MLB No Runs First Inning (NRFI) Odds & Picks: Wednesday (5/21)
The 2025 MLB season continues on Wednesday with all 30 teams in action. Several entertaining games are scheduled, including a National League collision between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers. A showdown between the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees will surely draw attention on the American League side.
Sports bettors wanting to get in on the action without sweating through an entire nine-inning contest can turn to MLB No Runs First Inning (NRFI) tickets for a quick result. Here’s a look at two MLB NRFI options that stick out from the rest on this week’s hump day.
- 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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Wednesday's Best MLB No Runs First Inning (NRFI) Picks
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Kansas City Royals (+168) at San Francisco Giants (-200) NRFI Picks
Starting Pitchers: TBD vs. Logan Webb
The Royals are streaking. There have been no runs scored in the first inning in each of Kansas City’s past 11 games. Overall, an NRFI wager has cashed in 36 of its 50 contests. That is the highest rate in the league. Those trends will be put to the test in a Wednesday afternoon clash in San Francisco. The Giants will hand the ball to Logan Webb (5-3, 2.42 ERA), while the Royals have yet to announce a starting pitcher.
Webb has been outstanding across 10 starts. The veteran right-hander has limited batters to a .595 OPS and forced the second-most ground ball outs of any MLB hurler (83). He has fired a scoreless opening frame seven times and now faces a Kansas City squad that struggles in run production. The Royals have smacked just one first-inning home run all year and rank last in OPS with runners in scoring position (.600).
I like this pick regardless of who is on the mound for Kansas City. Oracle Park is a pitcher-friendly venue that checks in 27th in Statcast’s offensive park factors since the start of the 2023 campaign. The Giants also average the third-fewest first-inning runs per home game and sport the fifth-lowest first-inning on-base percentage (OBP) in the Majors (.292). This is a great spot for a pitcher to collect three outs and return to the dugout.
Pick: NRFI (-140)
Houston Astros (-142) at Tampa Bay Rays (+120) NRFI Picks
Starting Pitchers: Hunter Brown vs. Taj Bradley
An exciting rubber match is on tap Wednesday after the Astros and Rays split the first two battles of this series. Houston’s Hunter Brown (6-2, 1.43 ERA) draws the start opposite Tampa Bay’s Taj Bradley (3-3, 4.80 ERA) at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Take note that the first inning has ended with zeroes on the scoreboard in seven of the previous 10 meetings between these American League foes.
It’s been an up-and-down season for Bradley, but he has begun to find his groove. The California native has kept his opponent from crossing home plate during the first inning in two of his three starts in May. It shouldn’t take him long to find his footing versus a Houston offense that logs the fewest first-inning runs per contest. The Astros have tallied only one run over their last 10 opening frames. Continue to target them in this market.
Success from Bradley would leave the result of this bet on Brown’s shoulders. The fourth-year pro is breaking out in 2025 as a top-three pitcher in WHIP (0.83), opponents’ batting average (.170) and home runs allowed (two). Of course, keeping hitters from getting on base is the key to an NRFI. It’s worth mentioning that Brown has conceded two runs in 17 career innings against the Rays. He can be trusted to get the job done.
Pick: NRFI (-120)