Washington Nationals vs. Oakland Athletics MLB Betting Preview | September 1

Nelson Cruz has 98 hits this season, and will try to get his 100th when the Washington Nationals (44-86) take on the Oakland Athletics (49-82) on Thursday at 4:05 PM ET. The Nationals are favored (-120) over the Athletics (+100). Washington’s Paolo Espino starts against Oakland’s Ken Waldichuk.

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Game Info, Betting Lines for Nationals vs. Athletics

• Game Day: Thursday, September 1, 2022
• Game Time: 4:05 PM ET
• Location: Washington D.C.
• Stadium: Nationals Park

Nationals Stats & Trends

Nationals Batting

• The Nationals have hit 110 home runs this season, the fourth-lowest total in baseball.
• The Nationals rank 12th in the majors with a .247 batting average.
• The Nationals’ .312 on-base percentage ranks 17th in the league.
• Nationals hitters strike out 7.4 times per game, the second-fewest strikeouts in baseball.
• The Nationals average 0.9 homers per game when playing at home this season (64 total in home contests).
• The Nationals are averaging 2.5 extra-base hits per game while slugging .379 in home contests.
• The club averages eight hits per game and is batting .242 at home this season.

Nationals Key Batters

• Cruz leads Washington in OBP (.313) this season, fueled by 98 hits.
• Among qualified hitters in baseball, Cruz is 117th in batting average, 100th in on-base percentage, and 134th in slugging.
• Cesar Hernandez has an OPS of .616, fueled by an OBP of .305 and a team-best slugging percentage of .311 this season.
• Among qualifiers, Hernandez is 94th in batting average, 113th in on-base percentage and 140th in slugging percentage.
• Hernandez enters this game looking to extend his two-game hit streak. During his last five outings he is batting .211 with a double and a walk.
• Keibert Ruiz is batting .247 with a .352 slugging percentage and 32 RBI this year.
• Ruiz has logged a hit or more in six games in a row. During his last 10 games he is hitting .273 with three doubles, three walks and two RBI.
• Lane Thomas has 14 home runs, 42 RBI and a batting average of .240 this season.

Athletics Stats & Trends

Athletics Batting

• The Athletics have hit just 110 homers this season, which ranks 27th in the league.
• The Athletics rank last in MLB with a team batting average of just .215.
• The Athletics have an on-base percentage of .280 this season, which ranks last in the league.
• The Athletics rank 15th with an average of 8.4 strikeouts per game.
• In 65 games on the road this season, they’ve hit 70 homers, an average of 1.1 per contest.
• In 65 road games this season, they’re slugging .372 with 176 hits going for extra bases.
• In 65 road games this season, they have a batting average of .227 while averaging 7.7 base hits per contest.

Athletics Key Batters

• Sean Murphy has racked up 111 hits with a .338 on-base percentage and a .451 slugging percentage, all club-bests for the Athletics.
• Including all the qualified players in the majors, Murphy is 72nd in batting average, 57th in on-base percentage and 48th in slugging percentage.
• Murphy brings a three-game hitting streak into this matchup. During his last five outings he is batting .316 with a home run, three walks and five RBI.
• Seth Brown is hitting .221 with 22 doubles, two triples, 17 home runs and 35 walks.
• Including all qualified players, Brown ranks 131st in batting average, 130th in on-base percentage and 76th in slugging percentage.
• Tony Kemp is batting .226 with 21 doubles, four home runs and 38 walks.
• Chad Pinder is hitting .234 with 16 doubles, 10 home runs and 12 walks.

Nationals vs. Athletics Probable Pitchers