Rays vs Brewers NRFI/YRFI Best Bets: Game 1 First-Inning Odds & Pitching Trends
By Jordan Tomiyama in MLB Baseball
Published:
- The Tampa Bay Rays battle the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of the World Series
- Nick Martinez faces Jacob Misiorowski at American Family Field on Friday night
- Keep reading for my NRFI/YRFI best bet, first-inning odds, and pitching trends
The World Series opens tonight in Milwaukee, and the first inning is one of the more interesting spots on the Game 1 board. Tampa Bay is 7-2 this postseason, while the Brewers are 7-1.
First pitch is set for 8:00 pm ET at American Family Field, with FOX carrying the game. Both starters were tough to score on early in the regular season, so the latest MLB odds will decide this one.
Rays vs Brewers NRFI/YRFI Best Bets
- Pick: NRFI (-175 at BetMGM)
My Rays vs Brewers NRFI pick starts with what both pitchers have done in the first inning this season. Martinez kept the other team off the board in 26 of his 31 regular-season first innings. Misiorowski did it in 24 of 30.
They get there in different ways. Misiorowski piled up 56 first-inning strikeouts with a 0.67 WHIP, while Martinez allowed more traffic but held opponents to a 1.74 first-inning ERA.
The Rays bat to watch is Yandy Diaz, who hit a two-run homer in the ALCS clincher. He’ll have to get it done against Misiorowski, who owns an 11.88 K/9 this postseason.
Milwaukee’s route to an early run is putting the ball in play against Martinez. His 6.00 K/9 this postseason leaves the defense with more work because of Misiorowski’s strikeout-heavy approach.
For my Rays vs. Brewers first-inning prediction, I weigh pitchers’ opening-frame numbers more than any single scoring trend. The wager is decided after six outs, so a late rally has no effect.
Both staffs have kept October games tight, too. Milwaukee owns a 2.03 team ERA in the playoffs, while Tampa Bay sits at 2.59 with a 1.01 WHIP.
Rays vs Brewers Game 1 First-Inning Odds
BetMGM has the Rays vs Brewers NRFI at -175 and the YRFI at +138. Converted to American odds, that’s roughly -175 for no run and +138 for a run in the first.
The -175 NRFI price implies about 63.7%, while the +138 YRFI price implies about 42%.
YRFI backers only need one offense to break through. Misiorowski’s four first-inning homers in the regular season and Martinez’s one playoff first that went sideways give the offenses a route to an early run.
Odds as of 2:00 PM ET on October 23, 2026 at BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook. Claim the BetMGM promo code to bet on the World Series today.
Rays vs Brewers Pitching Trends
Major League Baseball confirmed Nick Martinez vs Jacob Misiorowski for Game 1. Here’s how each starter handled the first inning during the 2026 regular season.
Nick Martinez vs Jacob Misiorowski First-Inning Stats
Martinez gave up 22 hits and five walks across those 31 first innings, but only six earned runs. Misiorowski allowed just 13 hits and seven walks, though four of those hits left the yard.
The postseason sample is much smaller. Misiorowski has two scoreless first innings in two playoff starts, while Martinez has one scoreless first and allowed runs in the other.
Keep in mind these are each pitcher’s own half of the first inning. A Rays vs Brewers NRFI needs both of them a zero, so neither scoreless rate is the alone hit rate for the bet on its own.
There’s no meaningful batter-vs.-pitcher history to lean on either, since both starters have negligible career samples against tonight’s hitters. That puts most of the weight on the regular-season first-inning numbers above.
Jordan has worked in sports media for the last seven years, writing articles, managing social media, and covering sporting events for various media outlets. Jordan's work focuses on NBA, WNBA, college basketball, and the NHL.
