YRFI/NRFI Picks 8/5/24: Expect Early Offense in Washington
- Logan Webb hopes for a rare quality start on the road.
- White Sox carry 20-game slide into matchup with Sears, A’s
- Read on for some intel on these games and advice for what to do at the BetUS Sportsbook.
We look up in the first week of August and there are legit races in all six divisions. You can make a case for 20 teams to have playoff aspirations. It’s setting up to be a mad dash to the finish and through it all we’ll be providing the best MLB picks on the market, beginning with these two first-inning options on a light Monday evening.
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2 YRFI/NRFI Picks for Aug. 5
1. Giants vs Nationals: Surging San Fran Heads to DC
San Francisco is one of those teams that’s still somewhat on the fringe of the playoff picture but certainly alive. The Giants have won seven of their last nine, have a two-time Cy Young Award winner hitting his stride, are just 4½ games out of a wild card spot, and with a win in this one would be at .500 for the first time since May 31.
Oh, and it gets better if you’re a San Fran believer. They get to face Patrick Corbin on Monday. We’ve jumped on the veteran lefty several times in this space before and this seems like a good spot in which to do so again.
Corbin recently had a pretty solid stretch of results – relatively speaking – but it came to a crashing halt at Arizona last week, when he gave up 11 runs in just three innings. It was a disastrous outing that lifted his ERA to 5.88 (highest among all qualified hurlers) and dropped the 35-year-old to 2-11 as he seeks a fourth straight “win” in the losses department.
The Giants are a rather low-level first-inning offense but they’ve ticked up just a tiny bit in recent weeks. They also got to Corbin for seven runs and 11 hits in an encounter at home earlier in the year. And consider that current San Francisco hitters are hitting a whopping 37-for-83 (.446!!!) with eight home runs as a collective against Corbin.
Logan Webb hurls for the Giants in this one. We love the All-Star when he’s at home and we’ve utilized him in many an NRFI bet online, but he’s not always the same guy away from the Bay. Just look at his recent trends, which include a shutout of the A’s at home his last time out and three consecutive road starts in which he’s given up four runs each time.
Webb’s road ERA is 4.30 and several rocky firsts away from home have contributed to a 5.09 mark in that frame. Washington brings up the rear in terms of first-inning scoring percentage (17.86) but the team is hitting .295 and averaging nearly six runs a game over its last nine contests.
Webb’s last start in Nationals Park just over a year ago was one of the worst of his career, as he was pounded for six runs in just 1⅓ innings. He was chased by a two-run shot by C.J. Abrams, who figures to lead this one off for Washington.
MLB Pick: Giants-Nationals First Inning to Score – YES
2. White Sox vs Athletics: Sale on Sox at Sears
Chicago’s run of futility is so extreme that they’re now altering uniforms for the Pale Hose to account for it all. Indeed, it’s a dark time for the White Sox, whose 20-game slide is the seventh of its kind in MLB history.
#WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/Hpj2pXTuyP
— CHGO White Sox (@CHGO_WhiteSox) August 1, 2024
JP Sears doesn’t want to be the one to help Chicago end that streak. The way he looked his last time out – tossing seven scoreless at San Francisco – he’s a good bet to help keep it going.
Sears, who has allowed two earned runs or fewer in four of his last five starts, will be facing an offense that has scored 56 runs fewer than any other team in the majors and nearly 100 fewer than any other American League squad. That’s an alarming display of futility and they’re even marginally worse on the road.
Don’t need to overthink this matchup, even with Sears being a so-so first-inning guy and having a rough start against the White Sox a couple of years ago.
The other half of this MLB betting equation involves Jonathan Cannon. One of the few bright spots for Chicago, he’s put together five straight starts with at least six innings while posting a solid 3.48 ERA. The Georgia Bulldog has some mediocre (at best) first-inning numbers, but the sample size is small and it’s getting better – five of the last six first innings have been scoreless.
Oakland cooled off over the weekend with just two total runs in two losses to the Dodgers. It ranks 28th in the majors in first-inning OPS, ahead of only the White Sox and Pirates, and can be had by the rookie Cannon.
MLB Pick: White Sox-Athletics First Inning to Score – NO
Odds and information are accurate at the time of writing. Please check with official sources for the latest updates before placing any bets.
Questions Of The Day
What should bettors be aware of on the MLB news front as this week begins?
If you’re looking at something later this week, consider some of Paul Skenes’ recent lines and think about whether he’s hitting a rough patch or not. He’s now thrown 113⅓ innings between the minors and majors – just shy of his total from last year between LSU and the minors – and had to work hard to get into the sixth on Sunday vs Arizona. Skenes has issued six walks, hit a batter, and allowed 10 hits over his last two starts, so baserunners are out there.
