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Best NRFI Bets Today: Shota Imanaga Takes the Ball for the Cubs

Published: July 2, 2025, 08:39 AM ET
4 min read
Best NRFI Bets Today July 2

Shota Imanaga will take the ball for the Cubs on Wednesday night. Imanaga has been one of the most consistent pitchers in baseball, and I’m trusting him for one of my two NRFI bets on the card. 

Looking for more MLB betting insights? Check our selection of the Best MLB Home Run Props Today.

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Guardians vs. Cubs - Tanner Bibee vs. Shota Imanaga (8:05 PM, EST)

Under 0.5 Run (-130) at Caesars Sportsbook

Imanaga has electrified MLB audiences since entering the league. He started his professional career in Japan and dominated, which caused MLB clubs to bid on him to play in America. 

Imanaga’s skillset has translated well to MLB, which is the case for many Japanese pitchers making the switch. He is 31 years old, which has helped his transition, and pitching great in 2025. 

Imanaga is 4-2 with a 2.54 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. He has thrown 49.2 innings and allowed just 35 hits. Imanaga is one of the best pitch locators in the sport. 

The pitcher doesn’t have elite power, but he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. Very few pitchers can succeed in MLB when they’re not close to one strikeout per inning, but Imanaga has debunked that theory. 

Tanner Bibee will throw for the Guardians, and he has pitched well this season. He is 4-8, but this is because he doesn’t get a lot of run support from his team. 

He has a 3.9 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Walks and home runs can be an issue for Bibee, but he has surrendered just 86 hits in 94.2 innings. 

If Bibee locates in this game, he should have a lot of success against Chicago.

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Royals vs. Mariners - Noah Cameron vs. Logan Gilbert (9:40 PM, EST)

Under 0.5 Run (-150) at Caesars Sportsbook

The Royals and Mariners features of the best pitching matchups of the Wednesday slate. Noah Cameron and Logan Gilbert have both been fantastic this season, and their WHIP numbers stand out when looking at their stats. 

Cameron has a 1.01 WHIP while Gilbert is at 0.92. Gilbert is one of the best pitchers in baseball, and leans on strikeouts. 

He has fanned 67 batters in 45.2 innings and he has only walked eight over this span. Cameron doesn’t have the same power, but he leans on locating his pitches. 

Cameron is definitely more volatile than Gilbert, but I still trust him to deliver in this game. Neither offense has been overly consistent. 

Cameron must get through Cal Raleigh at the top of the order, and if he does, the NRFI should be in good shape.

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Best YRFI Bets Today

  • Reds vs. Red Sox - Nick Martinez vs. TBD: Boston and Cincinnati have exploded on offense throughout this series, and the total is 9.5. 

  • Astros vs Rockies - Hunter Brown vs. Austin Gomber: Offense should be on full display where the ball flies in Colorado because of the elevation. 

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Tanner Kern

Tanner Kern

Sports Betting Analyst & On-Air Host

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Tanner Kern has been working in the betting industry since 2020. He currently is a social media content creator at DraftKings and contributes to multiple sites in addition to WSN, including Forbes and VSiN. He is also the cohost of the podcast Ride the Line at WSN.
Email: [email protected]
Nationality: American
Education: M.S in Sports Journalism
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