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Read our best NRFI betting picks today - Major League Baseball NRFI predictions for 7/7/2025. No Runs First Inning (NRFI) betting tips, expert MLB predictions, odds, and trends.
Monday brings us 10 MLB games and a chance to recover from holiday weekend festivities. I hope you had a great July 4th weekend and you're ready for another full week of MLB action before the All-Star break next week.
Just four NRFIs on today's card, but all four spots look really good today. DraftKings has a 50% boost on any NRFI parlay today, so I will include my favorite combo as well if you want to tail.
On this page, I'll provide my best NRFI and YRFI bets today for MLB games on Monday, July 7, 2025. Monitor the weather and lineups for each team before placing your wagers. Odds for these bets are from DraftKings or FanDuel Sportsbook.
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What Are MLB NRFI/YRFI Bets?
NRFI bets are bets where you try to pick whether or not two MLB teams will combine for one run in the first inning. YRFI stands for "Yes Run First Inning," while NRFI means "No Run First Inning."
We prefer to target NRFI because it tends to occur more frequently, which is why you usually see shorter odds than on YRFI. It's also just more enjoyable, as there's nothing more tilting than watching your team strand baserunners when you need them to score in the first inning.
The best part of NRFI wagers is how they settle so quickly. This is a fun sweat, as these six outs can be thrilling, especially if your pitcher works his way out of a jam. Remember to only go with a smaller percentage of your bankroll because this can be a volatile market, with even the best pitchers struggling in the first inning.
Best First Inning Bets Today (July 7, 2025)
- Los Angeles Dodgers at Milwaukee Brewers: 7:40 pm
- Cleveland Guardians at Houston Astros: 8:10 pm
- Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels: 9:38 pm
- Philadelphia Phillies at San Francisco Giants: 9:45 pm
Los Angeles Dodgers at Milwaukee Brewers NRFI (-125 DraftKings Sportsbook)
Starting Pitchers
- LAD: Yoshinobu Yamamoto
- MIL: Freddy Peralta
This game stands out as one of the top pitching matchups on the slate. The Dodgers send Yamamoto to the mound while the Brewers counter with Freddy Peralta. Both pitchers were selected to the National League All-Star team this weekend, and while there was some controversy around some of those picks, these two clearly earned their spots.
Congratulations to Freddy Peralta on your 2nd All-Star Selection! 🌟 pic.twitter.com/A5dInvLEQJ
— KLUTCH Sports Group (@KlutchSports) July 6, 2025
Yamamoto enters this game with a 14-3 NRFI record and a three-game NRFI streak. The Brewers have an 80% offensive NRFI hit rate in their last 10 games, so it's pretty easy to see why I would give Yamamoto the advantage here.
Peralta has been fantastic in the first frame as well, sporting a 15-3 NRFI record. He has the tougher assignment as he'll face Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman in the top of the first inning, but Peralta should be up for the challenge. We don't attack the Dodgers that often, but a pitcher of Peralta's caliber can put up a zero against anyone on any given night.
Cleveland Guardians at Houston Astros NRFI (-130 DraftKings Sportsbook)
Starting Pitchers
- CLE: Tanner Bibee
- HOU: Colton Gordon
The caliber of pitchers here isn't quite the same as it was in the first game, but we do have the two worst offensive NRFI teams this season, as the Guardians and Astros are tied at the bottom of the league at 78%.
Houston's offense has been better lately, but Cleveland's has been spiraling into a whole other tier of ineffectiveness. The Guardians rank 27th in wRC+ against LHP over the last month and are just 1-9 on YRFIs over their last 10 games.
That bodes well for rookie Colton Gordon, who brings a 7-2 NRFI record into this matchup.
Tanner Bibee hasn't been too shabby either, with a 12-5 NRFI record. He will get all right-handed hitters in this matchup with Houston, which puts him on the right side of his splits.
So, while both pitchers may not be true aces, the matchups here are still in their favor, and I'm okay eating a little juice on the -130 price.
Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels NRFI (-145 DraftKings Sportsbook)
Starting Pitchers
- TEX: Jacob deGrom
- LAA: Yusei Kikuchi
We have another matchup of two All-Stars here, except this time in the American League. It's been a lot of fun watching the Jacob deGrom renaissance as the former Mets ace has put together his best season in nearly five years as a member of the Rangers.
At 12-5 on NRFIs this season, deGrom has been quite solid, and he brings an impressive five-game NRFI streak into this game. The Angels' offense is better than a lot of people probably realize, but I still give deGrom the advantage here based on his track record.
Yusei Kikuchi's 8th and 9th Ks. pic.twitter.com/FKOmdnptOe
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 21, 2025
On the other side of this matchup is the Angels' lefty Kikuchi, who has been red-hot over the last two months. Kikuchi is 12-6 on NRFIs this season and facing a Rangers team that is 3-7 on YRFIs over their last 10 games.
Kikuchi gets Texas on the right side of their splits (for him) as they rank 28th in wRC+ against LHP over the last 30 days. We have to pay quite a bit of juice here, but I'm okay with it as we are still staying under my -150 soft cap for NRFI pricing.
Philadelphia Phillies at San Francisco Giants NRFI (-140 DraftKings Sportsbook)
Starting Pitchers
- PHI: Cristopher Sanchez
- SFG: Landen Roupp
We round out our picks with one more solid pitching matchup in the nightcap. The Phillies send lefty Cristopher Sanchez to the mound to face the Giants' righty, Landen Roupp.
Sanchez is enjoying a career season and has a 13-4 NRFI record that reflects this success as well. He's been lights out early in games lately, with eight consecutive NRFIs coming into this one.
Pitching Matchups for the San Francisco Giants series at Oracle Park:
Monday 9:45pm:
Cristopher Sanchez vs. Landen RouppTuesday 9:45pm:
Taijuan Walker vs. Robbie RayWednesday 3:45pm:
Jesus Luzardo vs. Justin Verlanderpic.twitter.com/shIWzFI9FM— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) July 6, 2025
As for Roupp, he has a 12-5 NRFI record of his own and gets a Philly lineup that has just two offensive NRFIs in their last 10 games. He's been a bit inconsistent this season, but Roupp has allowed just two earned runs over his last three starts. He has a big, beautiful curveball that has been baffling hitters all season. He needs to get ahead of hitters early in the count with his sinker and changeup so that he can get hitters to chase his curveball.
Notable NRFI/YRFI MLB Trends: Last 10 Games
- Best NRFI hit rate: Padres, Orioles (100%)
- Best YRFI hit rate: Red Sox (40%)
- Most First Inning Home Runs: Blue Jays, Tigers (4)
- Best First Inning Batting Average: Red Sox (.441)
- Best First Inning On-Base Percentage: Red Sox (.507)
NRFI Parlay
I wouldn't mind combining any two of today's picks, but here are the two that I feel the most confident in and that I am playing with the boost on DraftKings tonight.
Conclusion
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