Best NRFI Bets Today – No Runs First Inning Picks UPDATED DAILY (2024)

On Sunday afternoon, it’s Paul Skenes Day at PNC Park against the Arizona Diamondbacks! Whenever the dynamic rookie stands on the bump, it’s always a must-watch affair in Pittsburgh.

Skenes, who has entered the Cy Young conversation, heads into this start with a 1.90 ERA and 80.2 WHIP in 13 starts. He didn’t make his first appearance until May 11 and has been on a pitch count, but has still managed to jump into the Cy Young race.

Regardless of being restricted to protect his arm for the future, he’s been among the best and deserves Cy Young votes. Skenes registered a 1.27 ERA, 0.61 WHIP, and 25 strikeouts over his previous three starts.

He has been one of the greatest NRFI money-makers in 2024, so the bet is always worth considering in games he pitches. The Snakes are scheduled to give 26-year-old Ryne Nelson the start on the road.

Nelson enters PNC Park with an ERA of 4.53 and 1.36 WHIP through 105.1 frames. The D-backs’ starter has been more efficient on the road in this campaign. He currently holds a 3.83 ERA and 1.30 WHIP as a visitor on the bump.

Nelson has been in a groove as of late, with a 2.41 ERA and 1.07 WHIP over his last three starts. Pittsburgh is among the worst 1st inning teams in the Major Leagues. They’ve averaged just 0.37 runs per for 27th and haven’t scored in 79.82% of 1st innings this season!

For your NRFI picks today, consider this generous price at Bovada.

The Phillies jumped over the Mariners early last night, but coughed up a five-run lead in an entertaining ball game at T-Mobile Park. Ace Zack Wheeler is scheduled to receive the starting call for the Phillies in this assignment.

The Markers are expected to counter with Logan Gilbert, who has solidified himself as ace material. Gilbert is coming off a dreadful showing against the Red Sox, but should respond positively at home. He was shelled for seven runs through 2.2 innings at Fenway Park.

However, Gilbert has been reliable on the bump at T-Mobile Park this season. Gilbert owns an ERA of 2.89 and 0.86 WHIP pitching in Seattle at home. Furthermore, the Phillies have connected for a lowly .212 batting average and just one home run in 52 at-bats versus Gilbert.

Wheeler will be asked to keep the Mariners in order this afternoon. The 34-year-old veteran enters with an ERA of 2.94 and 1.02 WHIP. Seattle is hitting a lackluster .197 against Wheeler in 71 at-bats in his career!

With this in mind, I suggest the Phillies vs. Mariners matchup for your best NRFI

1. Check The Starting Lineups, Especially The Pitchers

You should always begin with the lineups. Check who the starting pitchers are and then go through the latest injuries and suspensions to see whether any of the teams will be missing key pieces.

We usually go to the CBS’ MLB injury report to see who’s out and who’s doubtful. They pull the data directly from league reports, so it’s trustworthy information.

2. Analyzing NRFI Stats

Once we know the most likely lineups, it’s time for a key step of our NRFI betting strategy: analyzing numbers. You need to go through various data points to determine how likely is for the opening inning of a game to end without any runs.

We explore the individual stats of the starting pitchers, we analyze the offensive numbers of both sides, and we also take a look at the total team stats for first inning runs.

Once we have a complete overview of what’s going on, we create our own estimates (in percentages) of how likely it is to see no runs in the first inning.

After that, it’s time to check the odds!

3. Line Shopping

It’s time to check some betting odds! We use two bookmakers that offer daily NRFI betting odds for the MLB: Bovada and BetWhale. We check their prices for all games and turn them into probabilities.

We compare them to our own estimates and when we see good betting value, we place our NRFI wagers!

We strongly recommend using multiple top betting sites yourself for the best results. The two we highlighted above are all excellent for no runs first inning bets.