NRFI, YRFI MLB Bets Today: Best First Inning Predictions for Sunday, May 31
It's Sunday, and all but the Sunday Night Baseball game will start in the morning or afternoon. So get those bets in early.
Runs have been plentiful this weekend as we head into the summer months. DH Shohei Ohtani takes on the Philadelphia Phillies, who feature major-league home run leader DH Kyle Schwarber. The numbers point to a YRFI in the matchup featuring the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds, and we like the NRFI in the Toronto Blue Jays-Baltimore Orioles matchup.
All odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and are subject to change. DraftKings does not sponsor this content.
Best NRFI and YRFI Bets Today
Philadelphia Phillies at Los Angeles Dodgers YRFI (-105)
RHP Andrew Painter takes his 1-5 record and 5.40 ERA up against the Dodgers. Painter has a 4.00 ERA in the first inning this season. On the other side, RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto has a 3.09 ERA on the season, but the time to get him is early. He has a 6.30 ERA in the first this season, which is by far his worst inning.
Atlanta Braves at Cincinnati Reds YRFI (-110)
The Braves throw stud RHP Spencer Strider Sunday. In his five starts, opponents are hitting .278 against him in the first. Outside of a couple of at-bats in the seventh, that's his worst inning in the category. He also has a 5.40 ERA in the opening frame. RHP Nick Lodolo is another extremely talented pitcher working his way back from injury. On the season, he has allowed 13 earned runs in four starts. Eight of those came in the first two innings. With the way this ballpark plays and both pitchers struggling out of the gate, the YRFI looks ripe here.
Toronto Blue Jays at Baltimore Orioles NRFI (-125)
Our lone NRFI target takes us to Camden Yards. The Jays are going with an opener in RHP Spencer Miles. He has just a 2.16 ERA on the season and didn't allow an earned run in his only first-inning appearance. For the O's, RHP Kyle Bradish has been awesome in the first inning. In 11 starts, he has allowed one earned run and struck out 14 batters in the first inning. Despite 11 runs being scored in both games this weekend, the first inning has remained clean.
What Does NRFI and YRFI Mean in Baseball?
The term NRFI indicates no runs scored in the first inning. Its opposite, YRFI, indicates yes, a run will be scored in the first inning. It doesn't matter if the run qualifies as an earned run or not. If a run crosses the plate in the first inning for either team, the wager loses for the NRFI side and wins for the YRFI side.
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This story was originally published May 31, 2026 at 7:30 AM.