Best NRFI Bets Today, August 14

Houston Astros vs Miami Marlins – Framber Valdez (L) vs Braxton Garrett (L)

Over 0.5 Runs (-111 at Fanduel) 

The Houston Astros (68-51) and the Miami Marlins (62-57) are set to kick off Monday's MLB slate of MLB games with one of the better games of the day. Both the Astros and the Marlins are two of the better batting teams in the league and come into the game with two of their better pitchers.

The Astros are ranked third in the AL in runs (579), sixth in hits accounted (1008), second in fewest strikeouts encountered (936), sixth in batting average (.251) and sixth in on-base percentage (.324). The Marlins are ranked second in the NL in hits accounted for (1050), fourth in fewest strikeouts encountered (945) and second in batting average (.262).

There is a great opportunity for the scores to come in early. The Astros are ranked third in the MLB in runs accounted for in the first inning (0.69). While the Marlins are ranked 29th in the league in runs accounted for in the first inning (.40), they accounted for second runs in the 3-1 win over the New York Yankees on Saturday, August 11.

New York Yankees vs Atlanta Braves – Clarke Schmidt (R) vs Max Fried (L)

Under 0.5 Runs (+102 at Fanduel) 

The Atlanta Braves (75-42) are feeling good about their overall track of success throughout the season in the latest series against the New York Mets. The Braves won three of the four games at the Mets which includes two shutouts and a dominating 21-3 win.

Atlanta returns home to host the New York Yankees (60-58), who are desperately looking for a push toward the AL Wildcard. The Yankees are not a team that starts fast at the plate, as they rank 17th in the league in runs accounted for in the first inning (0.50).

The Braves are easily the best team in the league when it comes to scoring in the first inning. They average 0.97 runs in the first inning, the most in the league. The Braves, however, might slow their momentum after dominating the Mets this past weekend.

Atlanta’s starting pitcher Max Fried (2.50 ERA in 36 innings pitched) will certainly slow down the Yankees at the start of the game. The Yankees’ most experienced starting pitcher this season Clarke Schmidt (4.23 ERA in 115 innings) is an efficient pitcher to hold off a dangerous Braves’ batting team.

Los Angeles Angels vs Texas Rangers – Patrick Sandoval (L) vs Max Scherzer (R)

Under 0.5 Runs (+102 at Fanduel) 

This Monday's game between the Los Angeles Angels (59-60) and the Texas Rangers (70-48) couldn't feature teams that are any more opposites. The Rangers are one of the hottest teams in the MLB, while the Angels are declining quickly even with two of the best players in the game.

This game looks to be potential for opportunistic scoring early in the game. The Rangers and the Angels rank among the top 12 in the league in runs accounted for in the first inning as they both average 0.55 runs.

The biggest difference in the game might be in the pitching. The Angels will have Patrick Sandoval (3.86 ERA in 109.2 innings pitched) starting at the mound, while former New York Met Max Scherzer (2.77 ERA in 13 innings pitched with the Rangers) will get his third start with the Rangers.

These two players are going to be the biggest reasons why there will be limited scoring, especially early in the game.

Feel free to check out other MLB betting sites for more betting opportunities!