Best NRFI Bets This Weekend, August 5-6, 2023

New York Mets vs Baltimore Orioles - Tylor Megill (R) vs Kyle Gibson (R)

Over 0.5 (-135 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

Our first MLB first inning total bet for this weekend comes from Saturday’s Mets vs Orioles matchup. There, we expect at least one run to be scored, as these two teams tangle in Baltimore. While the Orioles have the most likely path to a first inning run in this game, both teams are more than capable of coming away with some early scoring to help us cash this wager.

The matchup between the Mets starting pitching and Orioles hitting is an advantageous one for the Orioles. New York sends Tylor Megill to the mound for this contest, who enters with a 6-4 record but with a 5.17 ERA. He is incredibly vulnerable to giving up runs early in games, and will be especially vulnerable against an Orioles team that is one of the best in baseball at putting runs on the board.

So far this year, the Orioles rank eighth in all of baseball in runs scored, and second in the loaded AL East in that department. Look for the O’s to continue to generate hard contact in order to come away with at least a first inning run in the bottom half of the opening frame.

Chicago White Sox vs Cleveland Guardians - Michael Kopech (R) vs Noah Syndergaard (R)

Over 0.5 (-125 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Another first inning over that we love on Saturday comes from Cleveland, where the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians are set to do battle. Both teams are sending pitchers to the mound that can be hit. However, it is Cleveland’s starting pitching that is the real concern coming into this contest, and should be the ticket to at least a run scoring in the opening inning of play.

Noah Syndergaard is set to make his second start as a member of the Guardians in this contest against Chicago. Syndergaard did have a strong start in his first outing for Cleveland, holding the Houston Astros in check. However, he still has a 6.68 ERA on the season, and that should prevent the Guardians from holding the White Sox scoreless in the top half of the first inning.

Meanwhile, there is some vulnerability on the mound on the Chicago side of this game as well. Michael Kopech is set to start this game for the White Sox, who has an ERA of 4.49 of his own. While that number is certainly better than that of Syndergaard, there will be the potential for him to find some trouble in the bottom of the first inning.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Milwaukee Brewers - Bailey Falter (L) vs Corbin Burnes (R)

Under 0.5 (-110 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

Our final first inning total wager in MLB for this weekend is a NRFI selection, as the Pittsburgh Pirates and Milwaukee Brewers get set to do battle. Both of the offenses in this game are in the bottom-10 in the league in runs scored for this season. Combine that with one of the best pitchers in baseball being on the mound to start this game, and we should see zeroes on the board going into the second inning.

That elite pitcher, of course, is Corbin Burnes of the Brewers. Burnes enters this game with a solid 9-6 record and an ERA of 3.44, despite a slow start to this season. The Brewers ace had a great month of July, and he should carry that success over into August, starting with a scoreless top of the first inning against the Pirates in this contest.