MLB No Runs First Inning (NRFI) Bets Odds, Picks & Predictions: Wednesday (6/21)
Baseball treats us to an all-day affair, with games beginning at 12:10 p.m. ET and continuing past the midnight hour on the East Coast. Whether you’ll have an opportunity to catch a full game or not, the No Runs First Inning (NRFI) betting market will be in full swing, giving you an opportunity for a one-inning sweat.
Here are my best NRFI bets for Wednesday, June 21.
Wednesday’s Best No Runs First Inning (NRFI) Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Boston Red Sox vs. Minnesota Twins
Pitching matchup: Garrett Whitlock vs. Sonny Gray
The Twins turn to their ace as they look to slow down this Boston offense. Over the first two games of the series, Boston has outscored the Twins 19-7. Sonny Gray is just the pitcher to do it. The Twins righty is 4-1 with a 2.37 ERA, a 3.71 xERA and an xFIP of 3.70.
Gray faced this Red Sox team earlier this season and kept them in check, pitching five innings while only giving up one run and striking out seven.
On the other side, Garrett Whitlock has held his own. The Red Sox starter is looking for his third straight win and fifth of the season. The 27-year-old is 4-2 with a 4.38 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. In a minimal sample size, the Twins’ current roster is only batting .118 against Whitlock in 17 at-bats.
Bet: NRFI (-120)
Oakland Athletics vs. Cleveland Guardians
Pitching matchup: Paul Blackburn vs. Gavin Williams
Paul Blackburn is scheduled to make his sixth start of the season this evening against the Guardians. Since coming back from injury, Blackburn is 0-0, with a 3.48 ERA while striking out 23 batters over 20.2 innings. He has been a bit of fresh air for the A’s rotation that has struggled mightily over the first half of the season.
He has allowed more than two earned runs once in his first five starts. Blackburn has done an excellent job at limiting hard contact, as his 6.6% barrel rate is one of the lowest on today’s slate, and his 29.5% HardHit% is the lowest among today’s listed pitchers.
Cleveland is starting their top pitching prospect, Gavin Williams. Williams is MLB.com’s 16th-ranked prospect and will make his long-awaited MLB debut.
Over his last 10 games in Triple-A and Double-A, Williams went 3-2 with a 2.93 ERA while striking out 61 batters over 46 innings.
We have two starting pitchers that have the potential to cruise opposing lineups with ease, as both Oakland and Cleveland rank in the bottom third in wOBA, wRC+ and OBP.
Bet: NRFI (-125)
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