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MLB First Look: M’s Kirby Takes on Red Sox at Fenway Park

Greene, Reds Pay Visit to Coors Field

After another fun weekend in the majors, we hit the reset button Monday with an eye toward some more first-inning scoring wagers. There are some interesting new series beginning and some pitching matchups that deserve a closer look. So follow along and take some of our RIFI (Runs in First Inning) advice with you when you survey the MLB lines page.

Mariners vs Red Sox

A pair of squads with some work to do to get back into their division races meet Monday night at Fenway Park, where George Kirby takes on Tanner Houck.

MLB First Look: M’s Kirby Takes on Red Sox at Fenway Park
Gabe Speier #55 of the Seattle Mariners | Duane Burleson/Getty Images/AFP

Houck is coming off a loss at Philadelphia in which he gave up three runs in 5⅔ innings, the fourth straight in which he’s given up at least three runs. The talented righty has been very good early in games, however, limiting opponents to a total of two runs in the first three frames (21 innings overall).

Houck notoriously loses it in the middle innings, so those of you doing some MLB live betting should take that into account. As it pertains to a RIFI wager, we like him to do his job against a Seattle team that ranks 26th in the majors in first-inning OPS (.668).

Consider that opponents over those first three innings against Houck are just 9-for-69 (.130) with eight singles and a double. He’ll shut the Mariners down early.

As for Kirby, he’s had no issues with that mid-game wall. The budding star spun seven scoreless against Texas his last time out and has lasted at least six innings in all but one start this season. He’s 4-1 with a 2.06 ERA over his last six appearances, giving up just one home run and two walks in that span.

This level of dominance extends to the first inning as well. The other team is 2-for-22 in that frame against Kirby. The only run he’s allowed in the first all season came on a sacrifice fly at Cleveland on April 9.

Boston has been a strong offense at home. Not so much this weekend vs. St. Louis, which held the Red Sox to 10 runs in a three-game sweep. Boston has had some big firsts but hits .229 overall in that frame and Kirby is in a great groove.

When considering a RIFI wager on this one at the sportsbook, go with a scoreless first.

Reds vs Rockies

When making your MLB picks on a game happening at Coors Field it’s always an adventure and we like to visit the Mile High City from time to time for a potential yes-RIFI wager. That’s the case in this series opener featuring Hunter Greene on the mound for Cincinnati opposite Connor Seabold for Colorado.

Seabold will make his third start after seven appearances out of the bullpen. He gave up a pair of first-inning runs in one of those starts and struggled in that frame last season when he was reached for seven runs in the first frame in just five starts.

In his somewhat limited career, the 27-year-old has a 10.12 first-inning ERA, allowing four runs in five frames in his one prior start vs. Cincinnati. The Reds are ninth in the majors in first-inning OPS (.799).

Greene has been a pretty solid first-inning pitcher in his short career. That includes his first eight starts in 2023, during which he’s given up one run in the first. However, his one career start at Coors Field didn’t go all that well, as the hard-throwing lefty gave up four runs on six hits and four walks in 4⅓ innings.

Colorado ranks sixth in the majors in first-inning OPS (.831) and they jumped all over Philadelphia Phillies star Aaron Nola in a two-run rally out of the gate on Sunday.

If you’re planning to make a bet online in this one, consider some early scoring.

Royals vs Padres

Kansas City and San Diego will resume the game’s most intense rivalry with Brad Keller against Michael Wacha on the mound at Petco Park. Neither of them has done anything all that special in 2023, but this has the feel of a game in which runs might be at a premium, including in the first inning.

Wacha will first step to the hill to face a Royals lineup that has been pretty good in the first inning, scoring 40.5% of the time. However, they’re just 17th in OPS in the first and 27th in on-base percentage. Additionally, they’ve done most of their first-inning damage at home, ranking just 20th in runs per first (0.37) on the road.

Wacha, who has allowed one run in 12 innings over his last two starts, should be able to exploit that. He has given up four runs in his seven firsts. However, all of them came in one rough start last month against Milwaukee. The 31-year-old righty has yet to walk a batter or give up a home run in the first, so he’s been largely clean out of the gate with that one exception.

A Padres lineup that has scored 10 runs during a five-game losing streak has been one of the big topics of discussion in MLB news cycles, with their manager calling the team out recently. The big names are there but the batting order is simply not doing much at all of late.

Keller hasn’t been able to get all that deep into games, but he’s allowed three runs or fewer in six of his eight outings and has a sparkling 1.12 ERA in the first. Control has been an issue in that frame, yet the veteran has wiggled out of a few jams and held opponents to a .217 average.

The Padres might get to Keller at some point. Before that, we think their current doldrums extend at least through the first. Check out the MLB spreads and see if you can squeeze in a tricky no-RIFI bet here.

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