NRFI Bet to Target on Thursday 4/25/24

The MLB season is an annual marathon that gives us months of daily betting markets to consider.

While traditional player props like home runs and strikeouts remain popular options, one market that's gained steam is betting whether or not no runs will be scored in the first inning -- aka a No Run First Inning (NRFI) bet.

On FanDuel Sportsbook's MLB odds, we can find NRFI odds listed as 1st Inning Over/Under 0.5 Runs odds under each MLB game.

Where can we find value in this unique prop market today?

Please note: lines and projections are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published.

Best NRFI Prop Bet

Los Angeles Dodgers at Washington Nationals

Under 1st Inning 0.5 Runs (-122)

Siding with a NRFI when the Los Angeles Dodgers are involved never feels great, but Washington Nationals starter MacKenzie Gore is performing well this season, and the odds are appealing enough here to take the plunge.

Through four starts, Gore has produced a 2.84 SIERA, 31.8% strikeout rate, and 7.1% walk rate. Best of all for our purposes, the southpaw has yet to allow a run in the first inning this year.

Navigating the lethal top half of the Dodgers' lineup will be a tall order, but being a lefty should help Gore against Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani at least. While there's no question that Freeman and Ohtani are still dangerous hitters in same-handed matchups, it's nonetheless their weaker career split. Freeman specifically has gotten off to a sluggish start versus lefties in 2024, posting a .026 ISO and .280 wOBA.

If Gore can do his part, then we can have a ton of confidence in the other side of this matchup. Yoshinobu Yamamoto should be able to handle the Nationals, a below-average offense that has scored in the first inning just 17.4% of the time (25th in MLB).

Yamamoto's results have been a mixed bag, but his underlying metrics have been stellar over five starts with a 2.59 SIERA, 32.2% strikeout rate, and 5.4% walk rate.

Although hard contact has been an early issue for him thus far, that should be less of a worry against a Washington team that's recorded a .103 ISO and 26.1% FanGraphs hard-hit rate in the opening frame. Leadoff hitter C.J. Abrams is off to a strong start, so he might be Yamamoto's biggest hurdle. But other than Abrams, there isn't much power to fear atop this order.

Cool temperatures around 60 degrees should also help both pitchers keep the ball in the park today.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.