Top 3 MLB No Runs First Inning (NRFI) Picks & Odds for Sunday, August 7th (2022)
All 30 teams are set to take the field today as we wrap up another week of Major League Baseball. Action gets underway at 12:05 p.m. ET with the Astros squaring off against the Guardians in Cleveland. The day concludes with an N.L. West showdown between the Padres and Dodgers in Los Angeles. It could be a deflating series for San Diego if they drop tonight’s game and get swept out of town – especially after the moves to bring in Juan Soto, Josh Bell, and Josh Hader.
Anyway, we’re coming off of a 3-0 day with yesterday’s No Runs First Inning (NRFI) bets. Here’s another trio of plays! Let’s close out the weekend with another winning day.
Odds Courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
Houston Astros vs. Cleveland Guardians
The Guardians look to salvage a series split this afternoon as they send Triston McKenzie to the hill to take on the Astros. Houston counters with Cristian Javier in this A.L. clash scheduled for 12:05 p.m. ET from Progressive Field.
Overall, Javier has been a very dependable option for Dusty Baker and the Astros this season. The right-hander comes in at 6-7 with a 3.24 ERA and 1.05 WHIP over 20 appearances (16 starts). Javier last pitched against the Red Sox on Tuesday and surrendered just two earned runs on four hits and a walk over 6.0 innings of work.
McKenzie has had two straight clunkers, but he’s still putting together a solid season for Cleveland. The right-hander is 7-8 with a 3.38 ERA (28th) and 1.00 WHIP (10th) over 20 appearances (19 starts) in 2022. Most recently, he allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits and a pair of walks against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday. McKenzie was saddled with the loss, and the team moved to 12-8 when he takes the ball.
McKenzie has seen a slight dip in his numbers at home this year. His ERA is 3.32, and his WHIP is 0.97 over seven starts, while opponents are hitting just .195 against him at Progressive Field. Even though the 25-year-old is facing a top-three offense, I like for him to bounce back and at least keep a clean first frame. As for Javier, he’s dominated the Guardians in the head-to-head category. They’ve gone just 2-19 (.105) against him, including a combined 2-8 (.250) from Andres Gimenez, Jose Ramirez, and Amed Rosario. Let’s lock in NRFI in the first game of the day.
Bet: Astros at Guardians NRFI (-125 via DraftKings)
New York Yankees vs. St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals look to break out the brooms this afternoon as they go for their third straight win over the Yankees and seventh straight overall victory. Adam Wainwright gets the nod for the Red Birds while the Bombers counter with Frankie Montas in his first start in pinstripes. The first pitch is slated for 2:15 p.m. ET from Busch Stadium.
Montas obviously pitched well enough this year to keep his trade value high and punch a ticket out of Oakland. The right-hander came over to New York at the deadline and enters today’s game with a 3.18 ERA and 1.14 WHIP on the year. Montas pitched on Tuesday against the Astros and allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits and three walks over 5.0 innings of work.
Wainwright continues to put up a fight against Father Time and earn a spot in the Cardinals’ starting rotation. The 40-year-old righty comes into today’s game at 8-8 with a 3.11 ERA (22nd), and 1.19 WHIP (39th) in 21 starts this year. Waino’s coming off of 7.0 innings of scoreless baseball against the Cubs on Tuesday. He allowed six hits while striking out four in the winning effort.
Wainwright has been dominant over his last two starts. He’s allowed just one earned run over 14.0 innings and hasn’t issued a free pass. Furthermore, he’s posted a 1.79 ERA, and 1.06 WHIP in 10 home starts this year. As for Montas, it’s tough to say how he’ll fare in his first start with the Yankees. My guess is that he’ll bring his best stuff as he looks to help guide the Yankees to a deep playoff run. The only head-to-head numbers that we have are Nolan Arenado going 0-4 (.000) against him while Paul Goldschmidt is 1-2 (.500) and Albert Pujols is 3-8 (.375). I think we’re in for another low-scoring affair at Busch Stadium this afternoon.
Bet: Yankees at Cardinals NRFI (-120 via DraftKings)
Atlanta Braves vs. New York Mets
It’s been a statement weekend for the Mets as they look to close out the weekend at 4-1 against their division rivals. Jacob deGrom heads to the bump to help put a little more cushion between the Mets and Braves (5.5 GB) in the standings. The Braves opt for young Spencer Strider in this series finale slated for 4:10 p.m. ET from Citi Field.
Strider has been very impressive this season. So impressive that his name continues to pop up in N.L. Rookie of the Year discussions. The 23-year-old right-hander comes in at 6-3 with a 2.79 ERA and 0.99 WHIP over 23 appearances (12 starts) in 2022. Strider last pitched against the Phillies on Tuesday and limited them to one earned run on three hits and a walk over 6.2 innings of work. He struck out a career-high 13 batters in the winning effort.
deGrom has just made one start this season and that came on Tuesday against the lowly Nationals. The right-hander held the Curly W’s to one earned run on three hits over 5.0 innings. He struck out six batters while throwing 59 pitches in his season debut.
deGrom has held the Braves to 31-128 (.242) in his career with just 11 extra-base hits. That includes 8-27 (.296) from Ronald Acuna Jr., 4-25 (.160) from Dansby Swanson, and 3-12 (.250) from Austin Riley. Being that he’s at home in a game of this magnitude, I expect the 34-year-old to carve up Atlanta tonight. On the flip side, the Mets are 6-21 (.286) against Strider with a trio of XBH. Pete Alonso is 0-2 (.000) against Strider while Daniel Vogelbach is 0-3 (.000) and Brandon Nimmo is 1-4 (.250). The N.L. ROY frontrunner (-190 via DraftKings) pitched against the Mets in mid-July and limited them to one earned run over 4.2 innings pitched. Look for him to duplicate that effort and keep a scoreless first inning in the Big Apple.
Bet: Braves at Mets NRFI (-165 via DraftKings)
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