Top MLB No Runs First Inning (NRFI) Odds, Picks & Predictions: Saturday (9/17)

Saturdays in the fall are usually stacked with sports and today is no exception with a full slate of college football, 17 games in the MLB, soccer across Europe and a UFC Fight Night at the Apex. From a betting standpoint, I'm still locked in on the diamond and I've narrowed in on these three No Runs First Innings (NRFI) bets for today's action. 

Odds Courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.

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Oakland Athletics vs. Houston Astros 

The Astros won game two of their divisional series with the Athletics last night thanks to 5.0 hitless innings from Justin Verlander in his return from the IL. They also received three home runs from slugger Yordan Alaverez in the 5-0 victory. Houston will turn to Jose Urduidy tonight as they go for their seventh straight win while Oakland goes with Cole Irvin in this matchup set for 7:10 p.m. ET from Minute Maid Park. 

Irvin has been a very dependable starter for Oakland this season and comes in at 8-11 with a 3.73 ERA (31st) and 1.10 WHIP (20th) over 26 starts. Most recently, the southpaw tossed 7.0 innings against the White Sox on Sunday and limited them to three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks. Irvin earned the win and Oakland has won three out of his last four starts. 

Urquidy is coming off of his worst outing of the year in a game where he was tagged for six earned runs on 10 hits and a walk against the Angels. The right-hander went 5.0 innings and struck out four in the losing effort. But that's just one small blip on a great overall season where he is 13-6 with a 3.75 ERA (32nd) and 1.16 WHIP (26th). 

This will be a great spot for Urquidy to bounce back against a lowly offensive team like the A's. After the dust settled last night, Oakland officially took over as the league's worst offense as they are now dead last in both team batting average (.216) and OPS (.625). It's also worth mentioning that Urquidy throws a touch better at home, dropping his ERA to 3.62 and opponents are hitting .236 against him at Minute Maid rather than .253 away from home. As for Irvin, he's held his own against a tough Astros team this year. In five starts against Houston, he's posted a 3.23 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with 13 punchouts. The Astros are hitting just .222 against Irvin this year over 30.2 innings of work. Let's take a shot with NRFI here.

Bet: Athletics at Astros NRFI (-125 via DraftKings)

San Diego Padres vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

The Padres snapped a two-game skid last night with a 12-3 win over the Diamondbacks. Bob Melvin gives Joe Musgrove the nod tonight while the Snakes counter with Zac Gallen in this divisional showdown scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET from the valley. 

Musgrove had Cy Young ambitions early on this year but has seen a decline in production throughout the second half. However, the right-hander still has great overall numbers, coming in at 9-7 with a 3.28 ERA (22nd) and 1.09 WHIP (19th) over 26 starts. Musgrove last pitched on Sunday against the Dodgers and he allowed four earned runs on six hits and a walk over 5.1 innings. He took the loss and the Friars moved to 17-9 in his starts this season. 

Gallen recently made history when he broke the Diamondbacks record for consecutive scoreless innings thrown by a Snakes pitcher. The right-hander had his 44.1 inning streak snapped in his last start, but he was able to move past Brandon Webb (42.0 IP) for first in Arizona history. Gallen still turned in his seventh straight quality start in the outing against the Rockies on Sunday, lasting 6.0 innings and allowing three earned runs on four hits. He struck out 11 in the winning effort and is now 12-2 on the year with a 2.50 ERA (7th) and 0.91 WHIP (3rd). 

Sticking with Gallen, he's obviously in fantastic form right now as he just won N.L. Pitcher of the Month in August with a 0.68 ERA and 0.75 WHIP over six starts. His ERA dips to 2.44 when throwing at Chase Field and opponents are hitting just .174 against him there. As for Musgrove, he's faced this DBacks roster in 66 at-bats and allowed 17 hits (.258). That includes 3-13 (.231) from Christian Walker, 2-8 (.250) from Josh Rojas and 4-18 (.222) from Ketel Marte. Musgrove is very capable of keeping Arizona scoreless through one inning and I'm locking in NRFI in the desert tonight. 

Bet: Padres at Diamondbacks NRFI (-155 via DraftKings)

Seattle Mariners vs. Los Angeles Angels

The Angels won 8-7 in last night's series opener and they'll look to keep it rolling as they hand the ball to Shohei Ohtani tonight. The M's try to get back into the win column with George Kirby in this one slated for 9:07 p.m. ET in Anaheim. 

Kirby comes into tonight's game at 7-3 with a 2.98 ERA and 1.14 WHIP over 21 starts. Most recently, the right-hander went 6.0 innings against the Braves on Saturday and limited them to one unearned run on three hits. The Mariners won the game and are now 6-1 over his last seven starts. 

Ohtani has been great this season, going 12-8 with a 2.55 ERA and 1.06 WHIP over 24 starts. The right-hander is coming off of an outing against the Astros where he only allowed one earned run on six hits and two walks in 5.0 innings of work. He earned the win and the Halos have won his last three starts. 

Both of these pitchers have been fantastic in September with Kirby posting a 1.00 ERA over two starts this month (9.0 IP) and Ohtani at 1.38 over two starts (13.0 IP). As for the head-to-head numbers this season, Kirby owns a 3.06 ERA against Los Angeles with a 1.13 WHIP and they're hitting .254 against him. With Shohei, he's made two starts against the Mariners in 2022 and posted a 1.50 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. They're hitting just .217 against him. Let's ride with NRFI in this potential pitcher's duel out west. 

Bet: Mariners at Angels NRFI (-135 via DraftKings)

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