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 |
| Mets at Rays | -105 | Robert Stock has struggled with a 7.40 ERA but has thrown four scoreless first innings in five starts. He’ll take on Ian Seymour, who is 9-for-11 (81.8%) in NRFI this season, including a perfect 7-for-7 at home. |
| Brewers at Cubs | -115 | Both Kyle Harrison and Clay Holmes come in with good momentum and NRFI numbers on the season, and both teams rank in the top seven for NRFI this season. |
| Yankees at Angels | -115 | Elmer Rodriguez is making a spot start vs. the Angels after a successful run in Triple-A, and he’ll match up against Walbert Urena, who has been lights out in the first inning this season, hitting over 90% NRFI. |
New York Mets at Tampa Bay Rays (-105)
The Mets and Rays start their series in Tampa in one of the five games that start just before 7:00 p.m. ET this Monday. The Rays just swept the Padres and have won six of seven as they look to Ian Seymour to start the first game of this series against the Mets’ Robert Stock.
Seymour has converted two straight NRFIs and is 9-for-11 (81.8%) in NRFIs this season, including a perfect 7-for-7 at home. He gets a favorable matchup against the Mets, who rank in the bottom 10 of Run Scored % in the first inning this season.
If he completes the first half of the inning scoreless, Robert Stock will look to close out the NRFI against the Rays in the home half of the first. Stock has the tougher side of the matchup but has gone 4-for-5 (80%) in NRFI this season, including going 3-for-3 over his last three outings. The 36-year-old journeyman is 0-3 with a 7.40 ERA and 4.63 FIP, but he has been able to be clean in the first frame of most of his starts.
Stock against the Rays makes this a high-risk play, but getting it at almost even money feels like amazing value, based on Stock’s and Seymour’s strong first innings so far this season.
Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs (-115)
One of the best matchups of the week is a critical NL Central series between the Brew Crew and the Cubs at Wrigley Field. It will be warm with the wind blowing out, so the weather forecast looks favorable for offense overall. The forecast also sets up some great value, though, since it makes this matchup between Kyle Harrison and Clay Holmes only -115 on the NRFI board. I wouldn’t take this if the odds slide to -135 as we get closer to first pitch, but it seems like a solid value at anything longer than that.
Clay Holmes will take the mound first, and he is 10-for-13 (76.9%) at NRFI this season, including no runs allowed in the first inning of each of his last three starts. He has only allowed one run total in 19 innings over those three starts, with a 0.47 ERA and 0.74 WHIP.
The Brewers will counter with Kyle Harrison, who has also been very impressive this season and has regained his form lately. He is 17-for-21 (81%) at NRFI this season and comes in with a streak of four straight NRFI. Harrison has a 1.83 ERA despite a 1.32 WHIP in his four starts in August, and he has racked up 26 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings in those four outings.
The overall quality of both starting pitchers makes this a great value spot to attack at these odds, plus both teams rank in the top 10 for NRFI this season, with the Cubs at No. 6 and the Brewers at No. 7.
New York Yankees at Los Angeles Angels (-115)
The Yankees head to the West Coast after taking three of four games from the Red Sox in a big series over the weekend. Due to the doubleheader on Saturday, they’ll call up Elmer Rodriguez to make a spot start against the Angels on Monday, while the Halos will turn to an impressive young arm of their own in Walbert Urena.
Urena comes in with the longest NRFI streak of Monday’s expected starters. The 22-year-old righty has put up 11 straight NRFI and is 20-for-22 (90.9%) on the season, which is the highest percentage of Monday’s probable starters. He is a perfect 13-for-13 at NRFI at home this season, and the Yankees are actually below league average at scoring in the first inning, so it’s actually not a matchup to avoid, especially since the Yankees could be set up for a bit of a letdown after a big series and plenty of travel.
Rodriguez will be making his sixth start of the season for the Yankees after going 0-2 with a 4.70 ERA and 16 strikeouts in his first 23 innings in the majors. He is 8-3 with a 2.59 ERA and 3.72 FIP in his 19 Triple-A starts. In his last five Triple-A outings, he has gone 2-0 with an impressive 1.38 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 26 innings. He’ll be in a good spot against the Angels lineup, which has actually been productive in the first inning. His lack of experience makes him a little risky, but he has lots of short-term and long-term potential.
Rodriguez and Urena are both exciting young arms adjusting to the MLB, and they should meet in this solid matchup to close out the day with another NRFI hit.
