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MLB No Runs First Inning (NRFI) Odds & Picks: Wednesday (4/30)

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The 2025 MLB season continues on Wednesday with 15 games on the schedule. A few entertaining series are set for action, including a National League battle between the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres. The New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles will also draw attention in their American League East showdown.

Sports bettors wanting to get in on the action without having to sweat through an entire nine-inning contest can turn to MLB No Runs First Inning (NRFI) tickets for a quick result. Here's a look at two MLB NRFI options that stick out from the rest on this week's hump day.

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    Wednesday’s Best MLB No Runs First Inning (NRFI) Picks

    (Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)

    Chicago Cubs (-174) at Pittsburgh Pirates (+146)

    Starting Pitchers: Matthew Boyd vs. Carmen Mlodzinski

    The Cubs kicked off this divisional collision with a 9-0 victory over the Pirates. That contest featured no runs in the first inning, and there’s a lot to like about the odds of that result repeating on Wednesday. After all, Chicago’s Matthew Boyd (2-2, 2.54 ERA) and Pittsburgh’s Carmen Mlodzinski (1-3, 6.95 ERA) have hurled a scoreless opening frame in each of their five starts this campaign.

    Limiting a star-studded Cubs offense is no easy task. However, Mlodzinski has proven capable of shining in the early goings. The young right-hander is surrendering a slash line of just .195/.267/.319 his first time through the batting order in 2025. He has yet to concede a single earned run in the first inning across 10 career starts. Mlodzinski can be trusted to get three quick outs.

    Success from Mlodzinski would leave the status of this wager to Boyd. The veteran southpaw is riding a streak of 11 consecutive outings without a first-inning run allowed, dating back to 2024. The Pirates stand out as a fantastic matchup. They rank 27th in first-inning on-base percentage (.286) and first-inning runs per home game (0.31). An NRFI bet has cashed in 11 of the Cubs’ 14 road clashes.

    Pick: NRFI (-125)

    Milwaukee Brewers (-164) at Chicago White Sox (+138)

    Starting Pitchers: Tobias Myers vs. Shane Smith

    The White Sox will aim to rally on Wednesday after dropping the opening contest of this series against the Brewers by a score of 7-2 yesterday. Chicago’s Shane Smith (1-1, 2.30 ERA) will be on the mound opposite Milwaukee’s Tobias Myers (0-0, 4.50 ERA). Keep in mind that no player has crossed home plate in the first inning in nine of the last 13 games between these squads. That trend has a great chance of carrying on.

    Smith has looked crisp as a rookie, posting a 2.30 ERA and 0.95 WHIP during five starts. The 25-year-old has exited the first inning unscathed every time as he continues to confuse hitters with the cutting action of his four-seam fastball. Take note that Milwaukee has logged the fourth-worst first-inning OPS (.642). Smith can exploit that weakness in a stadium that ranks outside the top 20 venues in Statcast’s offensive park factors.

    On the other side, Myers couldn’t have asked for a better opponent to face in his second start since being activated from the injured list (IL). The White Sox are slashing an uninspiring .210/.292/.328 with a league-low 43 extra-base knocks versus right-handed pitching. It’s worth mentioning that Myers capped off his 2024 season with 10 straight scoreless first innings. Expect him to rediscover that energy by mowing down Chicago batters.

    Pick: NRFI (-128)

    Make sure to check out our other best bets for Wednesday:

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