3 Best MLB NRFI Picks Today May 14: No Run First Inning Bets and Odds

Today’s Top NRFI Picks at a Glance: Chicago Cubs at Atlanta Braves — NRFI; Washington Nationals at Cincinnati Reds — NRFI; Colorado Rockies at Pittsburgh Pirates — NRFI.

The MLB season is an annual marathon that gives us months of daily betting markets to consider. While traditional player props like home runs and strikeouts remain popular options, one market that’s gained steam is betting whether or not no runs will be scored in the first inning — aka a No Run First Inning (NRFI) bet. On FanDuel Sportsbook’s MLB odds, NRFI odds are listed as 1st Inning 0.5 Runs under the Innings tab for each MLB game. Please note: lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published.

What are the top NRFI picks for today?

NRFI Pick #1: Cubs at Braves — No Run First Inning
7:15 PM ET | Chris Sale vs. Ben Brown • May 14 11:16pm UTC

This is the strongest NRFI matchup on Thursday’s entire MLB slate, and the reasoning starts with Chris Sale. The Atlanta Braves’ ace enters with a 2.20 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and the best first-inning profile of any starter in the National League. Sale is at his most electric in the opening frame — his sidearm fastball-slider combination is maximally deceptive against lineups seeing him for the first time in a game, and the Chicago Cubs’ offense is in a deep, prolonged slump, hitting just .202 over the last 10 games with only three total runs scored in their last four contests. An ice-cold lineup facing one of baseball’s premier strikeout lefties in an opening inning is one of the purest NRFI scenarios available.

On the other side, Ben Brown of the Cubs counters with a 1.82 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP — two metrics that signal elite run prevention and first-inning stuff. Brown, who has been mostly a reliever this season, has been one of the most underrated hurlers in the NL in 2026, and Atlanta’s powerful lineup, anchored by Matt Olson and a red-hot Drake Baldwin, faces a difficult first look at a right-hander with Brown’s arm-side movement and pitch sequencing. The combination of two dominant starters, a historically cold Cubs offensive stretch, and a game total set at just 7.5 creates textbook NRFI conditions.

NRFI Pick #2: Nationals at Reds — No Run First Inning
12:40 PM ET | Chase Burns vs. Foster Griffin • May 14 4:41pm UTC

Chase Burns is the central reason to back the NRFI in this matchup. His first-inning profile is exceptional — a 98 mph four-seam fastball combined with a slider hitters have whiffed on nearly half the time they swing makes for one of the most difficult first-inning sequences in baseball.

Burns generates swing-and-miss at the 95th percentile in MLB, meaning opposing hitters rarely make loud contact in their first exposure to his arsenal during any given start. His 34.8% whiff rate and 28.6% strikeout rate ensure that the Nationals’ lineup will not be finding a rhythm quickly against him in the opening frame. Washington enters with a lineup that ranks well in a clean, simple style.