April is finally here, and the MLB season is officially one week in the books. Wednesday’s action will see several big-time pitchers taking the hill, including Chris Sale, Paul Skenes, Garrett Crochet and Tarik Skubal. What better time than now to place a few NRFI wagers? No runs in the first inning sounds easy enough, but there’s a necessary balance between good value and quality matchups. Finding starters that thrive early, and offenses that struggle, is essential.
Ahead of today’s MLB contests, here are two NRFI bets worth placing on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Red Sox vs. Astros NRFI (-160)
Aces abound this afternoon across Major League Baseball. Few, perhaps none, can match Garrett Crochet’s stuff. Boston’s workhorse is the epitome of consistent. Last season, he posted a 2.59 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and a league-leading 255 strikeouts over 205.1 innings. The lefty had no trouble picking up where he left off, tossing six scoreless, three-hit innings on Opening Day vs. the Reds. Since 2025, Crochet has posted a solid 81.3% NRFI rate. In comparison, Houston owns baseball’s seventh-lowest YRFI rate during that time (26.54%).
The biggest challenge for this bet will be the top half of the inning. Mike Burrows’ Houston debut got off to a rocky start last week. The right-hander coughed up five runs over 5.2 frames against the Angels. With that being said, the 26-year-old delivered a respectable 3.94 ERA last season with Pittsburgh. In addition, he’s notched a stellar 79.0% NRFI rate since 2025. The Red Sox come into this one ice-cold on offense as well. Boston has scored a total of just five runs over its last three matchups. A few quick outs feels more than reasonable for Burrows this afternoon.
Tigers vs. Diamondbacks NRFI (-150)
As previously mentioned, Tarik Skubal is set to toe the slab on Wednesday. The word ‘automatic’ is dangerous in a game as unpredictable as baseball. Still, if any pitcher warrants such high praise, it’s this two-time Cy Young winner. Detroit’s face of the franchise has been the sport’s premier arm over the last two seasons. During that time, he’s accounted for a 2.27 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 10.9 K/9 ratio. In 2025, he delivered a pristine 87.1% NRFI rate. Skubal begin his 2026 campaign with six innings and no earned runs vs. San Diego. With respect to a capable Diamondbacks offense, it’s impossible to fade the veteran hurler against anyone right now.
Much like Red Sox-Astros, the top half of the inning contains more uncertainty. Still, you could do worse than Arizona starter Zac Gallen. The former All-Star’s stock has dipped a bit in recent years. Still, he remains an effective pitcher when healthy. That wasn’t the case last weekend, a four-inning, four-run letdown. Regardless, the right-hander’s 3.28 career ERA at Chase Field speaks for itself. In comparison, the Tigers scored just 4.32 runs per game on the road last season, 12th-worst in the league. Detroit’s middling offense doesn’t present the most intimidating threat on Wednesday.
