After a tough start to the week, SBR's Dustin Saracini looks to get back on track with his best No Run First Inning (NRFI) bet for Thursday, July 31st:
Texas Rangers vs. Seattle Mariners (-130 at DraftKings)
Kumar Rocker (5.73 ERA) vs. George Kirby (4.50 ERA)
NRFI record: Rangers (62-47) vs. Mariners (56-53)
"I know Rocker isn't typically the type of pitcher we'd tail as part of our best NRFI bets today, but today is a different story. The 25-year-old has been pitching pretty well as of late, allowing just three runs across his last 10 1/3 innings.
On top of that, he looks solid in this specific matchup against the Mariners, limiting them to just a .199 xBA across 38 plate appearances. We all know Seattle will be fired up after trading (back) for Eugenio Suarez, and I do have them winning this game, but I'm giving the bats an inning before they settle in to a new life with World Series aspirations.
Kirby will get the job done for us, too.
The Rangers own just a .235 xwOBA against him, while Marcus Semien (3-for-24) and Corey Seager (0-for-13) seemingly can't make contact versus the righty. I don't see these trends changing in the first inning.
This game smells like a NRFI win to me no matter which way you look at it - let's take advantage."
Texas Rangers vs. Seattle Mariners (-130 at DraftKings)
Kumar Rocker (5.73 ERA) vs. George Kirby (4.50 ERA)
NRFI record: Rangers (62-47) vs. Mariners (56-53)
"I know Rocker isn't typically the type of pitcher we'd tail as part of our best NRFI bets today, but today is a different story. The 25-year-old has been pitching pretty well as of late, allowing just three runs across his last 10 1/3 innings.
On top of that, he looks solid in this specific matchup against the Mariners, limiting them to just a .199 xBA across 38 plate appearances. We all know Seattle will be fired up after trading (back) for Eugenio Suarez, and I do have them winning this game, but I'm giving the bats an inning before they settle in to a new life with World Series aspirations.
Kirby will get the job done for us, too.
The Rangers own just a .235 xwOBA against him, while Marcus Semien (3-for-24) and Corey Seager (0-for-13) seemingly can't make contact versus the righty. I don't see these trends changing in the first inning.
This game smells like a NRFI win to me no matter which way you look at it - let's take advantage."