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 Monday’s full slate of MLB action.
| NRFI Bet Today | Odds | Why I Like the Pick |
| Dodgers at Phillies | -115 | Cristopher Sánchez has allowed no runs in the first inning of 10 of his 11 home starts and will look to bounce back after a disappointing All-Star Game. Emmet Sheehan had an up-and-down first half but does come in with three straight NRFI. |
| Orioles at Red Sox | -125 | Both Shane Baz and Payton Tolle have had their ups and downs this season, but they have good momentum coming into the second half. Baz has three straight NRFI, and Tolle has six scoreless first innings in eight home starts. The Red Sox have scored the fewest times in the first inning in the MLB this season, while the Orioles have scored the third-fewest times in the first inning. |
| Cardinals at Angels | -110 | Cardinals SP Kyle Leahy has a 79% NRFI rate this season, the third-highest of all pitchers on the board this Monday. He’ll face Jose Soriano, who has a seven-game NRFI rate, the second-highest on the slate. |
Los Angeles Dodgers at Philadelphia Phillies (-115)
Let’s open our NRFI props for Monday with one of the big National League matchups. The Dodgers split a doubleheader on Sunday with the Yankees, but opted to push Emmet Sheehan to Monday’s opener in Philly, where he’ll go up against All-Star starter Cristopher Sanchez for the Phillies.
Sanchez didn’t have a great showing at the All-Star Game, but he has been very effective this season with a 2.62 ERA and 2.70 FIP. At home, he has been even better with an impressive 0.86 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. He has allowed a run in the first inning of five of his 20 starts this season for an above-average 75% NRFI rate, and he has been even better at home, allowing a run in the first inning of only one of his 11 starts at Citizens Bank Park.
On the other side, Sheehan has a three-game NRFI streak, although he has allowed a first-inning run in four of his seven road starts this season. He’s definitely the higher-risk side of the matchup, but he had good momentum with three strong starts before the break, allowing four earned runs across 14 2/3 innings to the Padres and Diamondbacks. He’ll look to continue that momentum against the Phillies on Monday.
While both teams have solid offenses, they are each just above league average at NRFI this season. With two quality starters in Sanchez and Sheehan on the mound, it seems like a good spot for some value since the public perception seems to be that picking NRFI against these two strong squads is too risky due to the power at the top of their lineup.
Baltimore Orioles at Boston Red Sox (-125)
As they open their AL East series against the Orioles, the Red Sox will be looking to get their 14th straight win as they give the ball to Payton Tolle. He’ll be facing Shane Baz of the Orioles, who will start in place of Kyle Bradish, who will slide back to Tuesday.
Tolle will get the ball first at Fenway, where he has six scoreless first innings in his eight starts. Overall, he has a league-average NRFI rate, but at home, he’s been much better. It also helps that he’s facing the Orioles, who have the sixth-highest NRFI rate as a team this season. They have scored in the first inning the third-fewest times of any team in the MLB.
Baz comes into the second half on a three-game NRFI streak after a shaky first half overall. He is 4-9 with a 4.19 ERA and 3.58 FIP, but he looked much better in his last three games, allowing seven runs in 17 2/3 innings with 18 strikeouts and a 2.25 FIP over those starts.
Despite their recent success, the Red Sox have actually still scored the fewest times in the first inning of any team in the MLB this season. Since both teams typically start the game slowly, and both young starting pitchers have positive momentum, this is a solid spot for an NRFI play on Monday.
St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Angels (-110)
Let’s wrap up Monday night’s NRFI plays with the latest game on the slate, which is the second game of ESPN’s doubleheader that starts with Dodgers-Phillies. The Cardinals are in Anaheim to take on the Angels, as Kyle Leahy faces Jose Soriano in a matchup of two emerging starting pitchers who are looking to build on a positive first half.
On the home side, Soriano started out with a great run of outings before cooling off in his most recent starts. Even though he’s 0-2 with 17 runs allowed in 24 innings in his last five games, he continues to put up scoreless first frames and comes in with a seven-game streak of not allowing a run in the first inning. He is one of the hottest names on the trade market, and he needs a few good outings to raise his stock even higher, and he’ll look to put together a strong showing on Monday against the Cardinals, who have been a top-five NRFI team this season.
The Angels are just a little below league average as an NRFI team this season, and Kyle Leahy will look to put a scoreless first on the board against them this Monday. Leahy has a 79% NRFI rate this season, throwing 15 scoreless first innings in his 19 starts. He has the third-highest NRFI rate of all the pitchers on the board for Monday night and has not given up a run in seven of his eight starts on the road. His move from the bullpen to the rotation hasn’t been completely seamless, but even when he’s had issues, it hasn’t usually been in the first inning.
The two starters have been better than most people realize in the first inning, so Leahy and Soriano are a solid tandem to back to finish out the night with another NRFI hit.
