If you aren’t interested in a bet that will take 9 innings, one of the shortest-lasting bets you can make in an MLB game is if a run will be scored in the first inning. All it takes is 6 outs to glory, and one swing of the bat can make or break your bet. There is also a lot of value in these bets because the odds are usually very well-priced, and if you’re not a fan of sweating out your bets for 3 hours then this one will take only about 15 minutes to win or lose. Before we dive in, don’t forget to check out our free MLB picks for every game on Friday.
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Atlanta Braves vs Kansas City Royals: NRFI (-113)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
There’s only one team that has scored in fewer first innings than the Royals. Kansas City has not scored a first-inning run in 84.62% of games this season, and that’s not hard to believe when looking at their offensive numbers. They rank 29th in batting average, on-base percentage and OPS this season, and their young lineup has not had much success in the first time through the order. Bobby Witt Jr. is hitting .229, MJ Melendez is hitting .190 and Salvador Perez is hitting .213 — not a stellar top three in the order. The Royals will face Charlie Morton on Friday night, and only Perez has seen Morton in his career. However, his experience might not be too beneficial since he’s 0-for-5 with a strikeout against Morton in his career.
Brady Singer had a solid season debut against Blue Jays as he allowed only 1 run and 2 hits in 5 innings. Limiting a powerful Blue Jays lineup is not an easy task, so it was impressive to see Singer look so sharp early on. However, he did have a poor second start in San Francisco that was the result of poor secondary pitches and long at-bats. Fortunately for us, all we need is one good first inning from Singer, and that’s what he’s done both times. He did not allow a run in the first inning in either outing, which was similar to last season when he had a 1.12 ERA in the first frame. These two pitchers should be able to each record three outs and move to the second inning without allowing a run.
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New York Mets vs Oakland Athletics: NRFI (-130)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Expecting a scoreless first inning in this series opener is more about fading the offenses than backing the pitchers. The Mets and Athletics rank 26th and 28th in batting average and 25th and 27th in OPS, so neither offense has been lighting up the scoreboard. That’s been especially true in the first inning since Oakland has failed to score in the opening frame in 66.7% of their games, which includes 5 of their 6 home games. It’s hard to see that trend changing against Kodai Senga, who has allowed just 2 runs and 6 hits while striking out 14 batters in 11.1 innings. Senga’s fastball-forkball combination has been deadly, and opponents have a .119 average against those two pitches.
Although the Mets have a star-studded lineup, it hasn’t translated to runs. They have not scored in the first inning in 76.92% of their games, which includes their last four games. The top half of their order was incredibly productive last season with Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor getting on base for Pete Alonso, but that’s changed this year. Nimmo is hitting just .243, Starling Marte is hitting .268 and Lindor is hitting .227, and since they’re not getting on base a lot, the Mets have had a lot of slow starts in their games. In a pitcher-friendly stadium with two struggling offenses, I’m backing a scoreless start.
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