Happy Saturday! We have all 30 teams playing this Saturday, April 6th, presenting unlimited NRFI options. If you’re unfamiliar, the NRFI stands for No Runs First Inning, and can all be lost with the swing of a bat. It’s a fun way to start off watching an MLB game, but it shouldn’t take up too much of your bankroll. Here’s my favorite NRFI look for today’s slate.
Saturday’s Best MLB No Runs First Inning Picks
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Oakland Athletics at Detroit Tigers
Starting Pitchers: Paul Blackburn vs. Kenta Maeda
Nothing like jump-starting your Saturday than taking the first NRFI of the slate between two anemic offenses. We’re obviously only a week into the season, but these teams are 22nd and 23rd in terms of wRC+ in the early goings. If we were to flash forward to the end of the season, those rankings seem like a reasonable endpoint for both lineups as well. Hitting in spacious Comerica Park with chilly spring weather won’t do the bats any favors here either. Detroit’s home stadium rates as the seventh-best pitching park over the past three seasons.
The veteran starters today should be able to navigate the opening frame unscathed. Paul Blackburn looked great in his first start of the year against the Guardians, firing seven scoreless innings, while allowing just four baserunners. Detroit’s roster has hardly ever faced him either, which favors Blackburn. Oakland’s roster has a limited sample against Maeda, but not enough to draw any conclusions. Kenta admittedly looked terrible in his first start of the season against the White Sox, but I’m willing to roll the dice with him given the pristine matchup here once again. Maeda’s stuff can be downright unhittable when he is on and is worth taking the shot on here.
Bet: NRFI (-125)
Make sure to check out our other best bets for Saturday:
- NHL Prop Betting Cheat Sheet
- Top MLB Odds, Picks & Predictions
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- NBA First Basket Scorer Odds, Picks & Predictions
- Premier League Matchday 32 Odds, Picks & Prediction
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Tyler Gentile is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Tyler, follow him @808Paperboi
