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MLB No Runs First Inning (NRFI) Picks & Predictions: Sunday (4/9)

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The first full week of Major League Baseball comes to a close today and we're starting to get an understanding of how some teams are going to fare this year. The league is back at it for another full slate of games throughout the day, with all of the action leading to a Sunday Night Baseball showdown between the Padres and the Braves. 

I have a trio of bets lined up for today's slate, all three being No Runs First Inning (NRFI) plays. Let's dive into these games and break down the pitching matchups. 

MLB YTD: 11-4 (+5.5 Units)

Sunday's Best No Runs First Inning (NRFI) Bets

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles 

The Yankees and Orioles are set for a Sunday rubber match this afternoon. New York turns to Nestor Cortes Jr. while Baltimore sends Tyler Wells to the bump. This American League East contest gets underway at 1:35 p.m. ET from Camden Yards in Baltimore, MD. 

Cortes was excellent in his season debut Monday against the Phillies, limiting them to just one earned run over 5.0 innings of work. The left-hander has found a lot of success against the O's in his career as well, holding his former team to a .160/.209/.222 slash line over 81 at-bats. Of course, that includes a combined 4-for-27 (.148) from the top hitters of Cedric Mullins, Adley Rutschman, and Anthony Santander.

On the flip side, Tyler Wells has been a serviceable option when facing New York. He's held them to a .216/.237/.378 slash line over 74 at-bats. Aaron Judge has his number at 6-for-14 (.429) with a pair of home runs, but if Wells can pitch around the reigning MVP, he should escape the first frame with no damage. The surrounding trio of DJ LeMahieu, Anthony Rizzo, and Giancarlo Stanton are a combined 3-for-24 (.125). Let's ride with NRFI in this A.L. East clash. 

Bet: NRFI (-130)

Miami Marlins vs. New York Mets

The Mets will turn to Carlos Carrasco this afternoon as they attempt to sweep the Marlins out of town in their home opening series. The Fish counter with Braxton Garrett in this divisional game scheduled for 1:40 p.m. ET from Citi Field. 

At the baseline level, NRFI may not seem like the play here as Garrett comes in with a 6.00 ERA while Carrasco sits at 11.25. However, Garrett's first start of the year was against New York, a game where he held them scoreless in the first frame. The only threat in the head-to-head category is Francisco Lindor, who's 3-for-6 (.500) against the lefty with two home runs. If he can work around Lindor, who's hitting just .241 out of the gate this year, he'll take on a combined 3-for-17 (.176) stretch of the roster that includes Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, and Pete Alonso. 

As for Carrasco, he's owned the top part of the Marlins' order featuring Jazz Chisholm Jr., Garrett Cooper, Luis Arraez, and Jorge Soler. The quartet is just a combined 7-for-33 (.212) with no long balls or triples. Look for a slower start to this National League matchup in the Big Apple. Let's lock in NRFI in this spot. 

Bet: NRFI (-120)

Kansas City Royals vs. San Francisco Giants 

After taking two out of three from the White Sox, the Giants are on the brink of getting swept by the visiting Royals. Kris Bubic gets the nod in the series finale as Kansas City looks for its first sweep of the year. San Francisco will roll with Anthony DeSclafani in this interleague tilt scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET from Oracle Park in San Francisco, CA. 

Bubic turned in a decent start in his season debut, holding the vaunted Toronto offense to two earned runs over 5.0 innings. The southpaw has minimal experience against the Giants, but they are 4-for-12 (.333) against him with four singles. However, the key stat to know here is that San Francisco is currently dead last in all of baseball in batting average (.125) and OPS (.368) against lefties. 

DeSclafani will also have a favorable matchup after holding the White Sox scoreless over 6.0 frames in his season opener. He'll take on a Royals' offensive unit that's dead last in overall batting average (.187) and 29th in OPS (.595). As for the head-to-head metrics, the right-hander has only faced Matt Duffy and Franmil Reyes, and they're a combined 1-for-8 (.125) with three strikeouts. The righty should be able to handle this lowly Kansas City offense. NRFI is the play by The Bay. 

Bet: NRFI (-120)

Check out our other top picks for Sunday:


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