The 2026 MLB season continues on Wednesday with all 30 teams in action. Several compelling games are scheduled, including a National League Central collision between the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs. A showdown between the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays 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)
Cleveland Guardians (+116) at Kansas City Royals (-134)
Starting Pitchers: Joey Cantillo vs. Cole Ragans
The Royals will aim to extend their five-game winning streak when they duel with the Guardians on Wednesday. Kansas City’s Cole Ragans (1-4, 5.29 ERA) and Cleveland’s Joey Cantillo (1-1, 3.67 ERA) are set to toe the rubber. These squads have been consistent in the NRFI department. There has been a scoreless first inning in 23 of the Royals’ 36 games (64 percent) and 21 of the Guardians’ 37 games (57 percent). Those are top-six cash rates in the league.
Experience works in Ragans’ favor here. The slick southpaw has logged a respectable 3.22 ERA across 73 first innings and a 3.29 ERA in 32 starts at Kauffman Stadium in his career. Not only that, but Ragans has limited Cleveland’s roster to a .214/.290/.304 slash line with zero home runs in 56 at-bats. The Guardians have been sat down in order during the opening frame in both clashes of this series. Trust Ragans to take control.
Ragans isn’t the only one with past success battling a divisional foe. Cantillo has held the Kansas City roster to a .148/.207/.222 slash line with zero home runs in 54 at-bats. The Royals field one of the sport’s weakest first-inning offenses, ranking among the bottom three teams in runs (10) and on-base percentage (.252). Meanwhile, Cantillo has escaped the first inning unscathed in 11 of his previous 14 starts. The right-hander has the edge.
Pick: NRFI (-146)
Athletics (+140) at Philadelphia Phillies (-166)
Starting Pitchers: Jeffrey Springs vs. Zack Wheeler
Citizens Bank Park will be rocking on Wednesday night when the Athletics and Phillies meet on the diamond. Jeffrey Springs (3-2, 3.96 ERA) draws the start for the Athletics, opposite Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler (1-0, 2.45 ERA). The two veteran hurlers have been reliable NRFI options for years. The opponent has failed to cross home plate in the first inning in over 70 percent of Springs’ (53/74) and Wheelers’ (223/285) career outings.
Pitcher dominance remains a theme in these picks. Players on the Athletics roster are slashing a mediocre .182/.274/.182 with zero extra-base hits in 55 at-bats against Wheeler. The Phillies ace is inducing chases at an astounding rate through two starts (41.7 percent) and now confronts an offense that has tallied the fifth-most strikeouts in away contests (182). Expect Wheeler to use his strikeout ability to excel early or get out of a possible jam.
The Phillies remain under .500 (16-20) in part because they have recorded the lowest on-base percentage (.280) versus left-handed pitching in 2026. They have not scored in the opening frame in 11 of their 13 games facing a lefty starter. Springs has posted a 2.95 ERA on the road this campaign and has confined pros slotted first in the lineup to a .199 batting average in his career. He has the skills to exploit a favorable matchup.
Pick: NRFI (-115)
