Baseball is faster than ever with the implementation of the pitch clock, but the DraftKings Sportsbook also has a market for those who still can’t wait 2.5 hours for results. NRFI bets (No Run First Inning) are exactly what they sound like. They give the bettor the ability to wager specifically on the outcome of a game’s opening frame. Will either team score a run? Yes or no? It’s that simple.
With that in mind, here are my top two NRFI picks for Thursday night’s light slate of MLB action.
Rockies at Padres NRFI (-130)
It’s slim pickings for NRFI bets on tonight’s three-game slate, but this seems like a pretty good place to start. It’s a scheduled pitching matchup between Chase Dollander and Randy Vazquez, but the truly enticing aspect of this tilt is that it’s taking place at Petco Park — and not Coors Field. The Rockies have long been atrocious outside of the altitude, and 2026 has been no different, with the team currently slashing .231/.279/.358 with an 80 wRC+ within the split.
Maybe more surprising is how much the Padres have also struggled to score runs so far this season. As a team, San Diego is batting just .213 with seven home runs — the second-lowest total in MLB. That’s translated out to an 81 wRC+ and a .285 wOBA, both of which rank 27th in baseball. It’s been pretty bleak. Dollander certainly has the stuff to take advantage of this floundering lineup, too. The former ninth-overall pick often touches 100 mph with his fastball and he owns a career 3.86 ERA when pitching on the road. Coors strikes again.
White Sox at Royals NRFI (-115)
This one’s a little more difficult to truly get behind.
The one half of the equation is easy. Seth Lugo will square-off with the White Sox in the top of the first, looking to shut down one of the worst offenses in baseball. Chicago is slashing .207/.291/.323 through 12 games with a league-low .266 expected wOBA. Munetaka Murakami and Colson Montgomery do posses the raw power to end this NRFI quest with one swing, but in general, this is the best possible matchup you could ask for as a pitcher. Lugo is a proven veteran who has allowed just two earned runs across his first 11.1 innings of 2026. He’ll hold up his end of the bargain.
I’m less optimistic about Anthony Kay. The southpaw has a 4.00 ERA through two appearances, but it would be a massive understatement to say he’s been a little lucky in the process. Kay’s walked more opponents (6) than he’s struck out (5), and a .148 BABIP seems to be shouldering a lot of weight. Heck, Kay worked behind an opener in his last outing against the Blue Jays, with Will Venable pulling out all the stops to protect the former NPB stud. The Royals’ lineup hasn’t done much to begin 2026, mustering a .129 ISO and an 98 wRC+, but getting three outs in the bottom of the first is going to be a real sweat.
