MLB NRFI Picks & Odds; First 5 Innings Best Bets for Thursday (June 23)

• A light ten-game slate is on tap for Thursday, June 23, in Major League Baseball
• Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers face Hunter Greene and the Reds in a game that could start slowly
• See the NRFI and YRFI odds and picks for Thursday, plus first-half odds and best bets

Ten teams are resting on Thursday, June 23, in the MLB, leaving just a relatively light ten games on the schedule.

The first table below lists the NRFI odds (no runs first inning) and YRFI odds (yes runs first inning) for Thursday’s games, followed by best bets for the day.

The second section below looks at the first 5 innings odds and picks.

MLB NRFI Odds (June 23)

Odds as of June 21 at DraftKings Sportsbook. 

Dodgers vs Reds NRFI Pick

Cincinnati rookie Hunter Greene hasn’t exactly been dominant. He’s rocking an unenviable 5.26 ERA on the season which is accompanied by a less-than-stellar 1.29 WHIP.

But the LA native has actually been quite sound in the first innings of games this year. He has held his opponent scoreless in four straight starts and  seven of the last eight.

While the Dodger offense has racked up 16 runs over the past two games in Cincinnati’s bandbox of a stadium, it was sputtering prior (relatively speaking, anyway).

With Clayton Kershaw facing an anemic Cincinnati offense on the other side, I will take NRFI in tomorrow’s Dodgers vs Reds game. Note that first pitch is scheduled for an uncharacteristically early 12:35 pm ET.

MLB First 5 Innings Odds (June 22)

Odds as of June 21 at FanDuel Sportsbook. See available FanDuel Sportsbook promo codes. 

Phillies vs Padres First 5 Innings Pick

The bet I like most among Thursday’s first-half moneyline odds is the San Diego Padres at a short -156 against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies.

The pitching mismatch here is too good to pass up. Joe Musgrove, who has emerged as a favorite in the NL Cy Young odds, is up against Rangers Suarez. The Venezuelan is sporting an inflated 4.43 ERA and 1.51 WHIP. He’s walked seven batters over his past two starts and surrendered a total of seven runs (five earned) over 9.3 innings of work.

Musgrove, on the other hand, has a sparkling 1.59 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. He hasn’t given up more than two runs in a single start this season, and has held opponents to one or zero runs in six of 13 starts. His 4.8 K/BB ratio is the best of his career.

First 5 Innings Best Bet: Padres (-156)