A’s vs. Nats Analysis & Recommended Bet

Oakland Athletics vs Washington Nationals
Date: Thursday September 1st, 04:05 ET
Location: Nationals Park
TV: NBCSCA
Money Line: Athletics -110 / Nationals -110
Total Line: 7.5

STARTING PITCHING

Oakland: Ken Waldichuk (0-0, 0)
Washington: Paolo Espino (0-6, 4.35)

Athletics Projected Lineup

Jonah Bride 2B
Sheldon Neuse 3B
Shea Langeliers C
Seth Brown 1B
Vimael Machín 3B
Nick Allen SS
Sean Murphy C
Cal Stevenson RF
Tony Kemp LF
Ken Waldichuk P

Nationals Projected Lineup

Ildemaro Vargas 3B
Victor Robles CF
Keibert Ruiz C
Joey Meneses RF
Luis Garcia 2B
C.J. Abrams SS
Luke Voit 1B
Nelson Cruz CF
Lane Thomas LF
Paolo Espino P

STRAIGHT UP/ OVER/UNDER / RUN LINE RECORDS

Oakland Athletics: 49-82-0 SU / OU 54-69-8 / Run Line W/L 65-66-0
Washington Nationals: 44-86-0 SU / OU 61-62-7 / Run Line W/L 56-74-0

The Washington Nationals host the Oakland Athletics on Thursday September 1st at Nationals Park. The first pitch in this matchup is scheduled for 04:05 ET. The MLB Odds Board places Washington as the favorite (-110), with an OU line set at 7.5.

Recent Form

The Athletics are hoping to get back on track after falling to Washington by a score of 5-1. In the loss, Oakland’s pitchers gave up 5 runs on 9 hits. The Athletics ended the game with just 1 run on 6 hits. This defeat came despite being favored at -109.0. So far, the team has been the favorite in 21 of their games, winning at a rate of 38.0%. This matchup remained below the over-under line set at 8.5 runs. This outcome pushed Oakland’s over-under record further below .500 at 54-69-8.

The Athletics are looking to continue adding wins, as they are 3-2 over their last 5 games. Over this stretch, the team has a positive run differential at +3. Their hot play has been driven by an offense that typically averages 3.39 runs per game. But, over this stretch, this figure has bumped up to 4.0. Oakland’s overall series record is just 11-26-5.

In their last game, the Washington Nationals picked up a 4 run win over the Royals by a score of 5-1. For the game, the pitching staff held the Royals to 1 run on 6 hits. In the victory, the Nationals came up with 9 hits and 5 runs. Washington picked up the win while being favored at -101.0. So far, the team has won 36.0% of the games in which they were favored. With this result, the Nationals and Royals combined to fall below the over-under line of 8.5 runs. This result comes as no surprise, as the team’s over-under record is just 61-62-7.

In their last 5 contests, the Nationals have just 2 wins, going 2-3. This recent slump is backed by a scoring margin of -7 over their last 5 games. In their 5 most recent contests, the team is scoring at a rate of 3.8, similar to their season-long average of 3.73. Washington has a below .500 series record of just 8-28-5.

Pitching Matchup

The Oakland Athletics will turn to rookie Ken Waldichuk, making his first appearance of his career. Throughout his tenure in the minors, Waldichuk has shown the ability to rack up strikeouts. With a matchup against a light-hitting Nationals team, he could be in line to see some success in his first outing.

On the other side, the Nationals send right-hander Paolo Espino to the mound with a record of 0-6 and ERA of 4.35. Even though Espino is 0-3 over his last 5 outings, the team has also picked up 2 wins in this stretch. This year, opposing teams have a batting average of .275 off the veteran.

Oakland vs Washington History

For the season, the Oakland Athletics and Washington Nationals will be playing their 3rd game of the season. Today’s game will be a rubber match for the two teams, as Oakland and Washington each have 1 win. The over-under record in this series sits at 1-1. The average run total in these games is nan runs per game. In these matchups, the average scoring differential sits at 4.0 runs. Last year, the team’s split the season series at 0-0. The over-under record in last year’s matchups was 0-0, with the average run total being nan runs per game. The average scoring differential in this series was nan runs per game.

More Picks: Get our Dodgers vs. Mets recommended bet for their 9/1/22 game

Betting Trends

• The total has gone OVER in 5 of Oakland’s last 6 games when playing Washington
• Oakland is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
• The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington’s last 6 games when playing Oakland
• Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Oakland

Oakland Athletics at Washington Nationals Prediction

Heading into Thursday’s game between Oakland and Washington, the oddsmakers see this game going either way at -110 on both sides. Look for rookie Ken Waldichuk to kick his career off with some success as the Athletics take down the Nationals.

Free MLB Pick: Athletics Moneyline