Caleb Wilfinger
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The long wait is over! After an eventful offseason that featured plenty of moves that shook up the sport, the MLB regular season is finally here. While there are plenty of ways to wager on all of the action on the diamond this season, one of the quickest bets you can make is if a run will be scored in the first inning. There is still value to be had in this market, so it’s no wonder that these bets have become very popular over time. If you don’t like sweating out your wagers for 3 hours, this one will take only about 15 minutes.
I ended last season on a 42-23 run with my YRFI/NRFI plays, so let’s start off this season with a bang! But before we dive in, don’t forget to check out our MLB picks for today’s Seoul Series matchup.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Diego Padres: NRFI (-102)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
These are two NL West division rivals that are extremely familiar with each other, which is part of what makes this opening series so intriguing. Tyler Glasnow was one of the major moves that this Los Angeles front office made in the offseason and he will make his first career start as a Dodger on Wednesday. Glasnow will take on Yu Darvish, who grew up a short trip away in Japan and is familiar with pitching in similar environments to the Gocheok SkyDome.
The Dodgers coaching staff has to like what they’ve seen from Glasnow heading into the season, as the tall right-hander has surrendered just 1 run and 4 hits to go along with 14 strikeouts in his 10 innings of work in spring training. He’ll be taking on a Padres lineup that hit for an average of .233 with an on-base percentage of .324 and an OPS of just .717 last season. Given that most of the top of San Diego’s order hasn’t hit against Glasnow in quite a while, I’m giving the pitcher the edge in his opening frame. The same can be said for Darvish, who consistently allows weak contact and does not walk many batters either. Yes, he’ll have to face the formidable trio of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani at the top of the Dodgers lineup, but I think Darvish’s strong numbers over his last 4 starts against the Dodgers speak for themselves. Let’s back the NRFI to start the 2024 season.
Read our full Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Diego Padres predictions
