Today's Best NRFI/YRFI Bets for Friday, May 16

With the Dodgers' offense clicking on all cylinders and a weak pitching matchup on tap tonight at Chavez Ravine, we’re anticipating early offense in this Freeway Series showdown.

Rohit Ponnaiya - Betting Analyst at Covers.com
Rohit Ponnaiya • Betting Analyst
May 16, 2025 • 12:48 ET • 4 min read
Freddie Freeman Los Angeles Dodgers MLB
Photo By - Imagn Images. Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) reacts after hitting a double.

To absolutely no one's surprise, the Los Angeles Dodgers have the most feared lineup in baseball.

That, combined with a weak pitching matchup, has me betting on a run to be scored in the first inning of their clash against the Los Angeles Angels tonight.

Check out my other MLB picks as I break down my best YRFI and NRFI bets for Friday, May 16.

Best NRFI/YRFI bets today

  • Braves @ Red Sox Run in the first inning – NO
  • Twins @ TEAM Run in the first inning – NO
  • Angels @ Dodgers Run in the first inning – YES

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NRFI/YRFI bets for May 16

Braves at Red Sox: NRFI  (Play at ProphetX)

Get ready for a pitcher's duel at Fenway this evening, as Chris Sale returns to face the Boston Red Sox

Sale won the NL Cy Young Award last year after posting a 2.38 ERA in his debut season with the Atlanta Braves. While Sale holds a 3.97 ERA this year, his expected ERA of 3.22 is significantly better, and the veteran southpaw has looked sharp in recent outings.

Meanwhile, Garrett Crochet has been exceptional in his first season with the Red Sox, pitching to a 1.93 ERA through nine starts. He'll shut down a Braves lineup that is batting .204 with an OPS of .615 against lefties.

Twins at Brewers: NRFI  (Play at ProphetX)

The Minnesota Twins will hand the ball to ace Joe Ryan tonight. The young right-hander sports a 2.74 ERA through eight starts, and he sits in the top 15th percentile in expected batting average (.209) and strikeout rate.

Ryan should have no problem shutting down a Milwaukee Brewers lineup that ranks 24th in the majors in OPS (.665) and 27th in first-inning run rate (22.7%). Milwaukee's offense has been even worse lately, ranking dead last in OPS (.589) and averaging 2.83 runs per game over the last 15 days.

The Brewers will send rookie Chad Patrick and his 3.19 ERA to the hill. Patrick has been extremely sharp at the beginning of games, pitching to a 0.75 ERA through the first three innings of his eight starts.

Angels at Dodgers: YRFI (Play at ProphetX)

The Los Angeles Dodgers have a stacked lineup that leads the majors in runs per game (5.84) and sits second in OPS (.827). They score in the first inning at the highest rate (40.9%) in the majors.

They should be able to get on the board early today against the Los Angeles Angels. The Halos are giving the pill to Jack Kochanowicz, who has a 5.23 ERA with an OBA of .284 through eight starts.

Although the Angels have a weak-hitting team, they tend to produce early, plating a run in the first inning at the fifth-highest rate (35.7%).

The Dodgers will have Dustin May and his expected ERA of 4.53 on the hill. He's been getting rocked in the first inning, where he has a 9.00 ERA with an OBA of .290.

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Betting Analyst

With a background playing soccer, rugby, and boxing, combined with a journalism degree, it's little surprise that Rohit gravitated towards the world of sports betting. He specializes in betting on UFC and college basketball, two sports where the eyeball test can tell you a lot more about matchups than any analytics. Rohit has years of experience handicapping NFL and NBA games as well as niche betting markets such as politics and Oscar odds. He's also the resident CFL expert and formerly hosted "The Chez and Ro Show" with former CFL star Davis Sanchez.

You can catch Rohit breaking down every UFC event with Joe Osborne on "P4P Picks" on the Covers YouTube channel and he also has regular appearances on "Before You Bet" with Joe. In addition, he's a regular guest on "By The Book" on the Monumental Sports Network and makes guest appearances on VSIN's "The Handle" and CBS Sports.

Rohit primarily makes his bets at bet365, which offers a wide variety of prop markets, but also has accounts at several others so he can shop around for the best prices. For Rohit, bankroll management is key. He believes you should never bet what you can't afford to lose and maximize those few betting opportunities where books misprice a line.

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