We are back after a 3-0 night! Tuesday marks the first full slate of the week, which should provide a ton of value — especially in the first inning. There are slumping hitters and pitchers to target, along with some of the game’s best taking the mound. Be it a No Run First Inning or a Yes Run First Inning bet, the aim is to combine recent hitting and pitching trends, ballpark data and the first-inning moneyline tool at OddsShopper. Here are the best value plays for today’s action with the best NRFI picks today for Tuesday, Aug. 30.
Best NRFI Picks Today: No Run First Inning Bets 8/30
Rockies at Braves YRFI/NRFI Pick | RISK FREE BET up to $1,000
Colorado is one of the worst road teams when it comes to scoring runs in the first inning. They didn’t score one in any of the four games played at Citi Field and head to Atlanta averaging just 0.31 runs per first inning (RPFI) on the road. They also have to deal with Max Fried and a 23% strikeout rate combined with a ridiculous 4.3% walk rate. Fried is just tough to hit in general and will strike out his share of batters. That doesn’t bode well for a Rockies team that strikes out one more time per game on the road than at Coors Field.
Jose Urena will face a Braves squad that is in the bottom eight in baseball averaging just 0.42 RPFI at home. Urena is a mixed bag in his six road starts with half of them being scoreless after one. The Braves lack of scoring early in games at home should help nudge Urena towards those better starts, as everything else is trending towards NRFI.
Best NRFI Bet Today: Rockies at Braves NRFI (-120 BetMGM)
Yankees at Angels YRFI/NRFI Pick | RISK FREE BET up to $1,000
This one shouldn’t be too difficult as it comes down to one real matchup, Mike Mayers against Aaron Judge. The Yankees and Angels each provide a legit MVP candidate at the top of their respective lineups, so that’s always the first target in any NRFI play. Jameson Taillon has one inning to handle both Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, easier said than done, but even last night it took a couple of innings for Ohtani to launch one. The Yankees have gone five straight games on the road without plating a first run, adding context to their 0.56 RPFI road average. The Angels continue to dip in the rankings — averaging 0.54 RPFI at home and being blanked over their last three games. Taillon has cruised with road starts and Mayers comes off his second start — a scoreless outing against Tampa Bay.
Best NRFI Bet Today: Yankees at Angels NRFI (-120 BetMGM)
Phillies at Diamondbacks YRFI/NRFI Pick | RISK FREE BET up to $1,000
Two of the game’s better pitchers square off tonight in Arizona with Aaron Nola and Zac Gallen. Neither have a WHIP above 1.00 and each carry strikeout rates north of 25% on the season. On the surface it makes sense that a YRFI would be plus money, but Gallen still has to deal with a resurgent Phillies lineup with Bryce Harper fully returned. A lot of numbers, trends, and overall stats are a little off with the Phillies run minus Harper, and the top of the lineup becomes exponentially more difficult to pitch around Kyle Schwarber’s power. The Phillies plated two in last night’s first inning and are averaging 1.67 RPFI on the road over their last three.
Nola has been hit on the road and in the first, as Arizona doesn’t strikeout a ton as a team. A patient D-Backs team can do what the Mets and others have against Nola, getting to him early before he settles down. Arizona is in the middle of the pack averaging 0.55 RPFI at home, which is enough to warrant a shot at plus-money, combined with the Phillies ability to get to Gallen.
Best NRFI Bet Today: Phillies at Diamondbacks YRFI (+115 BetMGM)
