well for the Fightin' Phils. The 29-year-old is 4-4 with a 3.50 ERA (33rd) and 0.88 WHIP (3rd) in 12 starts. Nola's coming off of his best outing of the year, going 8.0 scoreless innings against the Brewers and allowing just four hits.
Alcantara and Nola are in great form right now so look for both of them to put together quality outings tonight. Neither of them allowed a run in their last starts and Alcantara has only given up one earned run over his last four outings, including two complete game shutouts. The Marlins have faced Nola in 60 at-bats and collected 14 hits against him (.233) with just one extra base hit. I'm expecting a clean first frame tonight in Philly.
Bet: Marlins at Phillies NRFI (-128 via FanDuel)
Baltimore Orioles vs. Toronto Blue Jays
The Orioles pack their bags and head north of the border to open up a four-game set with the Blue Jays. First pitch for this divisional matchup is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. ET from Rogers Centre in Toronto. Kyle Bradish takes the ball for the O's while the Jays counter with Alek Manoah.
Bradish hasn't been very reliable this season for the Orioles, posting a 6.45 ERA and 1.59 WHIP over eight starts this year. However, the right-hander may be finding his confidence as he enters with a 3.86 ERA over two starts in June. The rookie last threw on Tuesday against the Cubs and limited them to a pair of earned runs over 4.2 innings of work.
Manoah has been arguably the best pitcher in baseball this season. The right-hander is 7-1 on the year for the Jays and he enters with a 1.81 ERA (3rd) and 0.96 WHIP (8th) over 11 starts. Manoah is coming off of another winning effort on Tuesday where he held the Royals scoreless over 6.0 innings and allowed six hits and three walks.
I don't think we have much to worry about with Manoah in this spot. The 24-year-old hurler has limited the Orioles to a .167 batting average over 36 at-bats and he's been dealing this year. The big question mark, and the reason why we're getting +100 odds on this NRFI bet is due to Kyle Bradish. I think it's worth a shot to back Bradish as he's allowed just four earned runs over 9.1 innings of work this month. He also sees his WHIP decrease to 1.27 on the road. Let's lock in NRFI at even-money tonight for the O's vs. Jays game.
Bet: Orioles at Blue Jays NRFI (+100 via FanDuel)
Chicago White Sox vs. Detroit Tigers
The White Sox head to Detroit to take on the Tigers tonight. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET from Comerica Park and features Lance Lynn making his return to the Majors for the Southsiders. The Tigers will opt for Rony Garcia in the series opener.
Lynn will be making his season debut for the White Sox tonight after missing the first 58 games of the year with a knee injury. The burly right-hander went 11-6 last season with a 2.69 ERA and 1.07 WHIP over 28 starts for the White Sox.
Garcia will make his fourth start of the year for the Tigers and it'll be his 12th overall appearance this season. The right-hander is 0-1 in 2022 with a 4.50 ERA and 1.00 WHIP over 28.0 innings of work. Most recently, Garcia limited the Yankees to a pair of earned runs on four hits and a walk over 5.0 innings pitched.
This NRFI play is more of a fade of these offenses. The White Sox enter ranked 16th in team batting average (.242) and 27th in OPS (.665) while the Tigers are 28th (.218) and 30th (.593) in those respective categories. As a matter of fact, the Tigers are the only team in baseball with an OPS lower than .600. The White Sox are ravaged with injury and those who aren't injured have failed to produce this season. Let's round out our card with NRFI in this A.L. Central matchup in Detroit.
Bet: White Sox at Tigers NRFI (-112 via FanDuel)
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