The 2025 MLB season continues on Wednesday with all 30 teams in action. Several entertaining games are scheduled, including a National League East collision between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves. A battle between the Los Angeles Angels 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 peek 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 (-136) at Texas Rangers (+116)
Starting Pitchers: Kris Bubic vs. Patrick Corbin
The Royals took down the Rangers on Tuesday by a score of 6-1 thanks to a great start from Seth Lugo. Kris Bubic will look to follow in his footsteps when he toes the slab for Kansas City opposite Texas’ Patrick Corbin on Wednesday. Note that an NRFI wager has cashed in 22 of the Royals’ 32 games as a betting favorite and 22 of the Rangers’ 34 games as a betting underdog. Those are both top-three rates in the league.
Texas has gotten exactly what it was looking for out of Corbin. The 35-year-old has posted his lowest ERA (3.66) and WHIP (1.22) since the 2019 campaign. Getting off to favorable starts has been a key to his success. Corbin has held his opponent from scoring during the opening frame in 10 of his 12 outings. Count on him to excel against a Kansas City offense that ranks as a bottom-10 unit in first-inning runs per contest.
Bubic has served as the ace in manager Matt Quatraro’s rotation. The young southpaw sports the fifth-lowest ERA in all of baseball (1.92) and allows a minuscule .195 batting average on the road. Overall, Bubic has surrendered one earned run across 13 first innings and now faces a Rangers squad with the third-lowest on-base percentage (OBP) at home (.296). Expect six quick outs to begin the action in Arlington.
Pick: NRFI (-115)
Boston Red Sox (-124) at Seattle Mariners (+106)
Starting Pitchers: Garrett Crochet vs. Luis Castillo
Don’t let the trade of Rafael Devers distract from the fact Boston has tallied six straight victories. The Red Sox will attempt to keep the streak alive when they clash with the Mariners on Wednesday afternoon. Boston’s Garrett Crochet (6-4, 2.24 ERA) will take the mound alongside Seattle’s Luis Castillo (4-4, 3.29 ERA). The two pros have combined to fire a scoreless first inning in an impressive 24 of their 29 starts.
Castillo has dominated at T-Mobile Park throughout his career, logging a 2.80 ERA and 1.02 WHIP over 47 starts. It’s worth pointing out that the veteran hurler has also averaged 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings in that 47-game stretch. The Red Sox have whiffed on pitches at the fourth-highest rate (27.2%) and racked up the third-most strikeouts in away contests this year (371). Castillo can exploit those weaknesses for a clean first inning.
Let’s stay on the topic of strikeouts for a second. Crochet’s specialty is using his long extension and crafty pitch arsenal to confuse batters at the plate. After all, he has amassed more first-inning strikeouts than any other MLB pitcher (25). The Mariners have totaled the third-most strikeouts versus left-handed pitching (195) and sit 28th when it comes to home batting average in 2025 (.222). Trust the favorable matchups here and bet on an NRFI.
Pick: NRFI (-150)
