Best NRFI Bets Today, August 25

Friday’s Major League Baseball schedule is loaded with excellent pitching matchups. As the postseason races heat up across the league, teams will be relying on their top arms to deliver in these big spots. That could mean some excellent opportunities to wager on the NRFI market across several of these marquee games.

New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays - Gerrit Cole (R) vs Zach Eflin (R)

Under 0.5 (-120 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

The first of our first inning total wagers for Friday is the AL East matchup between the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees have been a disaster of late, and the Rays should have no problem winning this game when all is said and done. But the Yankees and Rays should both be able to hold their opponents scoreless over the opening inning of play.

The pitching matchup in Tampa should be great for NRFI bettors on Friday, as Gerrit Cole pitches for the Yankees against Zach Eflin of the Rays. Cole is the frontrunner for the AL Cy Young award as the month of August nears its end. He is 10-4 with a 3.03 ERA, and has been one of the few bright spots for the Yankees this year. But Eflin has been excellent in his own right, and will do his part for this NRFI wager.

Eflin comes into Friday’s action with a 13-7 record and an ERA of 3.58 in his 138.1 innings of work. The Rays starter has also allowed fewer home runs this season than Cole has, which will be significant against a Yankees team that will be looking for an early home run from Aaron Judge to kickstart their offense.

Atlanta Braves vs San Francisco Giants - Spencer Strider (R) vs Logan Webb (R)

Under 0.5 (-132 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Another incredible pitching matchup is set for Friday night in San Francisco, as the Atlanta Braves take on the San Francisco Giants. A pair of NL Cy Young contenders will meet in that game, as Spencer Strider of the Braves takes on Logan Webb of the Giants. The end result of that confrontation should be a scoreless first inning and another NRFI win for baseball bettors.

Strider has seen some ups and downs in his form throughout the season, but his results have been undeniable. The Braves ace is 14-4 this season, posting a 3.57 ERA, and leading the league in strikeouts for much of this season. Those strikeouts will be key in the first inning to help the Braves hold the Giants scoreless in the bottom half of the first inning in this National League clash.

Meanwhile, Logan Webb has done an excellent job in his own right for the Giants, holding a 3.36 ERA on the year. Webb has not had quite the same level of support from his teammates throughout this season, as his record is just 9-9 despite allowing fewer runs on average than Strider. Either way, Webb should be able to match zeroes with Strider at the beginning of this matchup in the Bay Area.

Cleveland Guardians vs Toronto Blue Jays - Tanner Bibee (R) vs Chris Bassitt (R)

Under 0.5 (-125 at PointsBet)

Our final NRFI selection for Friday night comes from Canada, as the Toronto Blue Jays host the Cleveland Guardians. This game features another excellent pitching matchup, as Tanner Bibee takes the hill for Cleveland against Chris Bassitt of the Blue Jays. A combination of that pitching matchup and the offense of the Guardians should lead to one last scoreless first inning on the night on the diamond.

Bibee has been a pleasant surprise this season for Cleveland, going 9-3 with a 3.01 ERA on the season. He faces a pitcher in Bassitt who is 12-6 with a perfectly respectable 3.92 ERA of his own. Look for Bassitt to pitch well here, against a Guardians team whose offense is one of the least dangerous in all of baseball in 2023.

So far this season, the Guardians rank 28th out of 30 MLB teams in runs scored. They are also dead last in the league in home runs with 93, making them the only team in the league that has not reached 100 home runs as a team yet. Expect Bassitt to take advantage of that here to help us cash this last NRFI play.

See different MLB betting sites for more betting opportunities!