MLB NRFI Odds, Expert Pick, Prediction: James Kaprielian, Lance McCullers Jr. Should Ace Opening Frame (Thursday, September 15)
Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images. Pictured: Lance McCullers Jr.
Shayne Trail breaks down his favorite NRFI/YRFI bet of the day below, but you can follow all of his bets in the Action Network app.
No Runs First Inning (-122)
| Matchup | J. Kaprielian (Athletics) vs. L. McCullers Jr. (Astros) |
| First Pitch | 7:20 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | FanDuel |
On Thursday, we travel to Houston to find value in an NRFI between two American League West teams: the Houston Astros and the Oakland Athletics.
The A’s will send out James Kaprielian, who has been very proficient when it comes to the NRFI at 16-5 overall with a 9-3 road split. When facing batters the first time through the order, he has allowed just 32 hits and a .183 average. Kaprielian also has a particularly good split against teams' No. 2 hitters: In 51 at-bats, he’s only allowed eight hits, resulting in a lousy .176 average.
Here is how Kaprielian has done in the past again some of these Astros hitters:
- José Altuve: 1-for-2
- Yordan Álvarez: 0-for-1
- Kyle Tucker: 0-for-2
- Alex Bregman: 0-for-1
In the last 10 games, the Astros have been struggling in the first inning as they are currently running at 7-3 NRFI steak.
The Astros will send out Lance McCullers Jr., who spent most of the season on the IL but is a perfect 5-0 to the NRFI with a 3-0 home NRFI split. He has also excelled when facing batters the first time through the order, allowing six hits and a .150 average.
Here is how some of these A's hitters have done in the past against McCullers:
- Seth Brown: 0-for-6
- Tony Kemp: 1-for-8
- Sean Murphy: 0-for-3
- Chad Pinder: 1-for-6
Ramon Laureno has been struggling at the plate as in his last week he has three hits in 24 at-bats. To no surprise, the Athletics are one of the better teams when it comes to playing a NRFI as they have a 2022 NRFI rate of 73%
Bet on these two pitchers to pitch a scoreless first inning in Houston.
As always, six outs to glory…
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