Best NRFI Bets Today, September 22

Friday’s Major League Baseball schedule features some interesting matchups, from division games to intriguing interleague contests. Here, we look at the Friday MLB slate through the prism of the NRFI/YRFI betting market, and determine which games will and will not feature first inning scoring.

Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays - Chris Bassitt (R) vs Tyler Glasnow (R)

Under 0.5 (-120 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

Our top NRFI bet in baseball on Friday comes from the matchup between the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays. Both of these teams are sending respectable pitchers to the mound in this game, as Chris Bassitt and Tyler Glasnow take the mound for their respective clubs. They should both shut out their opponents in the first inning here to help us cash this NRFI wager.

So far this season, Bassitt has gone 14-8 for the year and has posted an ERA of 3.78. Meanwhile, Glasnow has been a dependable 9-6 for the year, while his 3.53 ERA is slightly better than that of Bassitt. Either way, both of these pitchers have had very productive starts to their season and they should get off to strong starts in this matchup as well.

Meanwhile, the Blue Jays have struggled to score runs this season despite having big names like Vlad Guerrero Jr. on their roster. They are in the bottom half of the league in runs scored for the year, and it will be difficult to trust them to score here.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs New York Yankees - Brandon Pfaadt (R) vs Luke Weaver (R) 

Over 0.5 (-110 at PointsBet)

The Arizona Diamondbacks are fighting for their playoff lives over the next week and a half, and the New York Yankees will look to harm their playoff hopes starting with their series opener on Friday. In that game, look for a run to be scored in the first inning by one team or by both teams, as the starting pitching matchup leaves a lot to be desired.

In this contest, Brandon Pfaadt gets the start for Arizona, who enters with a 2-8 record and a 5.86 ERA. Meanwhile, Luke Weaver is pitching for the Yankees in this game, who enters with a 2-5 record and a 6.77 ERA. Both of these pitchers are going to struggle against the top of the order from the opposing teams to help push a run across the plate in the opening frame.

Arizona has also been one of the most prolific first inning scoring teams in baseball this season. They have scored in the first inning in 36.6% of their games so far, a percentage that ranks third in the league behind the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers. That trend will continue in this game with an early run in the Bronx.

Kansas City Royals vs Houston Astros - Cole Ragans (L) vs Framber Valdez (L)

Over 0.5 (+105 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

Our final first inning total wager for Friday will come in the game between the Kansas City Royals and Houston Astros. While Framber Valdez and Cole Ragans are both solid on the mound, we expect there to be at least a run scored in the first inning of this game. That is mostly a product of the Astros offense being one of the best in baseball, and we expect Houston to score early here as they look to ramp things up offensively ahead of the postseason.

This season, Houston ranks fifth in the league in runs scored, averaging just over five runs per game on the year. Cole Ragans has gone 6-4 and has posted a very respectable 3.33 ERA for the season. But he did struggle against the Astros in his last start, giving up five runs in six innings, and he will give up more in the first inning here.

See different MLB betting sites for more betting opportunities!