Can Aaron Judge give New York the 3-0 sweep over Houston? Yankees vs Astros Betting Preview

YRFI/NRFI Picks For May 16: More Yankees Magic

We're back with some midweek YRFI/NRFI picks (Yes/No Run First Inning). Why wait all nine innings to cash their bets when there's an option to get your MLB fix in six outs?

Here are my two Y/NRFI bets for Thursday, May 16:

Pick 1: Yankees vs Twins: Yes Run First Inning (-120)

Matchup Preview - Game Time: 1:10 pm ET

I recommended a pick on a run to be scored in the first inning of Wednesday's Twins-Yanks matchup. Lo and behold, Aaron Judge came through with a first-inning jack. Let's keep the good times rolling today. 

The biggest reason New York has moved into the top spot in the AL East is that Judge is a weapon right now. Big No. 99 is slashing .415/.538/.951 over his last 53 at-bats, adding five homers during that span. He also picked up three extra-base hits yesterday. Nothing can stop him, which is also why I believe his OVER 1.5 total bases bet is a lock. You can get that at around -110 for good value.

Beyond Judge, the starting pitchers have shown some cracks lately, too. Joe Ryan is always prone to homers (which we love), and he's 3-5 YRFI this season, opening the door to more Yankees magic, either from Judge or Giancarlo Stanton, who owns an .846 OPS over the last two weeks.

Pick 2: Reds vs Dodgers: Yes Run First Inning (-115)

Matchup Preview - Game Time: 10:10 pm ET

In my same-game parlay piece today, I laid out why the Dodgers will crush the Reds and starter Tyler Glasnow will dominate. If you boil those bets down a bit more, we can squeeze some winning first-inning picks out of this game, too.

For example, I noted Freddie Freeman's wild success vs Brent Suter, the Reds opener Thursday. Freeman is 2-for-4 lifetime vs Suter with a homer and five RBIs. But here's the beauty of the Dodgers lineup: anyone can get it done. While I doubt the Reds get to Glasnow in the first, Los Angeles can step up and crank baseballs.

For example, Shohei Ohtani is playing his best baseball of the year, hitting for a 1.388 OPS over the last two weeks. During that span, he's homered five times and has seven extra-base hits. Beyond our YRFI bet, I also like prop bets on Ohtani OVER 1.5 total bases (-110) and for the Japanese star to homer at +290.

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