Tuesday’s baseball slate is jam-packed. Two of the many games have enticing MLB No Run First Inning (NRFI) selections. Here are my top MLB NRFI picks and bets for Tuesday, June 17th.
- MLB NRFI/YRFI Cheat Sheet - Team View
- MLB NRFI/YRFI Cheat Sheet - Matchup View
- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
- MLB Consensus Odds
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Tuesday’s Best MLB No Runs First Innings (NRFI) Picks
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Arizona Diamondbacks (+108) at Toronto Blue Jays (-126) | O/U 8.5 (-120/-102)
Starting Pitchers: Brandon Pfaadt vs. Chris Bassitt
Brandon Pfaadt has the dubious distinction of allowing eight runs - all earned - without recording an out against the Nationals on May 31st. Unfortunately, that disaster destroyed his full-season statistics and numbers in his first time through the order.
Still, the 26-year-old righty has held opponents scoreless in the first inning in 11 of his 14 starts this year. Pfaadt is also a handful for right-handed batters. The 487 righties who’ve faced him since last year have had only a .294 wOBA. Pfaadt’s dominance of righties is critical because the top of Toronto’s lineup is stacked with righties. The first two batters for the Blue Jays are right-handed, and Addison Barger is the only lefty who is regularly in the top five of the lineup.
Chris Bassitt is the better pitcher in this matchup, albeit with the more difficult assignment. According to FanGraphs, in 140.2 innings at home since last year, Bassitt has had a 3.97 ERA and 3.79 xFIP. The 36-year-old righty has also twirled a scoreless first inning in six of his seven starts at home this year. Getting +102 odds for an NRFI in this contest is tantalizing.
Pick: NRFI (+102)
St. Louis Cardinals (-158) at Chicago White Sox (+134) | O/U 8.5 (-102/-120)
Starting Pitchers: Matthew Liberatore vs. Shane Smith
Matthew Liberatore’s breakout campaign has endured a hiccup lately. Nevertheless, he has a 3.93 ERA, 3.65 xERA, 3.59 xFIP and 3.71 SIERA in 13 starts this season.
The lefty also has a 2.60 ERA and 3.38 xFIP in his first time through the order as a starter this season. Moreover, he has thrown a scoreless first inning in 10 of his 13 starts this season, and the top of Chicago’s lineup doesn’t have much firepower to buck Liberatore’s trend of tossing scoreless first innings.
Shane Smith is the A-side of this pitching matchup. The 25-year-old righty is a beast out of the gate. In his first time through the order as a starter in 13 starts this season, Smith has a 1.65 ERA, 3.20 xFIP, 1.13 WHIP, 9.4% walk rate and 28.2% strikeout rate. Smith has also twirled a scoreless first inning in 11 of his 13 starts. Thus, collectively, Liberatore and Smith have thrown a scoreless first inning in 21 of their 26 (80.8%) starts this season.
Pick: NRFI (-115)
Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.