Welcome to the start of another work week in Major League Baseball! Monday’s action features two of the best arms in the league in Spencer Strider and Gerrit Cole, but there is a precipitous drop from there. That highlights some value for YRFI plays, but there is still one solid play on the other side that screams “scoreless first.” Be it focusing on solid pitching or consistent hitting, there is always an angle for the best sweat in baseball. After all, we just need six scoreless outs or one run to cash. Here are the three best NRFI and YRFI bets today.
First-inning bets are some of the most enjoyable sweats in the MLB betting business. If you want to start making money on your NRFI and YRFI picks, OddsShopper has you covered. Check out our guide to NRFI and YRFI betting and come back each day for the best NRFI and YRFI bets — we post daily NRFI and YRFI articles, and our MLB bet shopping pages integrate data from industry-leading betting model to find NRFI and YRFI picks with positive expected value (+EV) each day. If you’re hungry for more than just the picks we post for free, sign up for OddsShopper Premium today — new users can get their first month for 70% off.
Best YRFI and NRFI Bets Today: No Run First Inning Bets
Atlanta Braves at Pittsburgh Pirates NRFI (-128)
Far from a longshot or prayer, this bet focuses on Osvaldo Bido not getting tagged before Strider throws a single pitch. Bido is not struggling with a 19.9% strikeout to 9% walk rate, and — assuming they do not walk Ronald Acuna Jr. — stands a good chance of getting through the top half of the inning unharmed. He may give up a baserunner, intentional or not, but can rely on a decent strikeout rate combined with a solid EV of 88.1 on the year. If Bido gets through the top half, then it’s a cash. The other side features Strider, who faces a feisty Pirates lineup but is just too dominant to merit concern.
San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Angels YRFI (+106)
The Angels present a couple of strong arguments as to why runs will be scored early, primarily in the opening frame. They happen to have one of the best players of all time still facing pitchers in the first inning, and Logan Webb simply is not strong enough to shut down Shohei Ohtani. They may walk him — even better, as that is far from a guaranteed GIDP or two-out at-bat. Patrick Sandoval is the other case, as his 18% strikeout rate and 10% walk rate are ripe for the taking. Expect the Giants to jump on Sandoval at the top of this game, making the him work for outs. Do not be surprised if he gets tagged by a solo shot either, coming from one of the first three Giants hitters.
Texas Rangers at Oakland Athletics YRFI (+105)
Dane Dunning comes off an 11-strikeout night where he pitched deep into the seventh inning. It was his second double-digit-strikeout game over his last seven. The problem is the other five were four strikeouts or fewer, something that could bite him against this desperate Athletics team. Dunning is way too inconsistent to back for an NRFI, so the question remains how vulnerable he can be for a YRFI. The A’s are dreck — just a bad baseball team but filled mostly with guys still trying to claim a name for themselves, or just win a job. Neither Dunning nor Ken Waldichuk present great strikeout rates despite having a spike or two in their respective seasons. It is going to be hard for the Rangers to not jump on some early pitches from Waldichuk, combined with the Athletics’ desperate aggression. Those are good things to bet on when it comes to scoring runs.
