Top 3 MLB No Runs First Inning (NRFI) Picks & Odds for Sunday, July 24th (2022)

MLB action gets underway at 12:05 p.m. ET with the Cubs looking for the three-game sweep over the Phillies. A few other notable matchups include the Blue Jays squaring off against the Red Sox at Fenway, the Giants taking on the Dodgers in Los Angeles, and a Sunday Night Baseball showdown between the Padres and Mets in the Big Apple. 

Here are my top three No Runs First Inning (NRFI) wagers for today's 15-game slate. 

Odds Courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

Miami Marlins vs. Pittsburgh Pirates 

The rubber match between the Marlins and Pirates is set for 1:35 p.m. ET from PNC Park with a pitching matchup featuring Sandy Alcantara and Mitch Keller. 

Alcantara is the N.L. Cy Young frontrunner through the first 95-ish games of the year. The right-hander comes in at 9-4 with a 1.76 ERA (1st) and 0.90 WHIP (4th) over 19 starts. Aside from a hitless inning in the All-Star game where he recorded two punchouts, Alcantara last threw against the Phillies on Friday. He limited the Phils to a pair of earned runs on four hits over 8.0 innings while recording 12 strikeouts. 

Keller has been trending in the right direction after a rough start to the 2022 campaign. The right-hander comes in 3-7 with a 4.55 ERA and 1.46 WHIP over 18 appearances (16 starts). Keller's coming off of an impressive outing against the Rockies last Saturday where he held them to one unearned run on five hits and a pair of walks. He was unfortunately saddled with the loss with a 2-0 final score in favor of Colorado.

Keller has made three starts this month and posted a 2.37 ERA over 19.0 innings of work. One of those starts was against the Marlins on the 11th, where he held the Fish to one earned run over 7.0 innings. As for Alcantara, you can always feel comfortable leaning on him in an NRFI wager. This guy is on a tear this year. Over his three starts this month, he's posted a 0.78 ERA and 0.65 WHIP.

Bet: Marlins at Pirates NRFI (-145 via DraftKings)

Cleveland Guardians vs. Chicago White Sox

The White Sox look to salvage a four-game series split this afternoon as they turn to Dylan Cease to handle the starting pitching responsibilities. The Guardians see their rotation roll over, and they'll go with Shane Bieber in the series finale. First pitch in this A.L. Central clash is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET from Guaranteed Rate Field. 

Bieber last pitched on July 12th against the White Sox and carved them up pretty good. The right-hander went the full 9.0 innings and allowed just one earned run on three hits while striking out seven batters. He improved to 4-5 in the winning effort where his ERA and WHIP sit at 3.24 (27th) and 1.13 (27th), respectively. 

Anytime that I mention Dylan Cease in the back half of the year, I'll harp on how he was snubbed from the All-Star game. The right-hander has emerged as the ace of Chicago's staff with a 9-4 record, 2.15 ERA (5th), and 1.18 WHIP (37th). He also leads the league in strikeouts with 150 punchouts. After the All-Star rosters were announced, Cease went out and threw 7.0 scoreless innings against the Twins and allowed just one hit and two walks while striking out eight. 

Cease has only allowed three earned runs over his last 10 starts (58.0 IP). One of those starts was against Cleveland on July 12th, where he held them scoreless over 5.2 innings. Bieber's been trending in the right direction as the season progresses, and he's coming off of that great outing against the White Sox on the 12th. Look for these aces to bring their best stuff in this pivotal divisional showdown. 

Bet: Guardians at White Sox NRFI (-145 via DraftKings)

Houston Astros vs. Seattle Mariners

The M's put together an impressive 14-game win streak before heading into the All-Star break. However, they were tasked with a three-game set with the 'Stros to start the second half and were quickly reminded who runs the West. Houston will look for the sweep this afternoon as they turn to Framber Valdez while Seattle counters with Robbie Ray. First pitch is slated for 4:10 p.m. ET from T-Mobile Park.

Valdez posted a scoreless inning in Tuesday's All-Star Game victory and he actually picked up the win for the A.L in the 11-pitch outing. The southpaw has been solid this season, going 8-4 with a 2.66 ERA (11th) and 1.13 WHIP (28th) over 18 starts. Valdez has posted six straight quality starts, including a no-decision against the Angels last time out. He limited Los Angeles to a pair of earned runs on six hits and three walks over 6.0 innings. 

Ray's finally finding his footing in Seattle and has been performing well lately. The left-hander comes in at 8-6 with a 3.54 ERA (36th) and 1.09 WHIP (24th) over 19 starts. He's coming off of a quality start against the Rangers last Friday in a game where he allowed three earned runs on six hits. Ray struck out 12 in the winning effort and the team has now won his last six starts. 

Robbie Ray's been heating up lately and enters with a 2.33 ERA over three starts this month (19.1 IP). As for head-to-head stats, Jose Altuve has his number at 9-17 (.529) with a home run. Aside from the star infielder, he's held Jeremy Pena, Yordan Alvarez, and Alex Bregman to a combined 1-12 (.083). Barring a leadoff big fly from Altuve, I feel really good backing Ray. As for Valdez, he's limited the M's to 8-45 (.178) in his career with just one extra base-hit. All three of our NRFI plays carry some juice today, but I feel comfortable considering the pitching matchups we're narrowing in on. Good luck to everyone with their bets today! 

Bet: Astros at Mariners NRFI (-150 via DraftKings)

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