Best MLB NRFI/YRFI July 5: Why Baltimore vs. Oakland Demands First Inning Attention
By Mark Wallis
Happy Friday to you all! We have been on quite a roll lately with these NRFI/YRFI plays.
Last night the game plays went 2-1, which brings our weekly record to 8-2. Not a bad way to head into the weekend.
We have 15 games on the MLB schedule for today, which means plenty of opportunities to be explored for the games that are going to give us the best value for our first inning wagers. One of those games is a dream come true for NRFI bettors!
The Baltimore Orioles will travel to Oakland to take on the Athletics tonight to begin a three game series. I have had this series circled on my calendar since the middle of May.
Why the middle of May? Well, that is when the Orioles were in the middle of a 26 road game streak of scoreless first innings and the A's had only scored first inning runs in two games at that point of the season.
The reason I am really excited about this series is not just what the teams were doing in May -- it is what they are doing NOW -- and it is basically the same -- neither are scoring first inning runs! Baltimore is 90.24% NRFI on the road this season and Oakland is 84.09% NRFI at home.
Those are the stats that make this game a NRFI dream matchup!
MLB Best NRFI/YRFI Bets For Today
All odds listed are via Caesars Sportbook.
Baltimore Orioles vs Oakland Athletics NRFI -130
Oakland will have Hogan Harris on the mound when this game gets underway. Harris has been a solid NRFI performer with an overall record of 5-1 and a perfect 3-0 record at home.
His .111 first inning OPP BA and 0.67 first inning WHIP will bode well for him as he tries to quiet the bats of a Baltimore team that are 7-3 NRFI in its last 10 games.
Baltimore will have Albert Suarez starting the bottom half of the inning. Suarez's first inning stats at first glance, are not real confidence inspiring from a NRFI standpoint.
In the first inning, he has a .348 OPP BA and a 2.00 WHIP. His overall NRFI record of 9-1 and 4-1 on the road, would suggest that while he allows runners on base in the first inning, he finds a way to work out of those jams.
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Seattle Mariners NRFI -140
The Toronto bats have started to come to life recently.
The Jays have scored one or more runs in the first inning in six of their last 10 games. A little deeper look in to those numbers reveals that eight of those 10 games were played at home, and against pitchers that are, mediocre at best NRFI producers.
In the two games that were played on the road over the last 10 game stretch, the Jays were held scoreless in both. Tonight they will face Luis Castillo and his 6-3 NRFI at home record in the top of the inning.
The Mariners will be facing Kevin Gausman in the bottom of the inning. Gausman will look to improve upon his first inning stats of .214 OPP BA and 1.38 WHIP against a Mariners team that is batting .191 in the first inning over the last 30 days.
Seattle is also 77.78% NRFI on the road this season and has gone 10-0 NRFI in their last 10 games.
Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees NRFI -120
Between Tanner Houck and Nestor Cortes, the starting pitchers for the Red Sox and Yankees, respectively, the NRFI is hitting a combined 78% in their starts!
The Yankees have Cortes on the bump to start, and he is 13-5 NRFI overall and a perfect 9-0 at home this season. The Red Sox are 72.09% NRFI on the road this year. While they are batting .255 in the first inning in road games over the last 30 days, the Sox will have to contend with Cortes' .129 OPP first inning BA.
The Yankees will be facing Houck in bottom of the frame.
Houck has some impressive first inning stats of .125 OPP BA and a 0.57 WHIP. While the Yanks are batting .264 in the first inning when playing at home over the last 30 days, they are also 9-1 NRFI in their last 10 games. Houck has been a solid NRFI producer with a 13-2 overall record and a perfect 7-0 on the road this season.
3- Team No Run First Inning Parlay +145
- PIT Pirates - 78.57% NRFI Probability Score - 9-1 NRFI in last 10 games
- CIN Reds - 69.77% NRFI Probability Score - 9-1 NRFI in last 10 games
- SFG Giants - 84.09% NRFI Probability Score - 8-2 NRFI in last 10 games
For a complete daily NRFI/YRFI team listing, be sure to follow me on Twitter!
Twitter/X: @BettorDaysAhead
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.