This spring, when I first started wagering on MLB 1st Inning Yes/No proposition bets (whether there would be a score in the opening frame), I was most interested in repeating the success we had with NHL 1st Period Over/Under bets late in the season.

The NHL success was built on riding teams that consistently went Over 1.5 goals in the first period, so we started looking to back baseball teams that do the same by scoring a lot of early runs or having starting staffs that allow a lot of early runs. However, with potentially juiced balls flying out of parks in record numbers and the oddsmakers adjusting to everyone betting on offense, we’ve found by fading overinflated “Yes” prices, we can find betting value on the “No” (see last Sunday’s Blue Jays-Yankees “1st Inning No” at around +110 in the VSiN Top Play).

This brings us to Thursday with Oakland visiting Minnesota in the opener of a four-game weekend series. The A’s and Twins are the second- and third-best “1st Inning No” teams at 53.6 percent and 52.1 percent, respectively). We’re aided by the pitching matchup of Oakland’s Mike Fiers (11-8, 3.61 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) vs. Minnesota’s Kyle Gibson (12-6, 4.03 ERA, 1.26 WHIP).

The line won’t be available until Thursday morning, but I’m expecting we’ll get a fair price as oddsmakers are still shading these numbers to the “Yes” as that’s how most bettors are looking to wager. But even though the Twins have been a solid “No” team, we still got them at +140 against the Mets on Wednesday when they played a scoreless opening inning.

The Play: A’s-Twins “1st Inning No.”