Best NRFI Bets Today, April 7

Yankees vs Orioles - Clarke Schmidt (R) vs Dean Kremer (R)

Over 0.5

The first of our first-inning total bets for Friday comes from Baltimore, as the New York Yankees visit the Baltimore Orioles. While the NRFI bet is the more popular of the two choices in this betting market, we are banking on at least one run to be scored in the first inning of this AL East showdown. Simply put, Yankees games have been a goldmine for those brave enough to bet on a first-inning run so far this season.

Through their first six games of the year, the Yankees have seen at least one first-inning run in five contests. Plenty of that has to do with the heavy hitters in the Yankee lineup, with Aaron Judge lurking in the New York half of every first inning. But the Yankee pitching staff has also been vulnerable early on, which could be the case again on Friday afternoon.

Clarke Schmidt is on the bump to start this game for the Yankees, making his second start of the season after a rough start to his 2023 campaign. Schmidt gave up three earned runs in 3.1 innings of work against the San Francisco Giants. While he did not give up a first-inning run, the Yankees scored in that first inning, with Giancarlo Stanton knocking in Aaron Judge.

Orioles starting pitcher Dean Kremer was even worse in his first start of the season. He allowed five runs in three innings against the Boston Red Sox, putting his ERA at 15.00 after his 2023 debut. The Yankees will certainly be live to get on the board in the first against him.

Cardinals vs Brewers - Jack Flaherty (R) vs Brandon Woodruff (R)

Over 0.5

Another appealing candidate for a first-inning run comes in Milwaukee on Friday, as the St. Louis Cardinals visit the Milwaukee Brewers. Jack Flaherty takes the mound for the Cardinals in this contest, while Brandon Woodruff will do the same for the Brewers. These two starters gave up a combined one run in 11 innings of work in their first starts of the season, but they were far from invincible in their respective first innings.

In the first inning of his first start, Flaherty loaded the bases and had a full count with two outs before getting a strikeout to end the threat against the Toronto Blue Jays. Woodruff also allowed a hit against the Chicago Cubs in his first start, though he limited Chicago to just that one baserunner. Both will face pressure in the first inning again here, with one team likely to break through.

St. Louis saw at least one first-inning run in five of their first six games this season. Milwaukee has seen a run or more cross the plate in three of their first six games as well. With the Brewers red-hot offensively during their fast start to the year, more first-inning runs are what we anticipate on Friday.

The implications this game carries should help make sure that both lineups are locked in from the start. These teams finished first and second in the NL Central last season, with the Cardinals taking the division crown when all was said and done. Both teams know that they are likely going to be competing with one another for the division all year long once again, so setting the tone early will be huge.

Dodgers vs Diamondbacks - Clayton Kershaw (L) vs Madison Bumgarner (L)

Over 0.5

We will take another first inning over in our final selection for Friday, between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks. Here, Clayton Kershaw starts for the Dodgers, while Madison Bumgarner starts for the Diamondbacks. A few years ago, a scoreless first inning would be juiced to astronomical levels with this pitching matchup. Now, though, we see at least one team getting on the board in the first.

Kershaw and Bumgarner faced off to start a game in the first series of the season between these two teams, and a run was scored in that first inning. In fact, there were five runs scored in that first inning, as the Dodgers grabbed five earned runs in the first frame against Bumgarner. Five runs may be a bit too much to ask of the Dodgers lineup in the first inning of this game, but Los Angeles certainly has enough pop in their lineup to break through in the first.

In that season-opening series between these two teams, the Dodgers and Diamondbacks saw two of three games feature a first-inning run. In addition to the aforementioned five-run outburst by the Dodgers against Bumgarner, the Diamondbacks got on the board in the first against Julio Urias in a game the Dodgers ended up winning 8-2.

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