Top MLB No Runs First Inning (NRFI) Picks & Odds for Wednesday, August 3 (2022)
It’s getaway day across the major league circuit which means we have ourselves a glorious slate of day baseball on tap. There’s nothing better than getting a little sweat going in the afternoon, and betting NRFIs will be just the trick. First, we’re going to head to the Bronx, where there are two stars taking the mound. Then we’ll wrap up the night early in Miami as one of the best pitchers in baseball has a sneaky counterpart.
Seattle Mariners vs. New York Yankees (1:05 pm ET)
Gerrit Cole is coming off a tough month of July as he had two starts where he was tagged for five earned runs. However, his stuff has still been at an elite level. He enters this start second in the majors in strikeouts. This afternoon, he gets to face a Seattle lineup without rookie sensation Julio Rodriguez. Without Rodriguez at the top of the order, Cole is set to face Adam Frazier, Jesse Winker, and Eugenio Suarez in the top of the first. Frazier has only faced Cole twice and stuck out in one once. Jesse Winker has actually hit Cole well as he is three for four against him, and so has Eugenio Suarez as he’s hitting .278 lifetime. However, Suarez is a high strikeout candidate, so if Cole can keep Winker and Frazier in the yard, he should have a clean top of the first. Home runs have been the issue for Cole as he’s allowed seven runs on five homers in the first inning through 21 starts this year.
Opposing Cole for the Mariners will be Luis Castillo. Castillo will be making his first start for his new club. Castillo made quite an impression on the league when he dominated the Yankees back in early July. He threw seven innings of one-run ball while allowing just two hits and striking out eight. Now we just need one more clean inning out of him today. Castillo has been solid in the early going this year as he holds a 3.21 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in the first inning. One key thing is that he has yet to allow a home run in the first, which needs to be avoided in the hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium. The Yankees may lead the majors in first-inning runs per game, but that ranking surprisingly drops to third at home, and Castillo has decent career numbers against the top of the Yankees order, so the odds are in our favor.
Pick: NRFI -125
Cincinnati Reds vs. Miami Marlins (6:40 pm ET)
Two indicators for a good NFRI bet are pitchers with good first-inning numbers and lineups that do not score much in the first inning. Both of those boxes are checked here. Sandy Alcantara will be getting the ball for Miami. It should come as no surprise that the best pitcher in baseball this year has been dominant in the first inning. Through 21 starts, Alcantara holds a 1.71 ERA with 0.90 WHIP in the first inning. Tonight he also gets to face a Cincinnati lineup that ranks 24th in first-inning runs per game on the road this season. Alcantara is the A-side of this NRFI.
Who makes this play interesting is the starter for Cincinnati, Mike Minor. Minor has been knocked around this season as he enters with an ERA of 6.31 and a WHIP of 1.58. Although, what may surprise you is that he’s been good in the first inning. Through ten starts, Minor holds a 1.80 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in the first. On top of that, he gets to face the second worst lineup in the majors when it comes to first-inning scoring in Miami. So let’s enjoy Alcantara’s dominance in the top half and cross our fingers in the bottom half.
Pick: NRFI -155
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