The Pirates and Braxton Ashcraft took care of business for us on Monday. They held the hard hitting Cubs in check for us while we cashed on our first inning action. Now we look for another pair of NRFI bets for September 16.
With now all the teams back in action, we had plenty to choose from for these NRFI and YRFI props for September 16. Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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MLB NRFI and YRFI Picks – September 16
Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
First Pitch – 6:40 pm EST
PNC Park – Pittsburgh, PA
Broadcast – MLB TV
We cashed big on this game on Monday and the pitching matchup is even better this time around. The Cubs will have to try to figure out the presumed NL Cy Young winner for this year – Paul Skenes. He’s sporting a 1.92 ERA on the year and just cracked 200 strikeouts last time out. It’s hard enough to score off of Skenes, but it’ll be even harder for this Cubs squad who has just not been hitting well. They are winning a ton, but they have cracked 5 runs just once in their last five games and just twice in their last nine. That’s nothing Skenes should have to worry about.
And speaking of not worrying, the Cubs have little to worry about with this Pirates offense. No team in the league averages less runs than the Pirates at 3.60 runs per game. They’ve scored 16 runs in their last six games combined and are in the bottom third of the league in first inning scoring. Now they have to try to figure out Cade Horton, who marches into this one with a 2.70 ERA. However, he’s been even better in the last two months. Over the last two months, he’s allowed just five total earned runs – posting a 0.84 ERA in the process. I can’t imagine the Pirates being the team that gets to him.
NRFI/YRFI Bet for September 16: No (TBD)
CinCinnati Reds vs. St. Louis Cardinals
First Pitch – 7:45 pm EST
Busch Stadium – St. Louis, MO
Broadcast – MLB TV
Cincinnati is a tough team to bet against with an NRFI because they have been pretty solid at the plate. They rank in the top 10 of first inning runs and are above average when it comes to scoring overall. However, they have slowed down quite a bit in the last week. Over the last five games (heading into Monday’s action), they had put up just 15 total runs (or 3.0 per game). That’s good news for Cardinals pitcher Michael McGreevy. His surface stats might not blow you away, but he has kept two of his last three opponents to just one run. One of those was these very Reds, who managed just one run on five hits over 6.0 innings.
The bottom of the inning is a much less potent offense. The Cardinals, in fact, are the worst team in the league when it comes to scoring in the first inning. Not only are they last, but they are by a wide margin. They average just 0.30 first inning runs a game. The only other team within a tenth of a run is the Rockies. Andrew Abbott is not going to make that any easier on them with his 2.79 ERA. Plus, he’s fresh off of an 8.0 inning outing against the Padres where he allowed just one run.
NRFI/YRFI Bet for September 16: No (TBD)
If you’d like even more info to help make your NRFI and YRFI picks for September 16, check out the MLB Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar with their MLB picks today.
