MLB No Runs First Inning (NRFI) Picks & Predictions: Sunday (8/13)

We're back for a Sunday slate of Major League Baseball, and there are a ton of different betting options available. For me, I'm heading to the prop sheet, where my focus is the most fun prop on the board: The NRFI. Here are my top three No Runs First Inning plays this afternoon.

MLB YTD: 80-141 (+6.33 units)

Go premium to view top prop bets based on Cover Probability, Expected Value & Star Rating >>

Sunday's Best No Runs First Inning (NRFI) Bets

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

New York Yankees vs. Miami Marlins

The Marlins bounced back with a 3-1 victory yesterday, forcing a rubber match this afternoon in South Beach. Eury Perez gets the nod as the Fish, while the Yankees counter with Gerrit Cole. First pitch is set for 1:40 p.m. ET from LoanDepot Park in Miami, FL.

This game has NRFI written all over it. Let's start with the pitching matchup, which sees a pair of hurlers with sub-3.00 ERAs. Perez enters with a 2.79 ERA and 1.12 WHIP, while Cole is at 2.75 and 1.04, respectively. Furthermore, Perez has been excellent at home this year, where his ERA dips to 1.10, and opponents are hitting just .181 against him.

The NRFI has split so far in this series, and the Marlins are now 5-2 to scoreless first innings in their last seven games. Miami's offense, in particular, is the worst in the league in first-inning scoring, plating runs just 19.7 percent of the time. Meanwhile, the Yankees are 5-1 to the NRFI in their last six games. Their offense has scored in 29.3 percent of first innings, which is the 16th-fewest. The numbers support this one staying scoreless through the first six outs.

Bet: No Runs First Inning (-125)

Cleveland Guardians vs. Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays have walked off the first two games of the series against the Guardians, beating them 9-8 on Friday and 6-5 yesterday. They'll attempt to break out the brooms when they send Zach Eflin to the bump. Cleveland comes back with Tanner Bibee in this American League clash set for 1:40 p.m. ET from The Trop.

These are arguably the two best teams in the MLB at developing pitching, which always makes me confident when it comes to backing them on NRFI wagers. Bibee has been awesome this year as he enters at 8-2 with a 2.92 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. The right-hander has posted five consecutive quality starts, including blanking the Blue Jays over 7.0 frames in his last start. I'm confident that he'll bring his best stuff against this Tampa lineup.

As for Eflin, well, Tampa has gotten the most out of him, and I'd say they've fixed him. The right-hander was basically an arm you'd slot into the fourth spot in the rotation. However, the Rays have helped guide him to a 3.34 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. We don't have any notable head-to-head data, but Eflin should be able to handle this pedestrian Cleveland offense. They're just 17th in team batting average (.249) and 26th in OPS (.691). Let's play the NRFI in Tampa.

Bet: No Runs First Inning (-120)

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Chicago White Sox

Finally, let's head over to the Southside, where the Brewers are looking to complete a sweep of the White Sox today. Freddy Peralta takes the ball for the Crew while the Sox opt for Dylan Cease. First pitch is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET from Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, IL.

We have a big-time edge with the head-to-head numbers in this interleague tilt. Cease has limited the current Milwaukee lineup to a slash line of .091/.250/.091 over 33 at-bats. As for Peralta, Chicago is slashing just .154/.267/.231 against him over a limited sample of 13 at-bats. Regardless of the small sample sizes, there are two of the worst offenses in baseball, and I expect these starters to take care of business.

Both of these clubs are 5-2 to the NRFI in their last seven games. Chicago enters Sunday's series finale as the sixth-worst offense when it comes to first-inning scoring; plating runs just 24.8 percent of the time. As for the Crew, they're quite a bit better, sitting at 31.6 percent (20th-lowest). All things considered, we should see a lower-scoring affair, and I think it'll be scoreless after one inning.

Bet: No Runs First Inning (-125)

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Sunday: