Caleb Wilfinger
The MLB season continues on Monday, and the second half of the 2025 campaign has already produced a lot of exciting action on the diamond. While there are plenty of ways to wager on all of the action this season, one of the quickest bets you can make is if a run will be scored in the first inning — YRFI or NRFI. There is still value to be had in this market, so it’s no wonder that these bets have become very popular over time. If you don’t like sweating out your wagers for 3 hours, this one will take only about 15 minutes.
The NRFI/YRFI market has been profitable for our MLB handicapping team this season, so let’s keep that momentum going! Here is today’s MLB YRFI/NRFI best bet, and don’t forget to check out our MLB picks for EVERY GAME today.
YRFI/NRFI best bet: Padres vs Diamondbacks – YRFI (-130)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to -135.
Our first best bet in the YRFI/NRFI market comes in this NL West clash between the Padres and Diamondbacks. This is a pitching matchup that certainly points in the direction of a higher-scoring affair, as J.P. Sears (4.95 ERA, bottom 3 percentile ground-ball rate) will get the ball for San Diego, while the Diamondbacks will counter with left-hander Brandon Pfaadt (5.11 ERA, 6.29 xERA, .309 expected batting average, 13.2% barrel rate). Both of these lineups should be expected to succeed here, as Arizona is still a top 10 unit in baseball, even without the likes of Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor. On the other side, the Padres have made a habit of jumping out to early leads in this recent run of winning form, and that should continue on Monday. Let’s back the YRFI on Monday.
Make sure you check out our MLB best bets for today
YRFI/NRFI best bet: Rays vs Angels – NRFI (-120)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to -130.
For my second best bet in this market on Monday, let’s roll with the NRFI in this American League matchup between a couple of teams that won’t make the playoffs, but can still make us some money. Tampa Bay just had to face the Dodgers lineup over the weekend, so it goes without saying that Rays stater Adrian Houser (2.10 ERA) should have a much easier time against an Angels unit that is 18th in OPS and OBP on the season. On the other side, the Angels are turning to Yusei Kikuchi, and while his expected metrics leave a bit to be desired, the veteran left-hander has simply been able to get guys out this season (3.31 ERA). I don’t expect the mediocre Tampa Bay offense (15th in SLG and OPS) to jump all over Kikuchi to open this game, so let’s back a scoreless first inning.
