NRFI, YRFI MLB Bets Today: Best First-Inning Predictions for Friday, July 17
St. Louis Cardinals OF Jordan Walker captivated the baseball world with his epic comeback to win the 2026 Home Run Derby. Now he looks to continue mashing against the Arizona Diamondbacks as we target the YRFI prop bet. We also like the NRFI in the games featuring the Minnesota Twins at Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants at Seattle Mariners.
We have a full 15-game slate Friday with the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies sitting out after playing Thursday night. The Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox have a doubleheader to make up their postponed game. The first game starts at 1:35 p.m. ET, so get those bets in early.
All odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and are subject to change. DraftKings does not sponsor this content.
More MLB Predictions:
- Best MLB Player Prop Bet Predictions for Friday, July 17
- Best MLB Home Run Prop Bets for Friday, July 17
Best NRFI and YRFI Bets Today
St. Louis Cardinals at Arizona Diamondbacks YRFI (-185)
The Cards send RHP Andre Pallante and his 6.50 first-inning ERA into the desert to face the D-Backs. He has a 5.40 ERA in 10 career innings in Chase Field. He'll face off against RHP Merrill Kelly, who's 7-8 with a 5.38 ERA. He has a 5.62 ERA in the first this season and gave up three runs in six innings to the Cards earlier this season. The offense should be fired up early in this one.
San Francisco Giants at Seattle Mariners NRFI (-135)
The Giants send RHP Landen Roupp to the mound at 6-8 with a 4.27 ERA. He has been good in the first, though, with a 3.00 ERA and 23 K's in 18 innings. The M's go with RHP Bryce Miller, who quietly went 4-3 with a 2.18 ERA in the first half. He has allowed one earned run in nine first frames this season. This one should stay quiet early on.
Minnesota Twins at Chicago Cubs NRFI (+115)
RHP Bailey Ober goes for the Twins at 6-3 with a 4.40 ERA. When it comes to the first inning, he has been great with a 2.08 ERA. The Cubs counter with RHP Colin Rea, who went 7-5 with a 4.75 ERA in the first half. He, too, has been dealing in the first with a 3.00 ERA and a .208 opponents' batting average. Wrigley Field is always tricky, so you'll have to see where the wind is blowing, but we like the NRFI.
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.
Copyright 2026 Athlon Sports. All rights reserved.
This story was originally published July 17, 2026 at 6:30 AM.