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. Here are my top three NRFI plays for Friday:
- Red Sox at Angels NRFI (-135): Lefties Reid Detmers and Jake Bennett face off in Anaheim, and both offenses have struggled early in games and against lefties. Bennett hasn’t given up a first-inning run yet in the majors.
- Brewers at Diamondbacks NRFI (-110): Kyle Harrison will start for the Brew Crew against Arizona, who gives the ball to rookie Jose Cabrera. Harrison has been dominant, while Cabrera is 1-for-2 in his two MLB starts, but the rookie has not looked overwhelmed in his 10 innings so far.
- Padres at Dodgers NRFI (-125): Michael King and Shohei Ohtani have been excellent this year, especially in the first innings. Both teams are also well above league average at NRFI this season.
Let’s break down those three options in more detail and see why the numbers support these three NRFI plays for Friday.
Red Sox at Angels NRFI (-135)
We’re sticking to the late games for today’s three NRFI picks since the matchups and the weather set up for plenty of offense in the early matchups. In the first of the three later games with better spots, Reid Detmers and the Angels host Jake Bennett and the Red Sox in a matchup of southpaws.
Detmers is 3-5 in 17 starts after moving back to the rotation this season, posting a 3.88 ERA, 2.96 FIP and an impressive 1.06 WHIP. He has been knocked around by the A’s in a few starts, but otherwise has been relatively solid. He didn’t give up a first-inning run in 13 of his 17 starts this season, including seven of his eight starts at home. He also gets a boost from facing the Red Sox, who have scored a run in the first inning the third-fewest times of all MLB teams this year.
When the home team hits in the bottom of the inning, Jake Bennett will be looking to extend his streak to seven straight starts without a first-inning run. The rookie lefty has only faced an average of 3.3 batters in the first inning in his six MLB starts and has yet to allow a run in the first.
With both offenses near the bottom of the league in many categories and two lefties who have been throwing well, this is a nice spot in Anaheim to start my NRFI picks.
Brewers at Diamondbacks NRFI (-110)
The Brewers and Diamondbacks meet at Chase Field in a nice National League series this weekend. Kyle Harrison is on the hill for the Brew Crew, looking to continue his great start to the year, while Jose Cabrera counters for the home team, making his third start of his MLB career.
Cabrera didn’t allow a run in the first inning of his MLB debut, spinning five shutout innings against the Twins. He gave up four runs to the Rays in his most recent start, though, allowing a homer to Junior Caminero in the first inning. The rookie 24-year-old will try to keep the Brewers quiet in the first before Kyle Harrison takes the ball for the bottom of the first.
Harrison has not allowed a run in the first inning of 12 of his 15 starts this season, while going an impressive 8-1 with a 2.57 ERA and 3.03 FIP with only a 1.04 WHIP. He has given up a couple of runs in each of his last two games, but he’s still a solid play in this NRFI play on Friday.
Padres at Dodgers NRFI (-125)
This spotlight NL West matchup in the late window features a great matchup between Shohei Ohtani and Michael King. The two aces square off at Dodger Stadium, and even though both offenses have power potential, King and Ohtani have a good shot to get through the first frame unscathed.
The Dodgers will give the ball to Ohtani, who has a 100% NRFI rate in his 13 starts this season and has a 20-start NRFI streak stretching back to last season.
King has a 74.1% NRFI rate in his career and has allowed no runs in the first in 16 of his 17 starts this season. He has a six-start NRFI streak and has not allowed a run in the first inning of any of his seven road starts.
In addition to both starters dealing in the first inning, each team is in the top seven in the MLB of NRFI rate. The Padres enter the game with a 65.9% NRFI rate, the highest of any team in the MLB this year, while the Dodgers are at 51.7%, which is also well above league average.
