New York Yankees RHP Gerrit Cole has returned to peak form in his first five starts of the season. He looks to become one-half of an NRFI Monday. The Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Rays throw a couple of productive starters, but they have had some issues in the first inning. It’s an international affair between the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets as Japanese starters Shota Imanaga and Kodai Senga face off. Do we see early damage or just wind beneath batters’ swings?
We have 13 games Monday, which means four teams have the day off. There are no day games, so there’s no pressing deadline for getting those wagers in.
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More MLB predictions:
Best NRFI and YRFI Bets Today
New York Yankees at Detroit Tigers NRFI (-115)
Yankees RHP Gerrit Cole is 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA in five starts this season. It has been business as usual in the first inning with a 1.80 ERA. LHP Framber Valdez may make us sweat a little bit for an NRFI, though. He’s 3-5 with a 4.09 ERA in his first 15 starts for the Tigers. In the first, though, his ERA rises to 6.00. Both are talented enough to keep the first clean, though.
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Kansas City Royals at Tampa Bay Rays YRFI (+100)
The Royals are coming off a series that saw them plate 30 runs in three games. RHP Michael Wacha goes for them at 4-5 with a 3.64 ERA. That ERA rises to 4.20 in the first inning this season. Underrated RHP Drew Rasmussen goes for Tampa. He’s 6-3 with a 2.59 ERA on the season. The time to get to him is the first, though, as his ERA is 4.50 in the opening frame.
Chicago Cubs at New York Mets YRFI (-120)
LHP Shota Imanaga goes for the Cubs, and he’s having a down year at 4-6 with a 4.26 ERA. One of his issues is the first inning with a 6.00 ERA. Fellow Japanese RHP Kodai Senga goes for the Mets, and he has struggled to the tune of 0-5 with a 9.00 ERA in six starts. Things unravel early for him with a 12.00 ERA.
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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.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jun 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the Sports Betting section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source sports.yahoo.com ’
