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 Tuesday’s full slate on MLB action.
Giants at Padres NRFI (-140)
This probably won’t come as a shock if you’re been forced to watch this Giants lineup at all in 2026, but NRFI bets are 4-0 in San Francisco’s first four contests of the season. It certainly helps matters when the team in question has only scored four total runs. You read that right. Four games. Four runs. The sample sizes we’re dealing with here are hilariously small, yet the Giants are slashing a putrid .154/.230/.211 with a 31 wRC+ in the opening week. That .211 slugging percentage is lower than the batting average of 22 different teams. Yikes. German Marquez posted a 7.16 ERA in Spring Training; however, I’m at the point where I’ll trust anyone with a pulse to keep San Francisco scoreless in the first.
On the other side, we find Logan Webb. The right-hander did not look like himself in his 2026 debut on Opening Night, yet I still have full faith in the veteran. Webb registered a 2.60 FIP across 207.0 innings last season, and he was so, so good his first time through the opposing batting order. To wit, Webb owned a 2.00 FIP with a 28.8% strikeout rate within the split. If opponents didn’t luck into a .394 BABIP, Webb may have never allowed an early run. Hopefully that trend carries over to this evening’s tilt.
Mets at Cardinals NRFI (-115)
The Cardinals’ lineup was able to feast on an underwhelming Rays’ pitching staff on opening weekend, but I really don’t believe this is an offense you have to fear all that much. I’ll take my chances with Kodai Senga, who looked great throughout Spring Training, specifically as it pertained to the return of his fastball velocity. In 52 career starts in MLB, Senga owns a 3.00 ERA with a 26.8% strikeout rate. This isn’t the side of this NRFI bet that is giving me pause. I trust the right-hander.
I can not say the same about Andre Pallante. The 27-year-old pitched to a 5.31 ERA last season with just a fourth percentile strikeout rate (15.5%). That’s not usually what I’m looking for in a starter. However, for the purposes of an NRFI bet, there might be some reasons to give Pallante some grace. First and foremost, Pallante managed a 97th percentile ground ball rate in 2025 (59.9%). It is hard to hit home runs off this man. Secondly, as you might expect with a former reliever, Pallante’s stuff plays far better his first trip through the order. Last year, the RHP posted a 3.60 ERA when facing hitters for the first time. The second time through? A 6.83 ERA. The third time through? 1.55 home runs per nine. Thankfully, all we need is for Pallante to survive the first frame.
