Let’s take a look at some No Runs First Inning prop bet odds and picks for today’s game: Giants vs. Dodgers.
I will preface this by saying that I do not love betting against the top third of the Dodgers offense to score a run. Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, and Freddie Freeman are three of the best hitters in baseball, and assuming that any pitcher can keep them off the board is usually a losing bet. However, Alex Cobb has had an excellent season thus far, and by many measures, it may even be unlucky. He has extreme ground ball rates, which limit the potential for a home run and should hopefully allow him to avoid many baserunners.
On the other side of the coin, we have Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw has the magic combination of above-average K rates paired with extremely low walk rates. That is the recipe for a dominant pitcher, and that is just what Kershaw has been his entire career. The Giants, despite their windfall of success last season, have been a below-average offense in 2022 and across the last month. However, they are above average against LHP as their mixed and matched platoons have been successful. Kershaw is a special kind of pitcher where despite those numbers, I don’t think it matters, and he should be able to easily move through the lineup.