Best NRFI and YRFI Bets Today (Jack Flaherty's Return Among Matchups With Value)

We couldn't quite pull off the sweep yesterday, but if we go 2-1 every day we'll be sitting mighty fine at the end of the season!

It's Wednesday and we've got 15 games on the MLB slate. Sometimes we all need a little help to get over the hump. I've been told that a mound of dollars makes for a good boost, so why don't we give that a shot by nailing some No Run First Inning (NRFI) & Yes Run First Inning (YRFI) bets today?

The kind baseball scheduling czar-that-be sprinkled games throughout the afternoon to carry us through the work hours, so let's not waste any more time. Using the odds from WynnBET Sportsbook, here are my favorite NRFI/YRFI bets of the day:

Best NRFI and YRFI Bets Today

Pirates vs Cardinals NRFI (-115)

Jack Flaherty is back! The Cardinals' 26-year-old righty enjoyed a splendid 2021 campaign, finishing 9-2 with a 3.22 ERA before missing the first few months of this year with injury. He looked sharp in two minor league rehab starts and if his cleats from yesterday are any indication, he's ready to watch the world burn:

I usually use novel concepts like "stats" and "metrics" to make picks, but sometimes a player shows up in cool Joker cleats and you just have to roll with them. The Pirates should be terrified.

Jokes aside, Pittsburgh's lineup is terrible. They've scored a first-inning run in less than 20% of their road games while St. Louis allows one in only 15.15% of their home matchups. This is the perfect game for Flaherty to settle back into form after posting a 1.88 ERA in the first in 2021.

On the other side, Pirates' starter Roansy Contreras is a pitcher to watch closely moving forward. The 22-year-old hasn't allowed a first-inning run in any of his four starts and has displayed an impressive blend of velocity and movement. He's got excellent strikeout ability and I trust him to emerge through another opening frame unscathed.

Angels vs Dodgers NRFI (-115)

Both starting pitchers are on a nice run as Reid Detmers takes on Tyler Anderson. Only 22-years-old, like Contreras, Detmers hasn't allowed a run over his last two starts and has held his opponent scoreless in seven of his 10 first innings thrown. The Dodgers are struggling a bit offensively and haven't scored a first-inning run in five straight contests, so I like Detmers' chances to continue his impressive run.

Tyler Anderson has been pretty darned impressive himself, having not allowed a first-inning run in four straight games. He has a 1.57 ERA over that span and the Dodgers are one of the stingiest first-inning defenses in MLB, allowing a run less than 20% of the time. For the second straight game in the series, roll with the 0-0 score in the first.

Athletics vs Red Sox NRFI (+110)

At first glance, I thought this was an easy YRFI bet. Oakland starter James Kaprielian is 0-3 with a 5.73 ERA and Boston starter Josh Winckowski gave up four runs in three innings in his only outing of the year.

But once I took a further look, I realized the plus money on NRFI was the way to go. Kaprielian has only allowed a first-inning run once in eight starts and Boston's vaunted lineup isn't so vaunted at home, scoring in the first in only 17.86% of their home games.

Winckowski was actually solid through his first two innings before the Orioles tagged him in the third last week. Oakland has been terrible offensively all season, and Winckowski held his opponent to two runs or fewer in seven of his nine minor league outings this year. Boston allows a first-inning run in 21.43% of their home matchups and I expect another scoreless opening frame tonight.

Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.