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.
Cubs-Reds No Runs First Inning (-104)
| Matchup | Cubs (Justin Steele) vs. Reds (Hunter Greene) |
| First Pitch | 12:35 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | FanDuel |
On Thursday, we take an NRFI between two NL Central rivals with their up-and-coming pitchers.
Justin Steele is silently putting together a great NRFI career. Since 2021, he is 15-2 to the NRFI, including his hot 7-1 start to 2022. In his short career, he still managed to be 2-0 to the NRFI against the Reds. Steele has faced 70 first-inning batters, walking only five in his career, and he’s been excellent defending the long ball only allowing one HR.
Steele is also holding teams' Nos. 1 and 2 hitters below .200 averages, allowing only .167 and .133 averages.
Here is how Steele has fared in his matchup against the Reds:
- Tyler Naquin: 0-for-1
- Kyle Farmer: 0-for-6
- Colin Moran: 0-for-2
- Joey Votto: 1-for-3
Tommy Pham, who is projected to bat fifth on Thursday, is just 4-for-25 over his last seven days. (It should be noted that Mike Moustakas is 1-for-20 over his last seven days and is projected to bat sixth behind Pham.)
Meanwhile, with the 100 mph fastball, Hunter Greene is shaping up to be a respectable NRFI pitcher. In 38 first-inning batters faced thus far, Greene has allowed only seven hits paired with 14 strikeouts. That has resulted in a 6-2 NRFI record.
Greene is also holding hitters the first time through the order to a respectable .164 average, striking out 26-of-61 batters.
Hunter has not faced any Cubs hitters in his career yet, leaving the unfamiliarity on his side — but he is catching the Cubs slumping. Over the past seven days, key Cubs hitters are hitting significantly below their averages:
- Wilson Contreras: 1-for-11
- Seiya Suzuki: 4-for-24
- Alfonso Rivas: 4-for-19
- Rafael Ortega: 5-for-23
With slight rain and the wind blowing in at 14 mph toward home plate, these are non-ideal hitting conditions in Great American Ballpark. Look for both teams to remain in their respective slumps in the first inning.
As always, six outs to glory…
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