MLB NRFI Odds, Pick & Preview: Miles Mikolas & Aaron Nola Have the Early Edge in Phillies vs. Cardinals (Monday, July 11)
John Fisher/Getty Images. Pictured: Miles Mikolas
- Aces are wild Monday in St. Louis as the Cardinals host the Phillies.
- St. Louis will start Miles Mikolas while the Phillies will counter with their ace Aaron Nola.
- NRFI analyst Shayne Trail breaks down the matchup and shares his best first-inning bet below.
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.
Phillies vs. Cardinals — No Runs First Innings (-128)
| Matchup | Phillies (Nola) vs. Cardinals (Mikolas) |
| First Pitch | 7:15 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | FanDuel |
On Monday, there's NRFI value at Busch Stadium in an NL matchup between the Phillies and Cardinals.
The Phillies will start their ace Aaron Nola, and his 2022 NRFI record of 16-1 is the best in the MLB. Nola has excelled early in road starts since the beginning of 2021 as he is 14-3 to the NRFI on the road over that span and has held hitters the first time through the lineup to a lousy .167 average.
Nola has dominated the top of the Cardinals' order as the first four batters have collectively gone 6-for-45 (.133) against him.
Nolan Arenado: 3-for-15
Dylan Carlson: 0-for-6
Paul Goldschmidt: 3-for-17
Tommy Edman: 0-for-7
Edman, the Cardinals' leadoff hitter, is in the midst of a recent slump as he has gone 2-for-24 over the last week at the plate.
The Cardinals will counter with their ace Miles Mikolas, and his 15-2 2022 NRFI record is among the best in the league. When facing batters the first time through the lineup, he is holding them to an impressive .149 average.
Here is how the top of the Phillies lineup has done against him in the past:
Kyle Schwarber: 4-for-17
J.T. Realmuto: 0-for-5
Rhys Hoskins: 0-for-5
Nick Castellanos: 4-for-12
Hoskins and Realmuto haven't been seeing the ball well lately as they have combined to go 6-for-37 this past week at the dish.
Since the beginning of July, the Phillies rank 26th in the MLB in soft contact in the first inning as they have struggled to barrel up the ball. On the season, the Phillies are one of the worst road YRFI teams in baseball since they have failed to score a run in 83% of first innings on the road.
Bet on these two aces and their impressive NRFI records to have a collective shut down first inning. Pairing them with two struggling first innings lineups yields solid NRFI value on Monday in St. Louis.
As always, six outs to glory…
For all of Shayne Trail's favorite NRFI/YRFI bets, follow him in the Action Network app.
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