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 is today’s MLB YRFI/NRFI best bet, and don’t forget to check out our MLB picks for all of today’s games.
YRFI/NRFI best bet: Padres vs Dodgers – YRFI (-135)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to -140.
Our MLB best bet in the YRFI/NRFI market takes us to Los Angeles for a matchup between the Padres and Dodgers from Dodger Stadium. This is a battle where both pitchers could be in trouble, especially considering how both lineups have excelled in this series, which has been par for the course in recent regular season meetings between these rivals. With that in mind, I’m anticipating that the bats will have the early edge in this game — which is why I’m targeting the YRFI on Wednesday.
San Diego is opting to go with Stephen Kolek (19.6% whiff rate, 48.9% hard-hit rate) on the mound for this game, and the Padres right-hander certainly has his work cut out for him on the road. Against a deep and experienced Dodgers lineup, I could certainly see Kolek struggling in this spot, particularly in the opening frame against the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith.
On the other side, the Dodgers pitching has been in precarious shape over the past month, both in their starting rotation and bullpen. With a number of starters still sitting on the injured list, Los Angeles could really use a strong outing from Emmet Sheehan, who is making his first start since suffering Tommy John surgery over a year ago. Sheehan showed some real promise during the 2023 season, but he’s been pretty inconsistent overall for Mark Prior’s pitching staff, and he’ll also be facing his toughest task yet against a Padres lineup that is capable of making things difficult on opposing pitchers. Ultimately, I’ll eat a bit of juice and back the YRFI in this crucial National League West matchup.
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