Caleb Wilfinger
The MLB season continues on Wednesday, and 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 are today’s MLB YRFI/NRFI best bets, and don’t forget to check out our MLB picks for EVERY GAME today.
YRFI/NRFI best bet: Rockies vs Red Sox – YRFI (-110)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to -120.
Our first best bet in the YRFI/NRFI market comes in Boston, where the Red Sox will host the Colorado Rockies at Fenway Park. I’ve extolled the virtues of this game being a high-scoring affair, and the scoring should start in the opening frame considering the starting pitching matchup in this game. Boston’s lineup has finally found its groove of late, tallying 46 runs over their last 5 victories. It’s hard to imagine Boston taking a step back against Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela, who holds some of the worst expected metrics in the sport (6.59 xERA, .331 xBA, bottom 1% strikeout rate) and has even struggled mightily away from the hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field.
Even if the Red Sox don’t get to Senzatela, there’s a decent chance the Rockies lineup can scratch across a run against Boston starter Lucas Giolito. While Giolito’s peripherals don’t look bad on paper, the veteran right-hander’s advanced metrics (4.78 xERA, .287 xBA, bottom 20% whiff rate) suggest that he’s due for some significant regression in his upcoming starts. All things considered, I’ll back the YRFI in this series finale.
With our experts on a 15-5 run, make sure you check out their MLB best bets for today
YRFI/NRFI best bet: Blue Jays vs White Sox – NRFI (-125)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to -135.
For our 2nd best bet in the YRFI/NRFI market, I’m going with a scoreless opening frame in this American League matchup between the Blue Jays and White Sox. Winners of 10 straight and 12 out of the last 13 games, Toronto has been on a tear over the last few weeks, and I’d expect that to continue against a White Sox team that is among the worst in baseball.
However, a lone bright spot for Chicago in this game is starter Adrian Houser (1.60 ERA, 5.4% barrel rate), who should be able to get off to a strong start at home. The visitors should also be in good position to succeed with Eric Lauer on the mound (2.65 ERA, .220 xBA), as the left-hander has allowed just 9 runs over his last 5 outings. With neither lineup having much experience against the opposing starter, I’ll back the NRFI in Chicago.
Set your sights on Javan Shouey’s best MLB player prop bet for today, targeting Andrew Abbott
