Top MLB No Runs First Inning (NRFI) Bets For Monday

Everyone loves a good no runs first inning bet, and we’ll break down the top picks for Monday.

NRFIs — betting on whether or not a run will score in the first inning — have become the darling of the baseball betting world this season.

It may seem like throwing darts at first, but if you dig deeper, there’s an edge to be had. Let’s poke at the pitching stats and hitting numbers to find the top MLB no run first inning bets for Monday, June 20.

Cardinals vs. Brewers No Run First Inning

Best odds available: -115 at FanDuel Sportsbook

This is an excellent price at FanDuel Sportsbook. For perspective, I found this NRFI prop with -165 odds at Caesars and -140 at BetMGM.

The pitching matchup isn’t too shabby either. Let’s break it down:

• Corbin Burnes (MIL) hasn’t allowed a first-inning run in 11-of-13 games this season. That’s an 85% success rate at holding up his end of the NRFI bargain.
• Miles Mikolas (STL) hasn’t allowed a first-inning run in 11-of-13 games as well. These pitchers are quite the NRFI pairing.
• Milwaukee’s first five projected hitters are a combined 11-55 (.200) lifetime vs. Mikolas.
• St. Louis’s first five projected hitters are a combined 16-54 (.296) lifetime vs. Burnes.

That last bullet point is somewhat concerning. Paul Goldschmidt is 8-21 lifetime against Burnes. However, the Milwaukee hurler has shown impeccable form with strikeout upside to boot. The last time Burnes faced St. Louis (May 29), he tossed seven scoreless innings while allowing just two hits alongside 11 strikeouts. Get around Goldschmidt, and we should be, well, golden.

Mikolas almost pulled off a no-hitter against Pittsburgh last Tuesday. He threw 129 pitches in that game, so hopefully he’s fully recovered heading into this matchup. It’s a good thing we only need Mikolas to nab the first three outs because stamina could be an issue.

Put it all together, and the -115 NRFI odds are too good to pass up.

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Giants vs. Braves No Run First Inning

Best odds available: -113 at FanDuel Sportsbook

This is another matchup between a pair of high-caliber pitchers. Getting -113 odds is worth pouncing on. Here’s why:

• Max Fried hasn’t allowed a first-inning run in 11-of-13 games this season.
• Logan Webb hasn’t allowed a first-inning run in 8-of-13 games 8-5 this season.
• The Braves have a powerful lineup, but they only score in the first inning 25.37% of the time. That ranks 22nd in MLB.
• The Giants score in the first inning 23.08% of the time. That ranks 25th in MLB.

Webb currently holds solid form, tossing seven scoreless innings against the Royals last Tuesday. It helps that Atlanta has the second-highest strikeout rate in baseball (25.2%), and Webb has an insanely low homerun rate (0.64 HR/9) in his career.

Fried doesn’t cough up homers either, as he sports a 0.67 HR/9 rate on the season. Naturally, that plays well to no runs in the first inning. The Giants have the eighth-highest strikeout rate (23.5%) to left-handed tossers as well. Fried should be able to pin them down.