The 2026 MLB season continues on Wednesday with all 30 teams in action. Several compelling games are scheduled, including a National League collision between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs. A showdown between the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox 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 on this week’s hump day.
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Wednesday's Best MLB No Runs First Inning (NRFI) Picks
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
New York Mets (-118) at Cleveland Guardians (+100)
Starting Pitchers: Christian Scott vs. Tanner Bibee
The Guardians will aim to make up ground in the American League playoff race when they host the Mets on Wednesday. New York’s Christian Scott (3-3, 2.99 ERA) and Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee (4-11, 3.81 ERA) are set to toe the rubber. Targeting Guardians’ games has been a fruitful strategy in the NRFI department all summer long. There have been zeroes on the scoreboard at the end of the first inning in 67 of their 114 contests (59%).
This is a matchup of disappointing first-inning offenses. The Mets have tallied the fewest walks (29) and recorded the second-lowest OPS (.673) during the opening frame this campaign. Meanwhile, the Guardians have logged the third-lowest on-base percentage (.293) during the opening frame. Overall, New York and Cleveland have failed to cross home plate in their combined 118 of 157 first innings facing a right-hander (75%).
The pitchers have the advantage in this clash at Progressive Field. Bibee has tossed a scoreless first inning in eight of his previous 10 starts and has held players on the Mets' active roster to a .178/.260/.333 slash line in 45 at-bats. Scott has escaped the first inning unscathed in 19 of his 24 career starts and has limited opponents to a .221 batting average with runners on base in 2026. Root for whiffs at the plate and great defense in the field.
Pick: NRFI (-125)
Toronto Blue Jays (+140) at Houston Astros (-166)
Starting Pitchers: Jameson Taillon vs. Hunter Brown
Two teams heading in opposite directions meet at Daikin Park on Wednesday. The Astros have won seven of their past eight games and will hand the ball to Hunter Brown (3-1, 3.42 ERA). The Blue Jays traded away several big names at the deadline and will trust newcomer Jameson Taillon (2-6, 5.92 ERA) to get the job done. Take note that neither lineup produced a first-inning run in the opening two battles of this series.
The fans will be in Brown’s corner in Houston, which has historically helped him come out of the gate hot. The Michigan native has thrown a clean first inning in an impressive 41 of his 51 career home starts. Not only that, but Brown has averaged 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings in those outings. Expect him to have no trouble shutting down a Toronto squad that ranks dead last in OPS (.680) and runs scored (444) this year.
Taillon faced the Astros earlier this season (May 22), striking out Yordan Alvarez and Christian Walker to polish off an unblemished first inning. The key to repeating that outcome will be getting ahead. Taillon is allowing a .160/.177/.340 slash line when in a pitcher’s count. Houston is a bottom-10 offense in OPS when behind in the count (.502). Back the veteran hurler to paint the edges of the zone and smoothly retire the side.
Pick: NRFI (-120)
