Best NRFI and YRFI Bets Today (Jamison Taillon & Jeffrey Springs Headline Pitching Matchups Worth Targeting)

We're back with a loaded MLB slate and tons of value throughout the evening. Heading into a holiday weekend that's sure to leave our pockets a bit lighter, it'd certainly be nice to carry some extra cash into Memorial Day.

Luckily, there's several matchups that jumped out to me that we need to take advantage of. But I'm not talking about a full-game total or side. Nope. We're looking at the craze sweeping the nation, No Run First Inning (NRFI) and Yes Run First Inning (YRFI) bets.

Let's take a look at my favorite NRFI and YRFI today using the odds from our friends at WynnBET Sportsbook:

Best NRFI and YRFI Bets Today

Yankees vs Rays NRFI (-125)

New York has the stingiest first-inning pitching staff in MLB and are especially fierce on the road, allowing a first-inning run only 9.52% of the time. Jameson Taillon is poised to keep the clamps down on Tampa Bay, entering tonight's contest with a 2.70 ERA this month. He allowed just five hits and one run to the White Sox in his last outing and thrown a scoreless opening frame in seven of his eight starts.

Opposing Taillon will be Jeffrey Springs, who's quickly emerging as a potential ace for the Rays. The converted reliever hasn't allowed a first-inning run in any of his three starts and has a 1.32 ERA across 27.1 innings on the season.

The Yankees are slow starters and Tampa Bay allows a first-inning run in just 25% of their contests. Expect Springs to continue his stellar play and keep this game scoreless early.

Rockies vs Nationals YRFI (-125)

High wind gusts are blowing straight out to center field and each lineup has already seen today's starters, Austin Gomber and Aaron Sanchez. The YRFI is 3-1 in Gomber's road starts and he got shelled for five runs against the Giants in his most recent road outing. For all their struggles, Washington still scores a first-inning run at the sixth-highest percentage in the league and are in good position to get on the board early here.

But the Rockies may be in even better shape against Sanchez, who ranks in the first percentile in average exit velocity and has a 7.36 ERA in May. The YRFI is 5-1 in Sanchez's six starts and he gave up a pair of early runs to Colorado earlier this month. We should see a high-scoring matching beginning in the first inning.

Guardians vs Tigers NRFI (-130)

Shane Bieber is one of the best first-inning pitchers in the sport. Since 2021, the NRFI is 21-3 when he pitches. It's off to a blistering 7-1 start for him this year as he's allowed a paltry 0.39 batting average in the opening frame. Detroit has only four first-inning hits all month, so I have no faith in their lineup whatsoever today.

But I do have faith in Alex Faedo, who hasn't allowed more than two runs in a single start this year. The NRFI is 3-1 in those outings and he's facing a Guardians lineup that's hitting just .094 in the first inning on the road this month. With a low total and poor weather conditions expected, bank on the NRFI and enjoy each weak at-bat.

Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.