Just A Bet Outside is considering Jacob Lopez over 5.5 strikeouts against Washington. Lopez owns an elevated K-rate versus left-handed hitters, and despite being less effective on the road, he draws a Nationals lineup that ranks high in strikeout percentage and looked "dead on offense" in Wednesday’s loss. The main hesitation is platoon balance: Washington has been inserting fewer lefties lately—only four right-handed bats faced Jeffrey Springs the previous day—so the tout would prefer to see at least five or six lefties in the lineup before firing. Even so, the poor form of the Nationals’ bats combined with Lopez’s swing-and-miss profile keeps the over squarely on the radar for the small Thursday slate.

Just A Bet Outside identified Jacob Lopez’s strikeout prop as his preferred K play. Washington owns the fifth-highest strikeout rate versus left-handers over the last three weeks (28.3%). Lopez has punched out 84 batters in 70 innings and has logged 5-plus Ks in four of his past five outings. Although his K-rate dips on the road (21.1% vs 32.9% at home), Stephen still likes the over because Lopez’s whiff rate spikes to 30.8% when he faces same-handed hitters, and the Nationals’ projected lineup skews lefty-heavy.

Kenny G said he is backing the Oakland Athletics at -130 on the road because he wants to attack Mitchell Parker and the Nationals bullpen. Parker is 7-11 with a 5.35 ERA and was "shelled" for 12 hits and eight earned in four innings against Milwaukee last time out. Washington’s relief corps has been one of the two or three worst units all season, and the lineup ranks just 19th in runs, 19th in batting average, 22nd in OBP and 23rd in slugging over the year. By contrast, Jacob Lopez owns a 3.99 ERA and has not allowed an earned run in either of his last two starts (vs Arizona and Houston), both Oakland wins. Kenny notes the A’s offense is quietly 13th in runs, 8th in batting average and 5th in slugging, giving them a clear edge despite their bottom-three bullpen. On a four-game slate he is comfortable laying the short road price.

Cash Out Sports Picks backed the Athletics money line, arguing Oakland owns the only real pitching advantage. Left-hander Lopez has punched out 84 hitters in 70 innings and the club has won three of his last five starts. Washington rolls out fellow southpaw Parker, who has coughed up 130 hits in 117.2 innings and carries a 7-11 record across 22 appearances. The Nationals’ lineup is especially strike-out prone versus lefties, while Oakland already torched a better southpaw (MacKenzie Gore) earlier in the set. With both staffs ranking near the bottom of MLB, the tout prefers the stronger offense and the swing-and-miss arm, making the A’s a value side.

Drew Martin advised laying the –125 moneyline price with Oakland in Thursday’s early game. He trusts Jacob Lopez after the left-hander posted back-to-back scoreless starts versus Houston and Arizona and now faces what Martin considers a clear step-down lineup. On the other side, Mitchell Parker has been shelled for 19 runs and 33 hits in his last 20 innings, including 12 hits and 8 earned runs in his most recent outing. Martin added that Oakland owns the best wRC+ in baseball over the past two weeks and that the club’s bullpen form has stabilized, eliminating a traditional late-inning liability. All of that, in his view, makes the Athletics a bargain as a short road favorite.

Bill Harrelson advised taking James Wood under 1.5 hits, runs and RBIs. Wood has failed to clear that number in eight of his last ten games and 16 of his last twenty (80%), including both meetings with Oakland this series despite one contest featuring seven Nationals runs. Over his last 19 games he averages just 0.7 HRR, illustrating how ice-cold the bat is. Harrelson expects another low-scoring affair and noted that multiple prop sites have the under juiced or at least even-money, making it a value fade until Wood shows signs of life.

Bill Harrelson faded Darell Hernaiz by taking under 1.5 combined hits, runs and RBIs in Thursday’s game with Washington. Hernaiz has stayed under this line in 7 of his last 10 and 15 of his last 20 contests (75%), and in 5 of 7 appearances this season. Going back to 2024 he was under in 30 of 39 games (77%). Harrelson added context that Hernaiz’s batting average dips from .318 overall to .286 versus left-handed pitching, and he draws a southpaw who is holding right-handed hitters to .275. After Oakland’s unsustainably loud 16-run game earlier in the week, Harrelson expects fewer plate appearances and sees value on the under, which most prop books have priced as a pick’em.

Jay Yang advised betting the full-game total Over 9 runs in Athletics-Nationals. He noted that Oakland is opening with Lopez, who will only pitch a short stint, forcing a post-deadline bullpen that has been shaky in bulk roles to cover early innings—an invitation for Washington to string together runs. On the mound for the Nats, left-hander Mitchell Parker has allowed 4+ earned in three of his last four starts, posting a 1.35 WHIP and a rising HR/9. Oakland’s offense has erupted: top-10 OPS versus lefties over the past two weeks, top-5 in hard-hit and barrel rates the last 7–10 days, and one of MLB’s lowest strikeout rates this week. Yang added that the A’s have been a far stronger lineup on the road, another reason he expects them to plate runs quickly and push the game past nine.

Cash Out Sports Picks backed the Oakland Athletics on the money line. He cited Jeffrey Springs’ 3.10 ERA since mid-June and the lefty’s recent run of quality starts as a major advantage against a Washington lineup that has posted just a .641 OPS and 82 WRC+ versus southpaws in its last 112 plate appearances. Washington could be forced into a bullpen game, and that relief unit has been hemorrhaging runs. Even if Cade Cavalli gets the nod, the tout trusts Oakland’s offense, which owns a 109 WRC+ against right-handers and a 120 WRC+ against lefties over the past 10 days. Pair that firepower with an Oakland bullpen that sports a 3.45 ERA and 1.08 WHIP since the All-Star break, and the Athletics are expected to control the game from start to finish.

Kenny G leaned toward taking the Athletics at +120 because Washington’s weaknesses outweigh Oakland’s. Luis Severino (5-11, 4.83 ERA) has strung together three decent starts and faces a Nationals lineup that ranks 22nd in OBP and 23rd in slugging. More importantly, Washington owns the worst bullpen ERA in MLB, meaning any late lead is far from safe. The Nats have dropped five straight, and MacKenzie Gore (4-11, 3.80 ERA) has alternated good and blow-up outings, last surrendering seven runs to Houston. Oakland’s offense has scratched out 4-6 runs in four of its last five games, and the club is a respectable 26-31 on the road. With both teams poor, Kenny sees the matchup as a coin-flip and prefers the plus money on the A’s, passing on the 8.5 total.

Bill Harrelson backed JP Sears to allow fewer than 5.5 hits against the Diamondbacks, emphasizing that the line is exclusive to Underdog and therefore offers unique value. Sears has given up five or fewer hits in 13 of his last 20 starts, eight of his last ten, and four of his last five. He limited Seattle to exactly five hits in his most recent outing and surrendered the same total to Arizona in their lone 2024 matchup. The Oakland left-hander has cashed this prop in 14 of 22 starts this season (64%) and in 56% of his combined starts since the beginning of 2024. Over his last six outings he is averaging only 3.8 hits allowed, well below Monday’s 5.5 line. With that recent contact-suppression trend and the historical hit rates firmly on the bettor’s side, Harrelson expects Sears to keep the under streak rolling.