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 MLB picks for every game on Wednesday.
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Oakland Athletics vs Pittsburgh Pirates: NRFI (-118)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
When you’re doing good on the Athletics, it’s hard to not stand out. Oakland hasn’t had much to celebrate this season since they’re on pace to be the worst baseball team in the history of the sport, so the excellent outings from Hogan Harris feel even more special. Harris is Oakland’s #22 overall prospect and had one of the worst starts to a Major League career imaginable. The lefty appeared in relief in mid-April against the Mets and allowed 6 runs in just 0.1 innings by allowing 5 walks and 1 hit. To no surprise, he was sent down after that start.
But Harris is back with the big league club and has redeemed himself recently. In the last 2 appearances for the A’s, Harris has thrown 10 innings and allowed 2 runs, 6 hits and just 1 walk while striking out 10 hitters. He’s been used as a long reliever in both of those outings, but the rookie has earned his first MLB start on Wednesday night. It will also be the first time that he’s pitched in the first inning in his big league career, so there’s no NRFI data on him. However, it is interesting to note that in his last 2 outings, Harris did not allow a hit in the first 2 innings that he pitched.
Roansy Contreras had a fabulous April, a subpar May and a terrible start to his June. However, Contreras has had a tough stretch of opponents recently since he’s faced the Cardinals, Blue Jays, Orioles, Diamondbacks and Rays since May 1. All 5 of those offenses have exceptional talent at the top of the order, something the Athletics lack. I would expect to see Esteury Ruiz, Ryan Noda and Brent Rooker as the first 3 hitters in Oakland’s order, and while these aren’t the worst 3 hitters in the league, they’re certainly not the best. That has led to the A’s having just a .212 team batting average in the first frame this season. Since the Athletics have failed to score a run in the first inning in 9 of their last 11 games and Pittsburgh is facing a surging young lefty, I’ll take a shot at the NRFI at great odds.
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Seattle Mariners vs San Diego Padres: NRFI (-122)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Speaking of young rising stars, George Kirby will take the mound for the Mariners on Wednesday night. The 25-year-old made a name for himself during last year’s campaign, and he’s been even better in his sophomore season. Kirby has a 3.04 ERA with a 3.22 xERA in 11 starts and is exactly the type of pitcher that coaches love. He ranks in the 99th percentile in walk rate, he’s not afraid to pitch to contact and he rarely gets barreled. His last start was his best of the season thus far as he threw 8 scoreless innings and allowed just 3 hits while striking out 7. And more importantly for this bet, he’s also lights out in the first inning. The right-hander has held hitters to a .184 batting average with .200 on-base percentage during the first frame this season.
The Red Sox really messed up this offseason. They let Michael Wacha and Nathan Eovaldi walk, and they were the Pitchers of the Month for the AL and NL in May. Wacha finished May with a 0.84 ERA and a 0.72 WHIP in 5 starts, and that includes not allowing a first-inning run in any of those outings. In fact, Wacha has surrendered a first-inning run in just 1 of his last 8 starts. The veteran arm will have the comfort of pitching at home on Wednesday night, and after 6 starts at Petco Park this season, Wacha is limiting hitters to a .222 batting average with a 24.6% strikeout rate.
These 2 elite pitchers should be the story of the first few innings since neither the Mariners or Padres offense has been hitting that well recently. Seattle’s struggles at the plate have been very obvious for some time now, but San Diego is hitting just .221 in the last 14 days. I don’t have a lot of faith in either lineup at the moment, so I’m backing the NRFI in Southern California on Wednesday.
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