Severino And Gore Will Keep Hitters Guessing

Athletics vs. Nationals, 6:45 ET

Yesterday I put out two plays, I was pretty confident in one, and felt very good about the other. The one that I was pretty confident in, of course, lost. That was me backing Sandy Alcantara against the Astros. Perhaps I just believe too much in the guy, but I need to realize that the old Sandy might make some appearances, but he is gone forever. Oh well, life doesn't always work out the way you want it to. You just need to adjust and move on. I'm finding a new spot here as the Athletics take on the Nationals.

The Athletics are 16 games under .500, but at one point, they actually looked like they were going to have a good year. There was one absolutely brutal stretch that put them behind and they've never been able to rebound from it. They were 22-20 on May 13th, then lost 20 of their next 21 games. I don't think people realize how difficult it is for a team to do that. Take that stretch out for the season, and they are actually above .500. I'm not trying to claim that this team is full of world-beaters or anything, but they have some talent. Sometimes one stretch kills your season though. After trading away their closer, they added one of the best prospects in baseball so they should have sunnier skies ahead. Today they have Luis Severino taking the ball for them. Severino is actually in his ideal situation as he has pitched significantly better on the road than at home. He is somewhere between a second and third starter in the league - reliable, but not great. He was solid in July, throwing 26 innings and allowing just 11 earned runs. Nationals hitters have struggled against him, batting just .143. 

Apr 25, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics pitcher Luis Severino (40) throws a pitch against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

The Nationals probably appreciated yesterday's day off. They were manhandled by the Brewers over the weekend when Milwaukee outscored them 38-14 over the three-game series. Take out the nine runs that the Nationals put up in the first game and they were outscored over the last two games 22-5. Maybe we shouldn't judge Washington based on how they performed against one of the best teams in the league, but I didn't make the schedule. I'm not quite sure what to expect out of this team. They have struggled all season and are likely to struggle again next year. Their best piece is still on the team and pitching today. MacKenzie Gore probably could've helped net them some solid prospects, but I can also understand why you hang onto a guy like him. Gore is 4-11 for the season with a 3.80 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. He really doesn't have different splits at home vs. the road either, being reliable in both spots. 

I think the Nationals probably snap out of their funk in this one, but that's not the best bet for the game. Instead of risking money on a bad team, I'm betting that neither of them do much on offense. I'm taking the under for the first five innings of the game, and if you can't get a good value on that, I think the full game goes under as well. 

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024