It’s that part of the season where hope for making the playoffs drives teams to do some amazing things. In the world of baseball, “amazing” can span the spectrum from unbelievably awesome to frighteningly bad. In the case of the first inning, that could be six straight Ks to blank both lineups, or a pitcher getting hammered for 10 runs – although the YRFI only needs one to cash. Saturday’s action is a little spread out with some day games but there’s still plenty of value with the later games. Here are the top three NRFI/YRFI plays for August 5th, 2023 – don’t forget OddsShopper.com has NRFI plays AND 70% off your first month!
When it comes to betting on baseball, one of the most popular wagers involves predicting whether there will be runs scored in the first inning of a game. These bets are commonly referred to as “No Run First Inning” (NRFI) and “Yes Run First Inning” (YRFI) bets. Let’s take a look at three matchups that feature the best NRFI and YRFI bets today.
First-inning bets are some of the most enjoyable sweats in the MLB betting business. If you want to start making money on your NRFI and YRFI picks, OddsShopper has you covered. Check out our guide to NRFI and YRFI betting and come back each day for the best NRFI and YRFI bets — we post daily NRFI and YRFI articles, and our MLB bet shopping pages integrate data from industry-leading betting model to find NRFI and YRFI picks with positive expected value (+EV) each day. If you’re hungry for more than just the picks we post for free, sign up for OddsShopper Premium today — new users can get their first month for 70% off.
Best YRFI and NRFI Bets Today: No Run First Inning Bets
Kansas City Royals at Philadelphia Phillies YRFI (-125)
Both of these pitchers are just awful. It’s not all their fault but it’s hard to absolve more than a sliver of blame – we just aren’t putting it ALL on them. Alec Marsh has seen limited action this year including opening the game – first inning only – against the Mets for his last outing. His first three starts since being activated in late June saw Ks at five, five, and 11 – but he’s cooled off since. The Phillies come off a ridiculous loss with Aaron Nola starting but they did get some offense, expect the same. Kyle Schwarber may look like a ghost at times but he’s still live for a lead-off home run against bad pitching. Speaking of which, Christopher Sanchez, now the 6th starter for the Phillies, is filling a gap until their new rotation gets re-worked. He’s not walking many batters but still finding ways to load up the basepath, or simply allow guys to trot around it. Expect a run or two tonight in South Philly.
Colorado Rockiest at St. Louis Cardinals NRFI (+108)
Here comes Ty Blach! The Rockies opener-turned-starter comes off his longest stretch of the season, a five inning shutout of the A’s. Opponent aside, Blach has gone two straight starts – his longest of the year – without surrendering a run. The Cardinals come off a brutal home loss last night and don’t have the consistency this year for any benefit that they plate a ton of runs. Blach is the big key here but at plus-money the other side relies on Steven Matz to cruise against Colorado. The Cards lefty has a little lighter K rate at 21.6% but he makes up by pitching better to contact. The Rockies may have gotten the jump on Adam Wainwright but don’t expect a similar fate for the better Matz. This one stays scoreless after one.
Pittsburgh Pirates at Milwaukee Brewers YRFI (+105)
We found this one on OddsShopper.com this morning for the Eytan’s Essentials MLB Bets, +105 for a YRFI in Milwaukee. The game should be much closer than the ML odds would indicate – Pittsburgh was a +200 dog at one point – and at least one team should take advantage of recent trends. The Pirates come off series wins against some good teams and split with Detroit, they have some momentum working. The Brewers have won just three of ten and haven’t done enough to wake from this funk. It’s a good spot for plus money against Corbin Burnes – a tough matchup for Pittsburgh but still hittable – and Bailey Falter. If anything, expect Bailey to Falter in the first.
