Rivalry weekend is coming to a close in MLB, and we’re digging into all the series to see what we can pull out. We have some NRFI bets for May 17.
Sunday sees everyone get one more in with their rivals before closing out the series. Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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MLB NRFI and YRFI Picks – May 17
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
First Pitch – 1:35 pm EST
PNC Park – Pittsburgh, PA
Broadcast – MLB TV
Perhaps this is the obvious play for NRFI on Sunday, but we’re riding with it anyways. Both of these teams are sending out their respective aces and they are as advertised.
First to the bump is Paul Skenes, who has been 16.0 straight scoreless innings over his last two starts. What’s more impressive is that he’s done that while allowing just two hits and not issuing a single walk. He has 17 strikeouts in that span as well and should be able to keep this Phillies team in check. That’s especially true as they rank 19th in run scored per game.
The Pirates have been surprisingly good with the bats this year. They rank in the top ten of the league in both runs score and first inning runs scored. However, that doesn’t scare me off an NRFI when we have Zack Wheeler on the hill. Wheeler is sporting a 2.55 ERA on the season and is fresh off his best outing of the year. Last time out he gave us 7.1 innings with just one run against the Red Sox. I expect him to be able to get us at least three quick outs.
NRFI/YRFI Bet for May 17: No (TBD)
Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros
First Pitch – 2:10 pm EST
Daikin Park – Houston, TX
Broadcast – MLB TV
Kicking off our second NRFI spot will be Peter Lambert. While he’s not exactly a household name at the moment, he’s another example of the Astros developing pitching well. Over his last four starts, he’s thrown 24.1 innings and allowed just five total runs (a 1.85 ERA in that span). Now he’ll get a Rangers team that is scoring just 0.33 first inning runs per game – good enough for 27th in the majors. They’re even worst across the full game where they rank 29th and are one of just four teams under 4.00 runs per game.
To close out the NRFI spot, we’ve got Nathan Eovaldi tossing. In his last two starts, he’s thrown 15.0 innings and fanned 15 batters in the process. Not only that, but he’s held opponents to just one earned run in that frame. Both of those games came against the high-powered offense of the Yankees. While the Astros have an solid offense, they aren’t at New York’s level. As a result, I do expect Eovaldi to handle the first inning easily.
NRFI/YRFI Bet for May 17: No (TBD)
If you’d like even more info to help make your NRFI and YRFI picks for May 17, 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.
