MLB NRFI/YRFI Best Bets Today: Expert Picks & Predictions for Tuesday’s Slate (6/13/23)

The MLB slate on Tuesday, June 13 offers 15 games to bet on run lines, over/unders and MLB player props. MLB bettors looking for some other bets to place should consider an increasingly popular MLB bet: No Run First Inning (NRFI) and Yes Run First Inning (YRFI). This article analyzes today’s NRFI and YRFI betting odds and recommends the best NRFI bets and the best YRFI bets to make on MLB games on 06/13/2023.

6/13 NRFI/YRFI Best Bets

Here are the best NRFI and YRFI bets to place on Tuesday, June 13.

Colorado Rockies vs. Boston Red Sox NRFI (+104 at FanDuel)

Starting pitchers: RHP Chase Anderson (0-0, 2.25 ERA) vs. RHP Kutter Crawford (1-3, 3.68 ERA)

I am always intrigued when I can get a NRFI at better than even money. This pitching matchup doesn’t exactly exude confidence in either side, so it’s not hard to understand why oddsmakers expect some early runs in this game. But when we go a bit deeper, there is enough reason for optimism to get some value at the current odds.

Anderson has quietly been solid for the Rockies since being claimed off waivers from the Rays on May 12. He has a very respectable 2.67 ERA in his five starts with the Rockies, and he has allowed just 1 run in the first inning, which came in his last outing against San Francisco.

Crawford is a long reliever who is operating as an opener today for the Red Sox, a role he has filled four times so far this season. He had a rough first start on April 3, allowing 7 earned in four innings. He has a 3.27 ERA in his other three starts (11 innings total) and has thrown a scoreless first inning in each of his two starts this month.

The Red Sox and Rockies are each among the bottom half of the league in first-inning run production. They are also both among the bottom half of the league in runs scored over the last two weeks – a big drop from their season-long rankings at 7th (Boston) and 14th (Colorado). The Red Sox in particular have struggled in the last six games with just 15 runs scored (25th).

With two quiet offenses and two starting pitchers quietly having solid seasons, I like the +104 odds on a NRFI in this game.
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San Francisco Giants vs. St. Louis Cardinals YRFI (+100 at FanDuel)

Starting pitchers: RHP Alex Cobb (5-2, 3.01 ERA) vs. RHP Jack Flaherty (3-4, 4.15 ERA)

The Cardinals and Giants are two of the best first-inning teams in baseball this season, ranking sixth and eighth, respectively, in runs scored in the first inning. They are also both in the top 12 overall in runs scored, and the Giants are one of the hotter teams in the league right now, having scored 30 runs in their last five games.

Looking at those numbers, it’s hard not to like the +100 odds on a YRFI in today’s game, even with two solid starters on the mound.

Giants starter Alex Cobb pitched a gem against the Cardinals back on April 24 – a six-hit shutout. That outing was part of a stellar start to the season for Cobb – a 1.94 ERA through his first nine starts. His last three starts have not been so stellar – a 5.93 ERA over 16-2/3 innings.

After pitching eight scoreless first innings in those first nine starts, Cobb has allowed runs in the first inning in three of his last four. He allowed multiple first-inning runs in each of those starts and 9 total runs in those innings.

Flaherty has pitched scoreless first innings in nine of his 13 starts this season. The four innings in which he allowed runs in the first all came over a six-game stretch from April 12 to May 9. That means he has gone five straight starts without allowing a run in the first frame.

Both pitchers are capable of shutting down the opposing lineups in the first, but I trust these lineups more than these hurlers. And oh by the way, at 39-25, the Cardinals have the best YRFI record in baseball. So yeah, I’ll take even money on a YRFI in this game.
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Cleveland Guardians vs. San Diego Padres NRFI (-113 at FanDuel)

Starting pitchers: RHP Tanner Bibee (2-1, 3.05 ERA) vs. RHP Joe Musgrove (3-2, 4.35 ERA)

We can’t get plus odds on every pick, so let’s finish out today’s slate with a solid NRFI bet at -113 odds in this matchup between the Guardians and Padres.

Rookie Tanner Bibee is off to a great start for the Guardians through his first eight starts. He had pitched seven consecutive scoreless first innings to start the year before allowing a run in the first frame against the Red Sox in his last start.

Musgrove has pitched a scoreless first inning in six of his eight starts this season, including his last four. He had a shaky start to the season but has rounded into form over his last three starts, allowing no more than one earned run in each of those outings.

Both of these teams do have solid lineups, and the Guardians have been hot recently – 34 runs in their last five games (3rd best in MLB over the last week). However, the Guardians rank just 21st in first-inning scoring this season and have a tough matchup against Musgrove.

Trust the starting pitchers in this matchup and take the NRFI at -113 odds.

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Noah hails from Philadelphia and is a diehard Philly sports fan. He graduated from Penn where he was a sports writer and editor for the student newspaper and also spent a summer covering the Baltimore Orioles for MLB.com. He has been playing fantasy sports since before live stats were a thing, and he has enjoyed learning the nuances of DFS in recent years. As a current resident of Florida, he is hoping the wave of sports betting legalization will eventually reach his home state.