NRFI Betting Today - No Runs First Inning Best MLB Picks and Odds (Friday 8/15/2025)

Read our best NRFI betting picks today - Major League Baseball NRFI predictions for 8/15/2025. No Runs First Inning (NRFI) betting tips, expert MLB predictions, odds, and trends.

We've got a loaded slate in MLB again on Friday, and there are multiple games to target and bring you the best NRFI bets today, and one YRFI bet. The goal is to achieve a profitable result while sticking to reasonable odds, as we aim to minimize our risk in an unpredictable market like the first inning.

We had our first major dud on Tuesday, going 1-4. That sets us up for a good bounce-back spot with four NRFIs and one YRFI selection this time. As always, picks will be backed up by recent trends and data on the team and player level.

On this page, I'll provide my best NRFI bets today for MLB games on Friday, August 15, 2025. Monitor the weather and lineups for each team before placing your wagers. Odds for these bets are from DraftKings Sportsbook.

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 happen more often, which is why you usually see shorter odds compared to YRFI. It's also just more enjoyable, as whenever I take a YRFI, it feels like an inevitable loss. There's nothing more tilting than watching your team strand baserunners when you need them to score in the first inning. If you're taking the YRFI, I suggest not even watching the game.

My favorite 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. Just 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 at times.

Best First Inning Bets Today (August 15, 2025)

• Milwaukee Brewers at Cincinnati Reds: 6:40 pm ET
• Atlanta Braves at Cleveland Guardians: 7:10 pm ET
• Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals: 8:10 pm ET
• New York Yankees at St. Louis Cardinals: 8:15 pm ET
• San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers: 10:10 pm ET

Milwaukee Brewers at Cincinnati Reds NRFI (-110 DraftKings Sportsbook)

Starting Pitchers

• MIL: Jacob Misiorowski
• CIN: Nick Martinez

The Miz is set to make his return after suffering a left tibia contusion that put him on the injured list. He will be on a shorter leash in this one, but that doesn't affect our first inning. He's one of the most electric players in baseball to watch.

Jacob Misiorowski, 101 mph Fastball and 97 mph Slider, Individual Pitches + Overlay.
😳😳 pic.twitter.com/W2Dv2OxBlJ

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 9, 2025

On the other side, Nick Martinez has done his job in first innings this year with a 4-1 record. Neither club has been starting hot at the plate lately. The Reds have hit the NRFI in nine of their last 10 games, while the Brewers have gone 24-6 to the NRFI over their last 30. We'll see how Misiorowski is in his return, but I have no worries that he'll pick up where he left off.

Atlanta Braves at Cleveland Guardians YRFI (-106 FanDuel Sportsbook)

Starting Pitchers

• ATL: Hurston Waldrep
• CLE: Joey Cantillo

Here comes our first YRFI selection of the night, and who else would we target but the Guardians? They've been the best team in baseball at scoring in the opening frame, scoring in half of them over their last 30 games. Waldrep has pitched much better recently since making some tweaks to his arsenal, but still had a 4.42 ERA and 1.47 WHIP at Triple-A.

Wanna watch us score?

Wanna watch us do it again?#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/lbTLMVdwjr

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) August 15, 2025

The Braves have also seen lefties well over the last 30 games, with a .762 OPS and league-high 12.9% walk rate. Cantillo is known to allow some free passes, as he owns the highest walk rate amongst left-handed pitchers in the league (min. 60 innings). They've also been one of the better teams at scoring in the first inning over their last 3o games, scoring nine times.

Seattle Mariners at New York Mets NRFI (-108 FanDuel Sportsbook)

Starting Pitchers

• SEA: Luis Castillo
• NYM: Sean Manaea

We get two really good pitchers facing off in this one and a solid price as well. Both hold shiny shutout records in the opening inning for the season, with Castillo at a dominant 22-2 and Manaea at 4-1 in his limited time.

Sean Manaea: big, lanky, and a certified stuff machine pic.twitter.com/uHAyDAKhpH

— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) July 30, 2025

The Mets have been okay at scoring in the first inning of late, with 11 in their last 30 games. But it's come with the fourth-worst batting average at .204 and the fifth-worst on-base percentage at .286. And the Mariners have scored the fifth fewest times over the last 30 games, with just six. It's a good spot for a clean first inning in a pitcher-friendly park and two trustworthy pitchers.

New York Yankees at St. Louis Cardinals NRFI (-105 DraftKings Sportsbook)

Starting Pitchers

• NYY: Luis Gil
• STL: Andre Pallante

We trusted Andre Pallante last week to get three clean outs against the Cubs, and unfortunately, he couldn't do it. We're looking for a bounce-back spot from him as he faces a Yankees lineup that has scored the seventh fewest runs against right-handers in August. On the other side, Luis Gil makes his third start since returning from the IL, and he's picked up right where he left off in terms of generating a high rate of strikeouts.

Luis Gil's 2Ks in the 2nd...and ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/91suZnxpzB

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 9, 2025

The Yankees have scored in half of their last 10 games in the first inning. But we'll be trusting one of the game's premier groundball pitchers to keep it out of the air and trust his elite defense behind him to get the job done. Plus, the Cardinals are a clean 10-0 to the NRFI over their last 10 games.

Tampa Bay Rays at San Francisco Giants NRFI (-125 DraftKings Sportsbook)

Starting Pitchers

• TB: Joe Boyle
• SF: Landen Roupp

The Rays and Giants have been two of the more feeble offenses in baseball recently. They both rank in the bottom 10 in runs scored against right-handed pitching since July. That bodes well for the two starters on the bump in Joe Boyle for Tampa Bay and Landen Roupp for San Francisco.

Roupp has been on the injured list with an elbow injury, but is set to make his return on Friday. Before getting hurt, he was pitching at a high level and ranked alongside the best starting pitchers in baseball since June 21.

Landen Roupp has been lights out over the last month 🤯 pic.twitter.com/yYp9tGZKDc

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) July 23, 2025

To begin games, the Rays turn it up a notch and rank in the top five with 11 in their last 30 games. They do, however, struggle to square up curveballs from right-handers, and that is Roupp's go-to offering. The Rays have a 4.8% barrel rate against them on the year, fifth lowest in the league. Then the Giants own a 23-7 record to the NRFI over their last 30 games and have hit just one homer.

Notable NRFI/YRFI MLB Trends: Last 10 Games

• Best NRFI hit rate: Cardinals (100%)
• Best YRFI hit rate: Diamondbacks (30%)
• Most First Inning Home Runs: Astros (6)
• Best First Inning Batting Average: Dodgers (.366)
• Best First Inning On-Base Percentage: Dodgers (.449)

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