NRFI Betting Today - No Runs First Inning Best MLB Picks and Odds (Tuesday, 3/31/2026)

March 31, 2026

Read our best NRFI betting picks today - Major League Baseball NRFI predictions for 3/31/2026. No Runs First Inning (NRFI) betting tips, expert MLB predictions, odds, and trends.

The first series of the season is in the books, and baseball season is officially underway.   All but two teams are in action today, with only the Twins and Royals having the day off. It's an all-evening slate tonight with the first game starting at 6:35 EST, giving us plenty of time to lock in these NRFI bets. In particular, we have a fascinating pitcher's duel between Brandon Woodruff and Shane McClanahan, who will be making his first start since August 2, 2023.

Today is the second day we will attack today's MLB slate with some NRFI (no runs first inning) bets. We went 2-1 on our picks last week and will look to carry that momentum into the rest of the season. Pitching tends to be ahead of hitting early in the season as the weather is cooler and hitters are still settling in, yet we had more YRFIs (8) than NRFIs (7) in the full slate of games played yesterday.

On this page, I'll provide my best first-inning bets today for MLB games on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. Make sure to monitor the weather and lineups for each team before placing your wagers.

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 often, which is why you usually see shorter odds than for YRFI.

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 small 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 (March 31, 2026)

Here's a quick chart with the games and bets that we will be targeting today!

Tampa Bay Rays at Milwaukee Brewers NRFI (-125 Caesars)

Starting Pitchers

• TB: Shane McClanahan
• MIL: Brandon Woodruff

McClanahan makes his long-awaited return after missing two full seasons of baseball. The flamethrowing lefty has been ramping up his velocity during the spring, sitting mostly around 94-95 and maxing out around 98 MPH. His stuff is understandably not as crisp as it was at his peak right now, but he still graded out with a 109 Fangraphs Stuff+, with his devastating secondaries still missing plenty of bats. It will be interesting to see how he looks after missing so much time, but I'm confident he escapes the first inning unscathed.

Woodruff seemed like he was destined to miss some time to open the season with nagging injuries, but he ultimately avoided the injured list and will make his first start of the season Tuesday night. The 33-year-old right-hander started only 12 games last year, but he was excellent even with diminished stuff, holding a 3.20 ERA and 0.91 WHIP, and the Brewers went a pristine 10-2 in those games.

Shane McClanahan had 7 Ks over 3.2 IP
while collecting 10 Whiffs and topping out at 97.5 MPH.

His Changeup registered a 67% Whiff% (8/13) and he tossed 55 pitches this afternoon. A very encouraging sign as we inch closer to the start of the Regular Season. pic.twitter.com/Fas1PeJFrI

— Running From The OPS (@OPS_BASEBALL) March 15, 2026

Both pitchers have missed a lot of time over the past few years, and they will face off in their season debuts. American Family Field leans pitcher-friendly, rating 23rd in MLB's park factor. It is susceptible to the long ball, however, ranking seventh highest in that category. With both pitchers working with reduced velocity, that is what we want to avoid.

Boston Red Sox at Houston Astros NRFI (-125 Fanatics)

Starting Pitchers

• BOS: Brayan Bello
• HOU: Hunter Brown

Brown is a certified ace and one of the most consistent starters in the league. He was dominant on opening day against the Angels despite some inefficiency, allowing only one hard-hit ball on the outing. At home again, where he's allowed only 14 runs in 46 career first innings, the 27-year-old right-hander should cruise his way through the opening frame.

Hunter Brown struck out nine in 4.2 scoreless innings on Opening Day against the Angels!

The Astros young ace bullied his way through his outing throwing 60% fastballs and falling back to his power curve when needed. pic.twitter.com/cOJS5L3IyG

— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) March 26, 2026

Bello will make his first start of the season, coming off a career year. The 26-year-old hurled a career-best 3.35 ERA and 1.24 WHIP over a career-high 166 2/3 innings. Bello accomplished this despite a career-low 17.8% strikeout rate, ranking in the 16th percentile. But he mixes his deep arsenal really effectively and keeps the ball on the ground, so he should have a good shot of navigating this Astros lineup that started slow with only two runs across their first two games, but they've poured on 28 runs in three games since.

The ballpark is also a bit of a concern, as it is one of the more hitter-friendly in the league, but the quality of the pitching should help mitigate that.

New York Yankees at Seattle Mariners NRFI (-135 Caesars)

Starting Pitchers

• NYY: Max Fried
• SEA: Logan Gilbert

What an epic pitcher's duel we have late Tuesday night in Seattle. Fried is coming off an excellent first season with the Yankees and shoved on Opening Night in San Francisco. Gilbert, on the other hand, was more mixed in his season debut, allowing three runs over 5 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts.

Fried and the Yankees stay on the West Coast to face the Mariners' offense that is no stranger to swinging and missing. After another 11 strikeouts Monday night, the 2026 Mariners have struck out 55 times through five games, the second most in franchise history, only behind the 2021 team that struck out 59 times.

Max Fried (NYY) finishes his first start of the season with 6.1 shutout innings against the Giants with four strikeouts pic.twitter.com/XxrHRVEyqP

— Pitcher List Stats (@PitcherListPLV) March 26, 2026

Gilbert will look to be a bit sharper in his second time on the bump, though, to an extent, he still showed plenty of good stuff with seven strikeouts and no walks. Knowing that he's facing off against a fellow ace on the other side in Fried, Gilbert should set the tone in this game and mow down the first three batters.

Logan Gilbert, Unleashing the Trident. pic.twitter.com/1ufnc1MwP8

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 27, 2026

T-Mobile Park has long held the crown as the most pitcher-friendly ballpark, owning MLB's lowest park factor. With the ballpark that suppresses runs the most and two hoss arms on the mound facing off, getting this number at -135 feels pretty solid. Though anything can happen, we will ride with the strong starters. Both offenses were quiet last night, and I expect a similar type of game tonight with two elite arms on the mound and the cooler marine layer weather in Seattle.

Thanks for reading, and good luck if you tail any or all of these bets today!

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