Tuesday offers a full 15-game MLB schedule with all 30 teams in action. There are some intriguing pitching matchups, and teams at the top of the standings are set to go head-to-head.
Great pitchers like Reynaldo Lopez, Tarik Skubal and Nathan Eovaldi are going, and NRFI's — No Run First Inning — are an increasingly popular way for baseball fans to get in on the betting action. With NRFIs, you are betting that neither team will score a run in the first inning.
Let's look at some MLB games today and offer our favorite NRFI picks for Tuesday, July 2, at the best U.S. sportsbooks.
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MLB NRFI picks for Tuesday, July 2
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates' Mitch Keller toes the rubber today, and the 28-year-old is having the best season of his career. He has a 9-4 record with a 3.20 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 98.1 innings pitched. After an up-and-down start to the season, Keller has been excellent over the last two months, including not allowing a first-inning run over his last 10 appearances.
Keller's opponent is the Cardinals and veteran left-handed pitcher Kyle Gibson. The 26-year-old has a resurgent season with a 3.70 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP, ranking in the top 50 in baseball for each. Gibson has been solid early in games, allowing only one first-inning run over his last eight starts.
San Diego Padres vs. Texas Rangers
The Padres and Rangers should be one of the best games in the majors today, with an excellent pitching matchup on tap. The Padres' Dylan Cease is coming off one of his best starts of the season. Cease went seven innings, striking out nine with no runs and just one hit allowed in a win over the Nationals. A recurring trend for Cease is his strength at the beginning of games. In Cease's past 11 starts, he has pitched a scoreless first inning in seven of them.
The Rangers put one of their most consistent pitchers on the mound, Nathan Eovaldi. He has a 3.45 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP this season. Most importantly, though, he has been solid early in most of his outings. In his 13 starts this season, Eovaldi has only allowed three first-inning runs and none over his two starts.
NRFI pick of the day: Detroit Tigers vs. Minnesota Twins
Tarik Skubal gets the start for the Tigers on Tuesday, and he has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season. With a 9-3 record, a 2.32 ERA, 112 strikeouts, and a 0.94 WHIP in 97 innings pitched, Skubal is a top contender for the AL Cy Young award. The ace lefty has also been excellent early in games, allowing one first-inning run over his last nine outings.
The Twins counter with Simeon Woods Richardson, who, after getting an early call-up, has cemented his spot in the Twins rotation. He has a 3.41 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. Richardson has 13 appearances this season and has given up only one first-inning run this season.
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