Baseball is faster than ever with the implementation of the pitch clock, but 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 three NRFI picks for Saturday’s full slate of MLB action.
| NRFI Bet Today | Odds | Why I Like the Pick |
| Athletics at White Sox | -115 | Gage Jump has pitched a clean first in 6 of his 8 starts, and Bryan Hudson in 5 of his 6 starts, while allowing a run in just 2 of his last 10. |
| Cubs at Cardinals | +105 | The Cubs have the second-highest NRFI rate in the MLB and the Reds are above average as well. Javier Assad is 6-for-7 (85.7%) and Nick Lodolo is 8-for-10 (80%) at converting scoreless firsts. Not a gimme but the odds are too juicy to pass up. |
| Diamondbacks at Dodgers | -105 | Brandon Pfaadt is the shaky half of this prop but has allowed no runs in 8 of his last 10 first innings. Yamamoto is 11-for-15 (68.8%) on the season but has four in a row and is 7-for-9 (77.8%) in his home starts. |
Athletics at Chicago White Sox (-115)
Let’s open our NRFI props for Saturday with a matinee from the Windy City, where the Athletics visit the White Sox. Impressive rookie Gage Jump starts for the A’s, while the White Sox plan to use Bryan Hudson as an opener in front of Erick Fedde.
Fedde is unlikely to pitch in the first, so let’s look at Hudson for the top of the first. The 29-year-old lefty has allowed a run in just two of his last 10 appearances out of the bullpen and has allowed a run in the first inning just once in his last four chances as an opener. Hudson will face an A’s offense that is scuffling and has the sixth-lowest rate of scoring in the first inning on the road this season.
The A’s will look to 23-year-old rookie lefty Gage Jump to keep the White Sox off the board in the first. He has not allowed a run in six of his eight first innings this year and has a 3.77 ERA and 3.53 FIP, with 41 strikeouts in 43 innings. Lefties have given the White Sox trouble at times this season, since the top of their order is lefty-heavy.
The two southpaws have a solid chance of getting through the first without giving up a run, and getting -115 odds is good value to start the day.
Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati Reds (+105)
The value in this NL Central matchup is a surprise, checking in at plus-money. I get that it’s Great American Ball Park, but both these starting pitchers have been effective at NRFI this season and throughout their career.
Nick Lodolo starts for the home team and comes in with a six-game NRFI streak and has converted eight scoreless first innings in his 10 starts this season. He has a disappointing 6.12 xERA on the season, but he has been good at the beginning of the games, for the most part.
The Cubs counter Lodolo with Javier Assad, who has also been disappointing overall but actually delivered strong NRFI success. In his seven starts, he has six scoreless first innings. He comes in with a five-game NRFI streak.
While Assad and Lodolo are both above-average NRFI options individually, it also helps this prop be a great value that the Cubs are the second-best NRFI play this season, with a conversion rate of 60.2%. They have a four-game NRFI streak, while the Reds have a five-game NRFI streak and are just above league average.
While there is the potential for plenty of offense in this game as a whole, the first inning odds seem way too long for NRFI in this matchup.
Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers (-105)
Let’s wrap up Saturday night’s NRFI plays with the last game on the slate, as the Dodgers host the D-backs in an NL West clash. The D-backs took the first game of the series, but the Dodgers will look to level the series by giving the ball to Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Saturday night against Brandon Pfaadt.
Yamamoto hasn’t allowed a run in the first inning of four straight games and two straight at home. He has a 2.49 ERA on the year but has been even better while going 6-2 in his last eight starts with a 1.48 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP.
The high-risk half of this prop is Brandon Pfaadt, but the 27-year-old righty has actually begun four of his five starts with scoreless first innings this year. He’s on a three-game NRFI streak and has only allowed one run in his two starts since returning from the minors, where he stretched back out to rejoin the rotation. Facing the Dodgers is always high-risk for NRFI, and with Pfaadt it’s living especially dangerously.
