Top MLB No Runs First Inning (NRFI) Odds, Picks & Predictions (9/3)
It’s getting to that time of the year when we pretty much get a stacked sports schedule every single day. With a UFC card in France this afternoon, all five major European soccer leagues in action, the return of college football, and a 15-game MLB slate, this can easily turn into one of those days where you don’t leave the couch very often. My focus is still on baseball as the regular season winds down, and below I’ve listed my top three No Runs First Inning (NRFI) bets for today.
Odds Courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
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New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays piled on the offense late last night and finished with a 9-0 victory in game one of their three-game weekend series with the Yankees. New York’s divisional lead has shrunk to 5.0 games, and they’ll turn to Clarke Schmidt this afternoon to get them back in the win column. Tampa will go with Corey Kluber in this divisional showdown slated for 6:10 p.m. ET from the Trop.
Schmidt will make just his third start of the year this afternoon, but it will be his 19th overall appearance. The right-hander comes in at 5-3 with a 2.89 ERA and 1.34 WHIP over 37.1 innings of work. Schmidt wasn’t too sharp last time out, getting tagged for four earned runs on eight hits and a walk, and he was charged with the loss against the lowly Athletics.
Kluber has been a serviceable option for the Rays this year and comes into today’s game at 9-7 with a 4.21 ERA (41st) and 1.17 WHIP (29th) over 25 starts. The right-hander has posted three straight quality starts, including a 6.0-inning effort last time out against the Red Sox, where he surrendered three runs in a 12-4 win. Kluber allowed eight hits while striking out four, and the Rays improved to 14-11 in his starts.
Schmidt has found a lot of success in a small sample size against the Rays this season. The 26-year-old has made four appearances (one start) against Tampa in 2022 and he’s given up just one earned run over 5.1 innings pitched. The current roster is 5-20 (.250) against him, including a combined 0-6 (.000) from Randy Arozarena, Ji-Man Choi, and Manuel Margot. On the flip side, Kluber has had New York’s number this season. In three starts, the veteran hurler has posted a 1.50 ERA and 0.72 WHIP, and the Bombers are hitting just .175 against him. Let’s roll with NRFI in the Bay this evening.
Bet: Yankees at Rays NRFI (-145 via DraftKings)
Miami Marlins vs. Atlanta Braves
The Fish dropped last night’s series opener, which means they’ve now lost five straight games and are 1-7 over their last eight. Edward Cabrera gets the nod for Miami tonight, and he’ll try to turn things around for the struggling Marlins. As for the Braves, they’ll go with newly acquired Jake Odorizzi as they try to narrow the 3.0-game gap with the Mets in the division. The first pitch for tonight’s game is set for 7:20 p.m. ET from Truist Park.
Cabrera is set to make his ninth start of the year tonight, and he’s been great since making his way into the rotation. The right-hander is 4-2 with a 2.45 ERA and 1.02 WHIP over 44.0 innings pitched. However, Cabrera’s coming off of his worst start of the year against the Dodgers, where he allowed six earned runs on five hits and three walks over 4.2 innings. He took the loss and Miami moved to 5-3 in his starts.
Odorizzi hasn’t been spectacular this season but comes in at 5-5 with a 3.90 ERA and 1.24 WHIP over 17 total starts. He recently made his fifth start with the Braves and went 5.2 innings against the Cardinals, allowing a pair of earned runs on four hits and a walk. It was a no-decision effort that Atlanta lost and moved to 2-3 in his starts with the team.
Cabrera hasn’t faced the Braves this year, but they have gone just 1-7 (.143) against him in his career. That includes a combined 0-4 (.000) from Travis D’Arnaud and Austin Riley, while Dansby Swanson is 0-0 (.000) with two walks. It’s also worth noting that the 24-year-old starter owns a 1.59 road ERA, and opponents are hitting just .137 against him in road games. As for Odorizzi, I’m fairly confident that he can handle this Marlins offense that ranks 27th in both team batting average (.229) and OPS (.657). He’s in pretty solid form as he’s allowed just three earned runs over his last two starts spanning 11.2 innings. Let’s lock in NRFI tonight in the ATL.
Bet: Marlins at Braves NRFI (-125 via DraftKings)
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
The red-hot Diamondbacks look for their third straight win and eighth in nine tries tonight as Madison Bumgarner heads to the bump. They’ll have a tall task ahead of them, though, as they take on Corbin Burnes and a Brewers team that sits right on the bubble of playoff contention. The first pitch for this N.L. clash is set for 8:10 p.m. ET in the valley.
Burnes comes into tonight’s contest at 9-6 with a 2.84 ERA (11th) and 0.98 WHIP (8th) over 26 starts on the year. The right-hander last pitched on Monday against the Pirates and allowed five earned runs on eight hits and a walk over 6.0 innings in a no-decision effort. The Crew won the game 7-5 and improved to 16-10 in Burnes’ starts this year.
Bumgarner has not been great this season as he’s just 6-13 with a 4.87 ERA (46th) and 1.47 WHIP (50th) over 26 starts. MadBum’s coming off of a tough outing against the Phillies on Monday where they tagged him seven earned runs on 11 hits in just 3.2 innings. He took a no-decision in the game as the Snakes were able to battle back from 7-0 and complete the biggest comeback in franchise history in a 13-7 win.
Bumgarner is not in good form right now as he posted a 9.23 ERA over five starts in August. However, he’s found some success against Milwaukee in his career, holding them to a .269 batting average over 108 at-bats. Christian Yelich is 5-22 (.227) against him, while Andrew McCutchen is 4-23 (.174) against the southpaw. As for Burnes, I’m not too worried about him in this game as he’s been on a tear this year. If it wasn’t for Sandy Alcantara, Burnes would be running away with the N.L. Cy Young award. It’s worth noting that the Dbacks are just 4-19 (.211) against him with no extra base-hits. Let’s take a shot here with NRFI in the desert.
Bet: Brewers at Diamondbacks NRFI (-140 via DraftKings)
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