Best NRFI Bets Today – No Runs First Inning Picks UPDATED DAILY

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Philadelphia Phillies

The Blue Jays and Phillies wrap up a three-game interleague series at Citizens Bank Park this afternoon. The Phillies are aiming for the sweep with ace Zack Wheeler on the mound.

Wheeler enters with a 2.85 ERA and 0.90 WHIP across 13 games and 82 innings of work. The 35-year-old Georgia native is locked in with one or no earned runs conceded in four of his previous five matchups. The Blue Jays are hitting .214 versus this pitcher in 56 at-bats.

Expect to see Wheeler clear the 1st inning untouched, while Blue Jays’ starter Jose Berrios should hold up as well. He enters Sunday’s outing with a 3.38 ERA and 1.25 WHIP across 14 games and 82.2 innings on the bump. Berrios is red-hot right now, with one earned run conceded in his last three starts.

José Berríos is DEALING.

He's got 7 strikeouts through 3 innings 😳 pic.twitter.com/9qfpLFEdjJ

— MLB (@MLB) May 30, 2025

Across 12.2 innings in June, Berrios holds a 0.71 ERA and .182 OBA. He and Wheeler should prevail against the batters in the 1st inning on Sunday! In short, consider betting on the Blue Jays vs. Phillies matchup as one of the best NRFI bets today.

Miami Marlins vs. Washington Nationals

The Marlins look to bring up the brooms with a sweep at Nationals Park this afternoon. They are coming off impressive 11-9 and 4-3 wins, and now second-year pitcher Eury Perez will look to inflict more pain. The Nats are expected to counter with lefty MacKenzie Gore on the bump.

Perez heads to the hill sporting a 12.00 ERA and 2.00 WHIP after getting rocked in his 2025 debut at PNC Park. Despite the poor effort, expect Perez to get on track today. Two years ago, Perez appeared in 19 games and finished with a rock-solid 3.15 ERA and 1.13 WHIP.

Following a promising start to his career, Perez missed last season, requiring Tommy John surgery. He should put the train back on the track after some opening jitters. Likewise, expect Gore to do his job in the 1st inning as well. The pitcher heads to the bump with a 2.88 ERA and 1.12 WHIP through 81.1 frames.

MacKenzie Gore strikes out his 7th batter for the @Nationals tonight! 😤 pic.twitter.com/QoF3jlcPZu

— MLB (@MLB) June 5, 2025

He’s quietly excelled in the Nationals’ rotation and should be in sharp form versus the Marlins. Miami is hitting just .200 in 45 at-bats against Gore. So, I suggest playing the Marlins and Nationals matchup for your best NRFI picks today.

Minnesota Twins vs. Houston Astros

Lastly, for your NRFI best bets today, consider checking out the Twins vs. Astros at Minute Maid Park. The Astros send lefty Brandon Walter to the bump for his third start. He appeared in nine games as a rookie last season and has shown great improvement in 2025.

Brandon Walter in two starts for the Astros:

5/20: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO
6/8: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO pic.twitter.com/dEc0juz724

— Michael Schwab (@michaelschwab13) June 8, 2025

Walter has been strong through 11 innings, with two earned runs allowed in two starts. The 28-year-old from Delaware holds a 1.64 ERA and 0.91 WHIP through 11 innings of work on the bump. Expect him to build on his early success and hold the Twins at bay on Sunday.

Also, Simeon Woods Richardson should bounce back after a couple of ugly performances recently. Woods Richardson was knocked out for 12 earned runs in 8.2 innings. However, prior to that, Woods Richardson conceded two or fewer earned runs in three straight outings.

The way I see this matchup, it’s one of the best NRFI picks today!

1. Check The Starting Lineups, Especially The Pitchers

You should always begin with the lineups. Check who the starting pitchers are and then go through the latest injuries and suspensions to see whether any of the teams will be missing key pieces.

We usually go to the CBS’ MLB injury report to see who’s out and who’s doubtful. They pull the data directly from league reports, so it’s trustworthy information.

2. Analyzing NRFI Stats

Once we know the most likely lineups, it’s time for a key step of our NRFI betting strategy: analyzing numbers. You need to go through various data points to determine how likely is for the opening inning of a game to end without any runs.

We explore the individual stats of the starting pitchers, we analyze the offensive numbers of both sides, and we also take a look at the total team stats for first inning runs.

Once we have a complete overview of what’s going on, we create our own estimates (in percentages) of how likely it is to see no runs in the first inning.

After that, it’s time to check the odds!

3. Line Shopping

It’s time to check some betting odds! We use two bookmakers that offer daily NRFI betting odds for the MLB: Bovada and BetWhale. We check their prices for all games and turn them into probabilities.

We compare them to our own estimates and when we see good betting value, we place our NRFI wagers!

We strongly recommend using multiple top betting sites yourself for the best results. The two we highlighted above are all excellent for no runs first inning bets.