Best NRFI Bets Today, May 16

Washington Nationals vs Miami Marlins - Josiah Gray (R) vs Jesus Luzardo (L) 

Under 0.5 Runs - WAS vs MIA (-135 at DraftKings SportsBook)

Our first NRFI bet of the day will come from Miami, Florida. This will be an interesting matchup. These teams are division rivals, and their records are not far off from each other. The Nationals are sitting at the bottom of the NL East with a 17-23 record, and the Marlins are tied for third at 20-21. Both of these teams are sending some of their better pitchers to the mound, so there will be a scoreless first inning. Bet on the NRFI.

Josiah Gray will take the hill for the Nationals. Gray struggled last season but is having an excellent start to this year. The New York state native has a losing record, but that is from a lack of run support. He comes into this game with a 2.96 ERA and has only given up seven earned runs in his previous five starts. Gray has been dominant on the mound this year and has only given up more than three runs once this season. The 25-year-old will face the likes of Jorge Soler, Luis Arraez, and possibly Bryan De La Cruz in the first inning. Arraez has been incredible this season, but the other two have not been great. Gray will breeze through the first inning.

Jesus Luzardo will get the start for the Marlins. Luzardo is Miami’s #2 pitcher but has been their best arm this season. He has a 3-2 record, 3.38 ERA, and 1.41 WHIP. The Florida native is coming off a dominant six-inning outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Luzardo only gave up one earned run in that game. The 25-year-old has only had one poor start this season. He will face a Nationals’ lineup that has only scored seven runs in their last three games today. Washington has zero players with 20 RBIs. While some of their hitters have strong moments, nobody is great. I only say this to illustrate why Luzardo will throw a scoreless first inning. Bet on the NRFI.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs Oakland Athletics - Tommy Henry (L) vs Kyle Muller (L)

Over 0.5 Runs - ARI vs OAK (-120 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

We will go from Miami to Oakland for our second NRFI bet of the day. The game, unlike the first one, will not be particularly interesting. The Athletics appear to be tanking this season, so the Diamondbacks have a big advantage over them. With that being said, neither team are sending great pitchers to the mound, so I expect there to be at least one first-inning run. Bet on the YRFI.

Tommy Henry will take the hill for the Diamondbacks. Henry made his MLB debut last year and was not very impressive. He has been better this year but has not faced the most difficult opponents. Henry has started four games and has a 4.43 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. He has only given up four earned runs in his last two starts but was not great in his two starts before that. The Michigan native will likely get through this inning without giving up a run, but there is a chance Brent Rooker could send him deep for a solo shot.

Kyle Muller will get the nod for the Athletics. Simply put, Muller has not been good this season. He is giving up a lot of hits and a lot of runs. He is also not going deep into games and averaging less than five innings a start. Muller gave up six earned runs to the New York Yankees in his previous outing (four in the first inning) and has allowed 11 earned runs in his last two starts. This is not all too surprising, given that he has a 7.34 ERA and a 1.95 WHIP. The southpaw is a little better at home, but I still expect him to struggle in the first inning and give up a run. Bet on the YRFI.

Chicago Cubs vs Houston Astros - Justin Steele (L) vs Cristian Javier (R) 

Under 0.5 Runs - CHC vs HOU (-135 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

Our final prop bet of the day will come from the Chicago Cubs vs Houston Astros matchup. The Cubs had a hot start to the season but have slowed down. Conversely, the Astros had a slow start to the season and are now heating up. Houston is expected to win this game, but it will be close. Both teams are sending excellent pitchers to the mound, so we may see a pitching duel. More importantly, we will see a scoreless first inning. Bet on the NRFI.

Justin Steele will take the hill for the Cubs. Steele has been dominant this season and has a 1.82 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. He has also received a lot of run support and has a 6-0 record. The lefty has only given up three earned runs once this year and has been an animal on the mound. Not only is he winning games, but he is also pitching deep into games. The 27-year-old has thrown six or more innings in all but one start this year. He will face the likes of Mauricio Dubon, Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez, and Kyle Tucker in the first inning. These are four tough hitters to pitch on, but Steele will work around them.

Cristian Javier is taking the hill for the Astros. Javier had an excellent season last year and pushed that success into this year. He has a 3-1 record, 3.47 ERA, and 1.01 WHIP. Javier has faced many formidable lineups this season but has held all but one to three runs or less. The Dominican righty will face Dansby Swanson, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, and possibly Christopher Morel in the first inning. This is a tough group of hitters, but Javier is experienced and knows how to get through a first inning. Bet on the NRFI.