MLB No Runs First Inning (NRFI) Picks & Predictions: Saturday (8/22)
The 2026 MLB season continues on Saturday with all 30 teams in action. Several compelling games are scheduled, including a National League collision between the Atlanta Braves and the Milwaukee Brewers. A divisional showdown between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Baltimore Orioles 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) picks for a quick result. Here's a look at two picks that stick out from the rest this weekend.
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Saturday’s Best MLB No Runs First Inning (NRFI) Picks
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Toronto Blue Jays (+100) at New York Yankees (-110)
Starting Pitchers: Dylan Cease vs. Ryan Weathers
The Yankees aim to keep pace toward the top of the American League East when they host the Blue Jays on Saturday afternoon. Toronto’s Dylan Cease (7-5, 2.42 ERA) and New York’s Ryan Weathers (5-7, 3.56 ERA) will toe the rubber.
These divisional foes have faced off head-to-head on the diamond 11 times so far this campaign. There have been zeroes on the scoreboard at the end of the first inning in eight of those 11 clashes.
Offensive struggles are part of why the reigning American League champions sport a record under .500. The Blue Jays have logged the league’s lowest OPS versus left-handed pitching (.638) and fourth-lowest on-base percentage (OBP) on the road (.299).
Weathers has tossed a scoreless first inning in 10 of his 14 home starts this season. That includes when he shut down Toronto in the opening frame on May 18th. Expect him to replicate that success.
Cease has been nothing short of a rotation ace in 2026. The All-Star right-hander is allowing only 5.7 hits and racking up 13.1 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. Both of those marks lead American League arms.
Overall, Cease has escaped the first inning unscathed in seven of his 10 away starts. Back him to remain dominant battling a Yankees offense that has posted the lowest first-inning OBP in the Majors (.282).
Pick: NRFI (-170)
Minnesota Twins (+138) at San Diego Padres (-164)
Starting Pitchers: Dean Kremer vs. Casey Mize
Two squads vying to remain in Wild Card contention meet at Petco Park on Saturday evening. The Twins will hand the baseball to Dean Kremer (2-4, 5.40 ERA), while the Padres counter with Casey Mize (5-7, 3.18 ERA).
San Diego is no stranger to these NRFI articles, considering it boasts the highest NRFI cash rate in baseball. There’s been a clean first inning in 78 of the Padres’ 129 games (60%).
Mize has been an NRFI machine. The Alabama native has not surrendered a first-inning run in any of his 19 starts this season. To dive deeper, Mize has limited opponents to a .185/.243/.231 slash line with three extra-base hits in 70 plate appearances during the opening frame.
The Twins have some power at the top of the lineup, but they rank 22nd in OPS since the All-Star break (.676). The edge goes to Mize on the mound.
Sometimes a change in scenery is a good thing. Each of Kremer’s three starts since being acquired by Minnesota began with a scoreless first inning.
A matchup versus the Padres presents a prime opportunity to extend that streak. San Diego is a bottom-five offense in first-inning runs scored (53), OPS (.659) and home runs (14). Take note that its current roster also has just three extra-base hits against Kremer in 59 at-bats.
Pick: NRFI (-130)