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MLB No Runs First Inning (NRFI) Picks & Predictions: Thursday (4/6)

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Due to several teams holding their home openers today and some weather on the East Coast, we already have several rainouts and a short slate of games today. However, small slates do not mean there aren’t exciting bets to be made. We have a plus-money NRFI bet in Colorado, which is a rare occurrence. I cannot suggest it in good faith, but it’s a bet we don’t always see on the board and that makes it interesting enough to consider.

Season Record: 3-1

Thursday’s Best No Runs First Inning (NRFI) Bets

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

San Diego Padres at Atlanta Braves, 7:10 PM ET

This is the marquee pitching matchup of the slate. The Braves have their budding superstar Spencer Strider taking the mound, and he’s shown why the future is so bright in his first start this season. He had a few too many walks, but the swing and miss were there and electric. He gets a difficult matchup with a powerful Padres lineup, but there is more than enough talent to overcome. In his short career, he has allowed a 0.233 wOBA the first time through the order, and I expect him to continue that early-game dominance.

Blake Snell is pitching for the Padres, and he is tasked with a similarly dominant lineup on the other side. The Braves top of the order is arguably the best in the league and has been performing like it to begin the year. Walks have always been the big issue for Snell, but that seems to manifest later in games, as he’s allowed a 0.261 wOBA the first time through the order in his career. As long as he limits the walks, I think he has enough talent to keep a clean first inning.

Bet: No Runs First Inning (NRFI) (-125)

San Francisco Giants at Chicago White Sox, 2:10 PM ET

This bet is the one that the odds makers consider the most likely to hit today and for good reason. Lance Lynn might not be the capital-A ace of the White Sox, but that is strictly because of Dylan Cease. Lynn would lead the staff of many teams around the league. Throughout his career, Lynn has allowed a 0.302 wOBA the first time through the order, and that includes stretches where he truly struggled. He is as reliable as they come, and while there are some interesting bats at the top of this Giants order, no one is really scary enough to fade Lynn in this bet.

Alex Wood toes the slab for the Giants, and his career has always felt like just a bit of a letdown. The left-hander has immense talent but has struggled to remain healthy. However, he has always excelled the first time through the order with a 0.287 wOBa allowed. The White Sox offense loses a bit of punch against lefties as hitters like Andrew Benintendi drop in the order, and more importantly, they just lost Eloy Jimenez to injury, which hurts the top of this order. Wood is healthy entering the season, and he should be able to keep this inning clean.

Bet: No Runs First Inning (NRFI) (-145)

Check out our other best bets for Thursday:


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