Shayne Trail breaks down his favorite NRFI/YRFI bets of the day below, but you can follow all of his bets in the Action Network app.
| Matchup | E. Cabrera (Marlins) vs. Z. Wheeler (Phillies) |
| First Pitch | 4:05 p.m. ET |
Today, we'll travel to Citizens Bank Park to find value on an NRFI between two National League East rivals.
Our top pick for today features Phillies ace Zach Wheeler. Last season, Wheeler showcased an outstanding performance with a 23-3 NRFI record, including an exceptional 12-1 home NRFI split when facing the opposition's leadoff hitters.
In 73 at-bats against Wheeler, leadoff hitters managed only 11 hits, resulting in a .151 average. Wheeler has historically dominated some of the Marlins' hitters in Jon Berti (3-for-14), Garrett Cooper (4-for-10), Yuli Gurriel (0-for-3), Jean Segura (3-for-15) and Jorge Soler (2-for-6).
As a strikeout pitcher, Wheeler will likely capitalize on the Marlins' first-inning struggles. Miami ranks 20th in walk rate and 24th in strikeout percentage.
On the opposing side, Marlins rising star Edward Cabrera posted an impressive 11-3 NRFI record last season, featuring a solid 6-1 road NRFI split.
While it's a limited sample size, Cabrera has allowed only one hit in 11 at-bats against batters in their first plate appearance this year, resulting in a .091 average.
Surprisingly, the Phillies have been one of the weaker first-inning hitting teams. They've recorded only one hit in 19 plate appearances in the first inning over the last seven days, and they have the most first-inning strikeouts in MLB with 12.
Cabrera has found success against some key Philly hitters like Kyle Schwarber (1-for-5), Bryson Stott (0-for-4), Trea Turner (0-for-1), Nick Castellanos (0-for-2) and Alec Bohm (1-for-4).
Taking these factors into consideration, I anticipate a strong showing from both pitchers, making this matchup an excellent opportunity for a No Runs First Inning bet over at DraftKings (-130).
As always, six outs to glory…
