Obviously the miserable White Sox put up five runs in the first when we pick them to NRFI — they can barely get five in a whole series, let alone one inning. Well, it’s onward and upward, and today we have spots to target all afternoon and evening for first inning bets. Let’s get into our two NRFI bets today for Wednesday, April 10. If you’re hungry for more, check out our MLB betting tools or our other MLB articles! Also, check out our guide to NRFI & YRFI betting.
NRFI & YRFI Bets Today: Best No & Yes Run First Inning Picks
Chicago Cubs vs. San Diego Padres | NRFI & YRFI Bets Today
We’re going to stick with a Chicago road team to lead off our plays, but this time the Northsiders getting Dylan Cease in San Diego. The Cubs are countering with Kyle Hendricks, who has been absolutely shelled in his two starts and has yet to get in an out in the fifth inning.
We’ll start with Cease and his matchup with the top of the Cubs order. Cease is 1-1 in giving up a first inning run this year, and overall he has been more or less the same pitcher he was with the White Sox in 2022. The strikeouts are there (six and seven), the walks are OK but present (two in each game) and teams are not getting much power off of him.
However, the top of the Chicago lineup is all we really care about here, and it’s one of the low-key better ones in MLB.
The Cubs are top 10 in hard-hit rate, ISO and exit velocity (No. 2), but most importantly, they walk at the second-highest clip in the league. Cease loses the mark at times, as evidenced by 4.0 walks per nine last year (fifth), and if he allows runners via the walk, Cody Bellinger, Christopher Morel, Seiya Suzuki and others are live to drive them in.
As for the Padres, well, their lineup is exceeding some expectations early on and gets a pitcher in Hendricks who has allowed five-plus runs in four innings or less both times out. Petco Park is pitcher friendly, but these Cubs aren’t and Hendricks may be past the point where he is helped out by the venue. We’re going YRFI here.
YRFI & NRFI Bets Today: Cubs-Padres YRFI (-107, BetRivers)
Baltimore Orioles vs. Boston Red Sox | YRFI & NRFI Bets Today
This is a tough one because Red Sox starter Kutter Crawford has been dealing to start the year. But alas, we’re playing the total, the ballpark and the platoon here.
Fenway has been one of the most hitter-friendly parks the last three years per Statcast, second only to Coors Field. This game also has a higher total of 9.0 — not astronomical but high enough to anticipate some scoring.
Also, while Crawford has held both sides of the plate in check this season, he historically allows a bit more power and a lot more walks to lefties, of which the Orioles will send out a lot today. The projected Baltimore lineup begins with four lefties and has seven total.
The Orioles are not running away with the division early like anticipated, but they do have the second-highest hard-hit rate in MLB, which helps offset the fact that they walk very rarely.
On the other side, the Red Sox are also likely to have a lot of lefties against a left-handed pitcher, but Cole Irvin is basically equal for his career against both sides of the plate. In his one start, Irvin was way down with the strikeouts and up with the walks, and Boston has the mashers in the Nos. 3 through 5 slots to take advantage if he puts anyone on. We like the lefty bats on both sides of this one in the first inning.
YRFI & NRFI Bets Today: Orioles-Red Sox YRFI (-110, ESPN BET)
