22 teams take the diamond today with action getting underway at 12:35 p.m. ET from Great American Ball Park as the Diamondbacks and Reds wrap up a four-game set. Additionally, the Dodgers and White Sox play a rubber match from Chicago while the Phillies look to break out the brooms against the Brewers. There's plenty of action today and I've narrowed in on three No Runs First Innings (NRFI) bets that I'll be locking in for today's slate:
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Philadelphia has rattled off six straight wins and it seems like the tides have turned since they fired Joe Girardi last week. However, the Phillies are still just 27-29 as they look to break out the brooms against the Brewers this afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET from Milwaukee with Zach Eflin taking on Corbin Burnes for the series finale.
Eflin is putting together a respectable season for the Phillies. The right-hander is 2-4 on the year with a 3.88 WHIP and 1.14 WHIP over nine starts in 2022. Most recently, he faced off against the Angels and shut them down over 8.0 innings. He held the Halos scoreless and allowed just five hits and a walk while striking out six.
Burnes is coming off of his worst start of the season on Friday against the Padres. The 2021 Cy Young winner lasted just 3.2 innings and surrendered five earned runs on eight hits and a pair of walks. However, Burnes still owns a 3-3 record to go along with a 2.50 ERA (13th) and 0.92 WHIP (7th).
Burnes has squared off against this Phillies lineup in 18 at-bats and limited them to four hits (.222). His previous outing was likely an anomaly as the right-hander has posted eight quality starts over 11 outings this year. As for Eflin, he's held the Crew to 10-45 (.222) in head-to-head appearances, including 2-10 from Christian Yelich, 0-2 from Kolten Wong, and 1-5 from Andrew McCutchen. I like for these pitchers to keep a clean first frame this afternoon in Milwaukee
Bet: Phillies at Brewers NRFI (-130 via FanDuel)
New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins
The Yankees and Twins finish up a three-game set this evening from Target Field with first pitch scheduled for 7:40 p.m. ET. Minnesota will look for their second straight win as they send Dylan Bundy to the bump while the Yankees opt for Gerrit Cole in the rubber match.
Cole is putting together a nice season and starting to look like the $324 million hurler that we all expected. The right-hander is 5-1 with a 2.78 ERA (21st) and 0.96 WHIP (11th) over 11 starts this season. He was dealing last time out, holding the Tigers scoreless over 7.0 innings and giving up just a pair of hits while striking out nine.
Bundy has had an up-and-down season, posting a 3-3 record, 5.57 ERA and 1.45 WHIP over nine starts. The righty was touched up for six runs (five earned) over 2.1 innings against the Blue Jays on Saturday. Bundy took the loss in the outing and the Twins have now lost his last six starts.
What's wild, or at least interesting about Bundy, is that he's been great at home this year. The 29-year-old journeyman is 2-0 with a 0.57 ERA and 0.77 WHIP when throwing at Target Field. He's going to have a tall task against the Yankees lineup, but we'll ride with the trends and hope he keeps a scoreless first frame. As for Cole, he's coming off of that dominant outing against the Tigers last time out and he looks like he's putting it all together right now. He's held the Twins to a .233 average over 43 at-bats including 0-2 from Byron Buxton and 1-8 from Jorge Polanco. Let's ride with NRFI here.
Bet: Yankees at Twins NRFI (-118 via FanDuel)
Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Angels
The Angels have now lost 14 straight games and they're on the verge of getting swept by the Red Sox this evening in Anaheim. They'll look to Shohei Ohtani to get them back in the win column while the Red Sox counter with Nick Pivetta. First pitch is scheduled for 9:38 p.m. ET from Angel Stadium in this one.
Pivetta is earning his keep in the Red Sox rotation this season. The right-hander is 5-4 on the season with a 3.50 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over 11 starts for Boston. He's been incredible over the past month, posting a 2.11 ERA over six starts in May. That success carried over to June, as he held the A's scoreless over 7.0 innings on Saturday and gave up just a pair of knocks.
As for Ohtani, he's been inconsistent to start the 2022 season. The right-hander is 3-4 with a 3.99 ERA and 1.16 WHIP over nine starts this season. He's coming off of an outing on Thursday where he was tagged for four runs (three earned) on eight hits and a walk against the Yankees. The Halos have now dropped four straight Ohtani starts and they're just 3-6 when he throws this year.
Ohtani has found success against this Red Sox lineup, limiting them to a .213 batting average over 47 at-bats with just three extra base-hits. He also sees his ERA and WHIP drop at home, to 3.74 and 1.02, respectively. With Pivetta, I feel confident riding him while he's on this dominant stretch. He's recorded six straight quality starts and only allowed one earned run over his last 13.0 innings of work. Let's round out our card with NRFI in this American League matchup.
Bet: Red Sox at Angels NRFI (-128 via FanDuel)
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