MLB Betting: Nationals vs Pirates Tops NRFI/YRFI Plays for 9/6

· Sep 06 - 6 minutes read

Luis Ortiz is an underrated solid bet for Pirates.
The Red Sox’s Jake Pivetta should cruise versus White Sox.
Read on for some insight on these matchups, as well as a big one in St. Louis, before placing your wager at BetUS Sportsbook.

Sure, the NFL is starting to steal some of the spotlight, but we have some great races in the majors and a packed schedule on Friday night. The only gridiron action is 5,000 miles away, so keep it on the diamond for a quality RIFI MLB bet.

MLB Betting: Nationals vs Pirates Tops NRFI/YRFI Plays for 9/6 — Luis L. Ortiz #48 of the Pittsburgh Pirates | Nick Cammett/Getty Images/AFP

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3 NRFI/YRFI Plays for Sept. 6

1. Nationals at Pirates: Easy for Ortiz

We missed on an NRFI pick here Thursday night but we’re going right back to Steel City for another attempt, this time with a couple of youngsters on the mound.

Luis Ortiz is nearing the end of what’s quietly been a really solid season. He owns a 2.95 ERA in 11 starts after 22 games out of the bullpen, holding opponents to .215 average overall. And the 25-year-old has been even more impressive of late, as he carries a 15-inning scoreless streak into this one.

The run began at Texas and carried through back-to-back six-inning outings against Cincinnati and at Cleveland. He has a 7.36 ERA in the first inning but the bulk of the damage came in one woeful starting frame against the Diamondbacks a month ago.

While Arizona is third in the majors in first-inning scoring percentage, Washington is dead last (19.29), even after its three-spot on Thursday. We don’t expect the Nats to stop the scoreless streak right away.

Rookie DJ Herz will be facing the Pirates for the first time in his career. He has some really wonderful peripherals through his first 15 big league starts, posting an awesome 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings and holding batters to a .232 average.

That last number drops to .196 in the first inning, where he sports a solid 3.00 ERA. As we said yesterday, the Pirates are last in the majors in first-inning OPS. Here’s a great chance for the 23-year-old southpaw to get off on the right foot.

Bet on Nationals-Pirates First Inning to Score – NO

2. White Sox at Red Sox: Stinky Footwear

A five-game losing streak has dropped Boston to .500, a figure they haven’t been below since June 11. Time hasn’t completely run out on the team’s playoff chances, but they need something special over the final few weeks.

A visit from the Chicago White Sox can certainly help in that regard. Nick Pivetta draws the lowly Pale Hose as he makes his first home start since July 29. Pivetta, whose 10.8 strikeout-per-nine ratio would rank fifth in the majors if he qualified (a little short), is coming off a quality start opposite Tarik Skubal – who ranks sixth in that category – at Detroit.

The big right-hander has a 6.86 first-inning ERA, but a deeper dive reveals just why. Opponents are hitting .247 and Pivetta has struck out 28 while walking only three in the opening frame, only to get burned by seven home runs along the way. That’s nearly a third of his overall total, and several of them came early in the year.

Against the White Sox, who are last in the majors in homers (only 27 in 43 games since the break), that shouldn’t be an issue.

Chicago counters with Davis Martin, who has yet to pitch in a White Sox win this year (they’re 0-7 when he appears). You can’t necessarily blame Martin, though, as he’s boasting a 3.62 ERA – 2.77 over the last five starts.

While facing the Red Sox at Fenway Park is a daunting challenge for any pitcher, know that this club has scored just eight runs during its five-game slide. They might get to Martin at some point, but a slow start could be expected.

Bet on White Sox-Red Sox First Inning to Score – NO

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3. Mariners at Cardinals: Wild Card Hopefuls Clash in St. Louis

Here we have a pair of squads both sitting five games out in their respective wild card races, with the Mariners now 4½ back in the AL West. That makes this series opener rather important, and there’s a pretty solid pitching matchup to open things up.

Erick Fedde makes his seventh start for St. Louis since a midseason trade (rescue?) from the White Sox. He’s allowed three runs in 10⅔ innings in that time at Busch Stadium with just two extra-base hits allowed (no home runs).

Fedde has been a popular NRFI bet online option for us this year. He has a 2.00 ERA in that frame with an impressive 30 strikeouts in 27 frames. His last start with Chicago was a bumpy one against the Mariners, but he dominated Seattle in a previous encounter in June.

Seattle is 0 for 2 in first-inning scoring chances versus Fedde.

The Mariners give the ball to Bryce Miller, who ranks ninth in the majors in opponents’ average (.208) among qualified hurlers. That should play well against a Cardinals lineup that sits 25th in first-inning scoring percentage (22.12).

That opponents’ average falls to .204 in the first frame, as Miller usually starts off strong. He’s 5-1 with a 2.49 mark in interleague starts and had an incredible run against NL Central teams earlier in the year, allowing one earned run on seven hits in 19⅓ innings over three starts (all wins).

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