There is nothing worse than losing an NRFI or YRFI bet and having to watch the remaining eight innings in misery. Every now and again that happens three times over, and this column gets absolutely hammered. The response could easily be something to the effect of, “We will drop the price of this free content as a result,” but you deserve something with a little less snark. Last night was bad. Let’s get it back with three fantastic first inning plays with tremendous value on Wednesday’s slate. There are some spotty pitching matchups that deserve attention on both the YRFI and NRFI side. The best odds for these plays will always come from OddsShopper — a 70% discount for the first month awaits you — be it NRFI, home runs or anything else. 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
St. Louis Cardinals at Tampa Bay Rays NRFI (+107, BetMGM)
The Cardinals will shuffle out Dakota Hudson for just the ninth time this season, and he deals with an aggressive Tampa lineup on the road. The good news for Hudson is he came off his longest stretch of the year — a seven-inning outing with as many strikeouts against the Twins. While Tampa has some lethal bats atop its lineup, there are some strikeout spots for Hudson, at least a chance to pitch to contact. Hudson is better than his season numbers, so this bet requires him to continue to look like he did in his last start as compared to the shorter stints in July. There are no concerns with Jalen Beeks on the other side, as he should have a breeze against the visiting Cardinals. Beeks enters tonight with a .217 xBA, .301 xwOBA and an above-average 23.7% strikeout rate. All help to mask his 11.2% walk rate, which should not effect any runs coming in the top half of this inning.
Washington Nationals at Philadelphia Phillies YRFI (-113, BetMGM)
Bryce Harper looks just fine. Another smash from the Phillies leader showcased his return to full health and to being another weapon inside this Phillies lineup. MacKenzie Gore enters this matchup with one angle, but it is a stretch. His 26.9% strikeout rate is great, but he is struggling in every other major area — especially pitching to contact. Gore is going to face Kyle Schwarber – who had two home runs in one game yesterday — and some other heavy hitters right away. Washington is not adverse to an early run or two either as it squares off against new Phillies pitcher Michael Lorenzen. He had no major issues during his first start, but Lorenzen now faces a Nationals team that comes off a huge win last night in the second half of the twin bill. Expect both teams to come out swinging, even if only one crosses the plate.
San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Angels NRFI (+100, BetMGM)
Shohei Ohtani is on the mound tonight. Hey, did you hear that? The numbers for the Angels ace and MVP are pretty much as expected. The Angels also recently snapped out of a losing skid, but they have been struggling overall. Teams are pitching to Ohtani early in games, and it is not hurting them, so do not expect an automatic walk from Ryan Walker. In fact, the Giants hurler comes in with some rather strong numbers, including a .205 xBA and even more impressive .250 xwOBA. Walker and Ohtani are simply the best candidates across tonight’s slate to keep their respective starts scoreless through the first.
