Best NRFI Bets Today, August 11

Milwaukee Brewers vs Chicago White Sox - Corbin Burnes (R) vs Michael Kopech (R)

Under 0.5 (-125 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

First up in our MLB NRFI betting selections for Friday is a scoreless first inning between the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago White Sox. Milwaukee is sending its ace to the mound in this contest in the form of Corbin Burnes. Burnes combined with a respectable starting pitcher on the other side of this matchup should mean a game with zeroes on the scoreboard going into the second inning.

Burnes has been excellent of late for the Brewers, as he has improved his record to 9-6 for the season. He has allowed exactly two earned runs in each of his last three starts, throwing scoreless starts in the two outings before that. Expect him to stay hot here, as he has been a driving force behind the Brewers staying in first place in the NL Central despite hard charges from the Cubs and Reds.

Meanwhile, Michael Kopech will take the mound for the White Sox, as there are certainly worse starting pitching options for the Southsiders. Kopech is just 5-10 for the season, but his 4.43 ERA is certainly better than his record would suggest. In this game, expect Kopech to show up against a playoff-caliber team in order to help this game get to the second inning with the NRFI cashing.

San Diego Padres vs Arizona Diamondbacks - Blake Snell (L) vs Ryne Nelson (R) 

Under 0.5 (-110 at PointsBet)

Another elite starting pitcher in the National League should help us cash another NRFI selection on Friday night. Blake Snell leads the San Diego Padres into another game they need to have, against an Arizona Diamondbacks team that is running out of time to turn their season around. That sense of urgency on both sides should help us get to the second inning with another scoreless affair on our hands.

Snell has forced his way into the NL Cy Young discussion this season, posting a 2.61 ERA to overshadow his 8-8 overall record. Snell has been electric in the second half of this season, which has been one of the few bright spots in a disappointing season for the Padres. Look for Snell to continue to pitch at an elite level in this game to help his team in this battle of NL West teams on losing streaks.

On the other sides, Arizona’s Ryne Nelson is nowhere near as good as Snell this season. He has a 6-6 record, going .500 to this point just like Snell, but his 5.16 ERA is way worse than that of Snell’s. But the Diamondbacks are at home for this game, and they should hold the struggling bats of the Padres without a run on the board in the first.

St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals - Adam Wainwright (R) vs Dylan Coleman (R)

Over 0.5 (-135 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

Our final first-inning total wager in MLB on Friday is a first-inning over in the matchup between the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals. This matchup is a disaster when it comes to the starting pitching matchup, as both teams send struggling arms to the mound. While these offenses are not consistently good, there is enough firepower here to take advantage of the poor pitching on both sides.

Adam Wainwright is on the mound for the Cardinals to start this game, which has been terrible news for St. Louis in 2023. Wainwright is 3-6 on the season with a 7.81 ERA, and he has allowed 12 home runs on the season thus far. He could very well struggle in the bottom of the first inning for St. Louis here.

The starting pitching situation for the Royals in this game is even worse, as they are sending Dylan Coleman to the bump. Coleman has pitched 14.1 innings so far this season and has an ERA of 10.05, which is an average of over a run allowed per inning. With the Cardinals having stars like Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt in their lineup, it could be St. Louis that breaks through in the top of the first.

Feel free to check out other MLB betting sites for more betting opportunities!