Best NRFI and YRFI Bets Today (Phillies vs Cardinals Among Matchups to Target)

After a satisfying 3-0 sweep yesterday of No Run First Inning (NRFI) and Yes Run First Inning (YRFI) bets, I'm ready to keep the wins coming today.

It's a new week, and we can't go undefeated all week if we don't put together another sweep today.

So why wasn't any time?

Let's jump into my favorite NRFI/YRFI bets of the MLB slate, using the odds from WynnBET Sportsbook:

Best NRFI and YRFI Bets Today

Phillies vs Cardinals NRFI (-135)

I don't typically like paying this much juice for a NRFI bet, but the matchup warrants this kind of price. Aaron Nola is the NRFI King, as he's allowed a first-inning run just once in 17 starts. He's got a 0.58 ERA in his last four road starts and limited opponents to two runs total over 31.1 innings.

Nola is truly one of MLB's elite pitchers. Miles Mikolas isn't half-bad himself though, either. If Nola is the NRFI King, Mikolas might be the prince. He's held his opponent scoreless in the opening frame in 15 of his 17 starts en route to a 2.72 ERA on the year.

With two excellent pitchers on the mound, I consider the -135 odds an extreme value.

Braves vs Mets NRFI (-155)

Okay, I guess we're paying a lot of juice again. But just like with Nola vs Mikolas, Max Scherzer vs Max Fried is an elite pitching matchup between two of the most dominant pitchers in baseball.

Scherzer returned from the Injured List like he was never even hurt, throwing six shutout innings against Cincinnati while allowing just two hits with 11 strikeouts. He's allowed just one run in the first inning over nine starts, and the Braves score early runs less than 30% of the time. Mad Max is one of the best starters of the era, and his 2022 MLB Statcast Pitching Profile shows he's still that guy:

On the other side, Fried has a 1.59 ERA in the first inning and allowed one or fewer runs in six of his last eight starts. The Mets are dangerous, but they've scored a first-inning run in only 23.26% of their road games, so I'm happy to fade them against Fried.

Padres vs Rockies NRFI (+155)

To be honest, I do think there will be a run scored in the first inning of this game. But I certainly don't think paying -185 odds for it makes sense, nor do I think +155 is fair for a scoreless opening frame. We're getting tremendous value for the Padres' elite defense and struggling lineup to give us zeroes early on, and I think that's worth a wager.

Colorado's lineup is inconsistent and San Diego scores in the first inning in only 20% of their road games. The Padres also allow an early run less than 30% of the time. At +155, I'm thrilled to take a shot on a NRFI bet.

Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.