Best NRFI Bets Today: Scherzer Highlights Our Favorite NRFI Bet on Thursday

Max Scherzer will make his third start of the year against the Padres on Thursday. He squares off against Michael King for our first NRFI wager.

Our second NRFI is in the Phillies vs. Cubs game. Christopher Sanchez and Jameson Taillon have been great in their last few starts, and we expect them to stay hot. 

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Best NRFI Bets Today: Phillies vs. Cubs (2:20 PM, EST)

1st Inning Under 0.5 Runs (-128) at FanDuel 

The Phillies take on the Cubs in Chicago to close out the series. Philadelphia is 56-29 in the NL East and has been the best team in baseball in 2024. Chicago is 39-47 in last place in the NL Central. 

The Phillies are going with Christopher Sanchez, who is 6-3 with a 2.41 ERA. He has 79 strikeouts in 93.1 innings and a WHIP of 1.19. 

In his last three starts, he has gone 23 innings, only allowing one run and one walk. This includes a nine-inning performance in his previous start against Miami, when he pitched a complete game, allowing three hits and no runs. 

The Cubs are starting Jameson Taillon, who is 4-4 with a 3.03 ERA. He has fanned 58 batters in 74.1 innings and has a 1.24 WHIP. Taillon has been impressive in his last three starts, going 19 innings, and allowing six runs while striking out 18. 

The Phillies' offense has been one of the best in the league, led by Bryce Harper, who is hitting .303 with 20 home runs. 

The Cubs' offense has been struggling in 2024. As a team, they’re hitting .227, which is 25th in the league. 

These starting pitchers have been excellent recently and are going deep into games. This is a crucial recipe for success when selecting a NRFI bet.

We expect Sanchez and Taillon to shut down the offenses on Thursday to cash our NRFI bet.

Bet on 1st Inning Under 0.5 Runs (-128) at FanDuel 

Best NRFI Bets Today: Padres vs. Rangers (2:35 PM, EST)

1st Inning Under 0.5 Runs (-132) at FanDuel

With our second NRFI, we’re focusing on a matchup between the Padres and Rangers. San Diego is 46-43 in second place in the NL West, trailing the Dodgers by 8.5 games. Texas is 39-46 in third place in the AL West. 

The Padres are starting Michael King, who is 6-5 with a 3.61 ERA. He has struck out 115 batters in 99.2 innings, the eighth most in the league. 

He is coming off a six-inning performance, allowing just one earned run on five hits against Boston. Max Scherzer toes the rubber for the Rangers who is 1-1 with a 1.74 ERA. 

He has eight strikeouts in 10.1 innings and a WHIP of 0.68. In Scherzer’s last start, he went 5.1 innings, allowing two runs on four hits against Baltimore. 

Both starting pitchers have an over-powering fastball with great off-speed pitches and do a great job keeping hitters off balance. 

When selecting a NRFI bet, it’s important to have two starting pitchers who strike out a lot of batters to get out of big innings. San Diego is hitting .261 as a team, but when Scherzer is healthy, he is one of the best pitchers in baseball. 

Texas is hitting .238 as a team, which is in the bottom half of the league. Look for runs to come at a minimum and for this game on Thursday.

Bet on 1st Inning Under 0.5 Runs (-132) at FanDuel 

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