Best NRFI and YRFI Bets Today (Elite Pitching Matchups Give Trio of Bets Value)
By Joe Summers
Today's MLB slate has a little bit of everything. We've got excellent pitching matchups and terrible ones, showdowns between good teams and toilet bowls between bad ones. But most importantly, we've got a ton of value for bettors.
As always, the BetSided team has every angle covered. You want best bets? Got you. A flashy underdog? Say no more. What about a Cy Young futures wager? Of course, it's what we do.
With so many approaches we can take when we place our bets at WynnBET Sportsbook, it's only right we nail some No Run First Inning (NRFI) and Yes Run First Inning (YRFI) picks as well.
Using the odds from WynnBET, let's check out my favorite NRFI and YRFI bets of the day:
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Best NRFI and YRFI Bets Today
Marlins vs Rays NRFI (-155)
We're paying a lot of juice here but it's worth it. Pablo Lopez has allowed precisely one run in 19 road innings this year and he should bounce back after a poor outing against Washington last week. Since 2020, the NRFI is 31-9 when he pitches. When Lopez pitches on the road, the NRFI is 16-2.
So we've got ample data supporting Lopez, and that's before we even get to the better pitcher in this matchup: Shane McClanahan. The second-year budding superstar has surrendered one run in his previous14 innings and faces a Marlins lineup that ranks 28th in OPS against left-handed pitchers this month. Getting -155 is a value with how good these pitchers are, even if it feels like a hefty price to pay.
Blue Jays vs Cardinals NRFI (-140)
It's Kevin Gausman day! The 31-year-old righty hasn't allowed a first-inning run in any of his four road starts this year and has elite control, ranking in the 99th percentile in walk rate and 100th in chase rate. Toronto's opponents have scored a run in the first inning in only 20% of the Blue Jays' road games and with heavy wind expected, Gausman should handle the red birds.
Opposing Gausman will be Jordan Hicks, who has allowed a first-inning run just once in four home starts. The Cardinals have allowed a run in the first inning in only 10.53% of their home games, a top-three mark in MLB. They should improve on that figure today against a Blue Jays lineup that ranks 28th in OPS against right-handed pitchers in May.
Red Sox vs White Sox NRFI (-115)
Peter Dewey broke down why he loves the under and I'm in full agreement. Nick Pivetta and Dylan Cease have been two of the best pitchers in baseball this month, as Pivetta holds a 0.83 ERA in his last three starts and Cease ranks in the 97th percentile in expected batting average.
These pitchers squared off earlier this month and no runs were scored until the 5th inning. Boston's lineup has been on fire lately, but Cease should keep their bats at bay. The Red Sox have scored a first-inning run in fewer than 25% of their games and allowed a first-inning run less than 22% of the time, giving these odds tremendous value.
Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.