Best NRFI Bets Today: Fade the Tigers Against a Former Cy Young Winner

With Gerrit Cole steadily rounding back into form, expect the Detroit Tigers to get off to a slow start as the former Cy Young winner excels at avoiding contact. His dominant return to the mound is already shaking up the latest Cy Young odds. Shortly after their opening pitch, we turn our attention towards the Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Rays with a pair of productive arms projected to take the mound.

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

Best NRFI Bets for Monday, June 22

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New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers - Gerrit Cole vs. Framber Valdez (6:10 PM, EST)

Negative regression looms large over Detroit’s red hot bats, drawing Gerrit Cole in a matchup that will feature a low amount of scoring opportunities.

Under 0.5 Run (-115) at BetMGM Sportsbook

Even after winning their last three games in a row, the Detroit Tigers odds of winning the AL Central are slim, sitting 7.5 games behind Cleveland for first. During their recent hot stretch of play, the Tigers offense have been able to come alive, climbing up the board in Contact Rate and in On Base Percentage. Unfortunately, this offensive surge hasn't done much to improve their AL Central odds.

Unfortunately for Detroit, their offense will fall hard back down to reality against the New York Yankees as they face off against Gerrit Cole who is currently averaging an ERA of 2.57 and a WHIP of 1.000. Especially with his back end narrowing the width of the Tigers gaps in the outfield with their coverage, surrounding Cole with a group who ranks fourth in Defensive Efficiency.

In an attempt to match Cole’s hot start, the Tigers roll out Framber Valdez who is capable of exploiting the Yankees struggles with making contact by giving up less than one Hit Against per Inning Pitched. Valdez is also surrounded by a productive back end which lowers his chances of getting burned by an Error, fielding an outfield who resides in the top half of the board in Fielding Percentage.

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Kansas City Royals vs. Tampa Bay Rays - Michael Wacha vs. Drew Rasmussen (6:40 PM, EST)

Expect the Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Rays to continue to underwhelm in their efforts of scoring with Michael Wacha and Drew Rasmussen on the mound.

Under 0.5 Run (-135) at BetMGM Sportsbook

After a hot start to the year, the Tampa Bay Rays have lost control of their lead in the AL East, falling two games behind the Yankees for first in the division standings. Their regression on offense has made it hard for them to compete, slipping down to the bottom fifteen in RBIs, Runs Scored, and in OPS. Unsurprisingly, this offensive slump has caused a noticeable shift in the latest AL East odds.

Against the Kansas City Royals, expect the Rays to continue to be held out of scoring position as they battle it out against Michael Wacha who is averaging an ERA of 3.64, a WHIP of 1.170, and a FIP of 3.98. The production Wacha received from his defense also helps reduce the amount of negative variance in his starts, a unit who currently ranks in the top-10 in Fielding Percentage.

On the other side of the field, Drew Rasmussen is projected to get the start, a productive arm who is averaging a WHIP of 0.875 while generating more than one Strikeout per inning. With the Royals struggling to make contact per their poor mark in Hit Rate, expect Rasmussen to continue to create Whiffs at a high rate and keep a clean sheet.

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Best YRFI Bets Today

• Chicago Cubs vs. New York Mets - Shota Imanaga vs. Kodai Senga - With the Kodai Senga on the mound, the Chicago Cubs will be able to get into scoring position rather quickly as they face off against an arm who is averaging an ERA of 9.00 while putting nearly two runners on base per inning.

• Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Minnesota Twins - Eric Lauer vs. Zebby Matthews - The Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins are in a great position to open up the scoring early, battling it out against a pair of arms who are averaging an ERA higher than 4.00 while generating less than one Strikeout per Inning Pitched.

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