MLB No Runs First Inning (NRFI) Odds & Picks: Wednesday (4/24)
The 2024 MLB season rolls on with all 30 teams in action on Wednesday. A few division leaders go on the road as the Milwaukee Brewers visit the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Los Angeles Dodgers take a trip to battle the Washington Nationals. Sports bettors wanting to get in on the action without having to sweat through an entire nine-inning contest can turn to MLB No Run First Inning (NRFI) tickets for a quick result.
Here's a look at MLB NRFI options that jump out when comparing odds on this week's hump day.
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Wednesday's Best MLB No Runs First Inning (NRFI) Picks
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Philadelphia Phillies (-102) at Cincinnati Reds (-116)
Starting Pitchers: Spencer Turnbull vs. Nick Lodolo
The Phillies and Reds are even in terms of runs scored through the first two games of this series and are both handing the ball to standout pitchers on Wednesday. It’s no wonder this game is listed as a toss-up. Philadelphia will trust Spencer Turnbull (2-0, 1.23 ERA) to remain dominant, while Cincinnati will rely on Nick Lodolo (2-0, 0.75 ERA) to continue shutting down lineups. Quite a few trends point to a scoreless start here.
The NRFI has cashed in nine of the Reds’ 14 home games and manager David Bell’s team ranks 25th in first-inning runs per game (0.32). Similarly, the NRFI has cashed in six of the Phillies’ eight road games and manager Rob Thomson’s squad ranks 22nd in first-inning runs per road game (0.29). Slow-starting offenses taking on pitchers who each possess a WHIP under 0.80 this year is not a recipe for runs.
Keep in mind Cincinnati has put together a mediocre .143/.143/.238 slash line in 21 at-bats against Turnbull. He worked through five innings without an earned run allowed against the Reds back on April 2. The numbers for the Phillies aren’t much better, either. Philadelphia has logged a .258/.310/.394 slash line in 66 at-bats versus Lodolo. A whopping 26 of those 66 tries (39.4%) have resulted in a strikeout.
Bet: NRFI (-120)
Chicago White Sox (+168) at Minnesota Twins (-200)
Starting Pitchers: Garrett Crochet vs. Joe Ryan
The White Sox blew a ninth-inning lead against the Twins on Tuesday to push their losing streak to five games. They will attempt to turn things around with pitcher Garrett Crochet (1-3, 5.61 ERA) starting opposite Joe Ryan (0-1, 3.57 ERA) on Wednesday night. Chicago is a team to target from an NRFI perspective all season since they rank near the bottom of every offensive category.
Manager Pedro Grifol’s team is batting just .192 on the year and averaging a minuscule 2.05 runs per game. Of course, that bodes well for Ryan. The San Francisco native has held hitters to a .230 on-base percentage during the first inning in his career and has held his opponent scoreless in two of his four starts in 2024. He should make quick work of a dismal offense in the top of the first leaving this bet up to Crochet.
Crochet has shown flashes of incredible talent. The 24-year-old hurler’s xERA (expected ERA) mark of 2.19 shows he’s been rather unlucky and a majority of the damage done against him has been out of his control. Crochet also has some experience facing this Twins lineup. He has posted an ERA of 1.74 and totaled 19 strikeouts in 10.1 career innings against Minnesota. This is the right time to pull the trigger on juiced odds.
Bet: NRFI (-160)
Make sure to check out our other best bets for Wednesday: