College football gets the attention on Saturday, but don’t forget there’s money to be made betting No Run First Inning (NRFI) or Yes Run First Inning (YRFI) in baseball.
There’s plenty of value in late September with playoff races and eliminated teams.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 Saturday, Sept. 24.
Best NRFI Picks Today: No Run First Inning Bets 9/24
Mets @ Athletics YRFI/NRFI Pick| RISK FREE BET
The Mets may not get a complete game out of Jacob deGrom, but even with a playoff spot solidified, he’s a safe bet in the first inning. How long the Mets choose to stretch deGrom in a meaningless game against the A’s is inconsequential to him dominating them in the opening frame. It’s going to take a serious breakdown for him to even surrender two baserunners, let alone one run.
The A’s send Ken Waldichuk who is slightly better than the Mets runs per first inning (RPFI) average on the road, a marginal advantage. New York only averages .38 RPFI away from Citi Field.
Best NRFI Bet Today: Mets @ Athletics NRFI (-170 BetMGM)
Giants @ Diamondbacks YRFI/NRFI Pick
The Giants may have slim chances to make the Wild Card but they certainly aren’t playing like it. Winners of five straight coming in, they send Alex Cobb to face an a already-eliminated D-backs team. Merrill Kelly was lit up over his last three starts, granted two were against the Dodgers and the other was against the Padres. San Francisco only averages .29 RPFI on the road, one of the worst rates in baseball. Arizona isn’t much better, averaging just .51 RPFI at home. Cobb comes in with a 1.27 WHIP but he’s held opponents scoreless in three of his last five starts.
Best NRFI Bet Today: Giants at Diamondbacks NRFI (-150 BetMGM)
Padres @ Rockies YRFI/NRFI Pick
Coors Field will always provide a heavy shade to scoring props and the first inning is far from any exception. Yu Darvish continues his masterful season, including scoreless outings in three of his last four starts. He enters Coors with a 0.93 WHIP which he’s worked down in two straight starts. The Rockies power early in games has waned at home, now 10th overall in RPFI at home. They’ve dropped considerably since the All-Star Game. Chad Kuhl takes on a Padres team that hasn’t really put much together with first inning scoring on the road. They average just .38 RPFI away from home, something Kuhl can possibly target.
Best NRFI Bet Today: Padres at Rockies NRFI (+140 BetMGM)
