James Wood is the marquee homer play tonight at +600 as Washington faces Sean Manaea of the Mets. Wood has 25 homers this season and thrives against lefties, posting a .494 slugging mark versus southpaws compared with .463 against righties, a pattern that tilts the odds in his favor tonight. Manaea’s penchant for giving up homers (1.7 HR/9) in 2024 adds upside to Wood’s giant-play potential in a high-variance short slate.

Carlos Correa closes the night as a +900 longshot sleeper after rejoining Houston and flashing a .492 slugging since the deadline, a sign he can pop one against Brandon Young of Baltimore, who carries a 5.68 ERA and the HR/9 leakage that Correa can exploit. BetMGM promos add extra juice for new players, but the core angles remain: power upside against a vulnerable pitcher and a reduced upside ceiling for the underdogs. This nine-game slate lends itself to bold plays and careful exposure management.

Bottom line: leverage Wood’s lefty-smashing profile and Correa’s late-season spark for big-rate returns, while respecting risk on a tight MLB Thursday. The bets hinge on split data, homer pace, and a contrarian payout that could deliver a solid night for fantasy and sports bettors willing to chase the upside.

MacKenzie Gore has allowed 17 homers this season and owns an 8.13 ERA over his last six starts, setting up a flirtation with Mets power in a high-leverage matchup. Pete Alonso already has a homer against Gore and sits with 28 on the year, squarely in play as a +375 HR prop for Thursday. The Inside the Lines crew also targets Tyler Soderstrom (+430) and Alec Burleson (+525) in Thursday’s slate, while noting Jose Urena’s vulnerability to RHBs helps justify a Soderstrom look. The piece emphasizes that MLB home run props are moneymakers with a robust model backing them, and highlights bet365 and BetMGM promos for new players. The projection model simulates every game 10,000 times, is up significantly on MLB HR picks, and has delivered multi-leg parlays paying well this season. The team at SportsLine provides continued daily MLB HR projections, with Brewers vs. Cubs as a referenced example. The article also points readers to the Inside the Lines daily blog for more picks and context on Thursday’s action.

Mets vs. Nationals in Washington features Sean Manaea squaring off with MacKenzie Gore, a pitching duel that could tilt the series after a lopsided 8-1 Mets loss and a close 5-4 Nationals win. Manaea sits at 1-1 with a 4.78 ERA while Gore is 5-12 with a 4.04 ERA, creating a fantasy-friendly canvas for pitchers and opportunistic hitters alike. The latest NBC Sports odds put the Mets at -140 on the moneyline with the over/under at 8.0 and a -1.5 spread in NYM’s favor, signaling a modest favorite night for NYM backers.

Washington’s last 10 games hover around .500 (5-5), but divisional results remain an NBA-style canvas of splits, while the Mets’ recent form has cooled to a 5-12 slide over 17. The matchup leans toward early offense and patient at-bats in a park with nuanced winds, making the starting pitchers’ ability to attack hitters in the first two innings crucial for fantasy lineups and live-betting angles. Manaea will lean on a sinker-slider approach, while Gore will mix fastball and break, aiming to keep the Mets off balance early.

For fantasy and bettors, target Mets right-handed bats who have fared well against Gore in limited exposure and monitor Manaea’s pace to the plate—early success could unlock a Mets run-scoring surge. The model’s projection pairs NYM juice with a modest total, turning a game that could hinge on one or two big innings into a potential high-leverage spot for daily fantasy and prop bets.

Nine-game MLB slate on August 21 features ideal homer-hunting conditions in Coors Field and Tampa Bay. Casey Wilson targets four strong home-run props for today’s card: Lawrence Butler, Paul DeJong, Junior Caminero and Alec Burleson. Butler gets a favorable lefty split against Jose Urena in Minneapolis, DeJong faces Sean Manaea in Washington, Caminero draws Sonny Gray in Tampa, and Burleson takes Joe Boyle in St. Louis. The plan leans into a four-pack, capped with a round-robin approach to maximize upside without overexposing the bankroll.

Key bets include Butler OVER 0.5 HR (+500 DK), DeJong OVER 0.5 HR (+475 DK), Caminero OVER 0.5 HR (+320 FD), and Burleson OVER 0.5 HR (+450 FD). Weather and park factors support power, with Tampa’s porch and Minnesota’s ball-tracking aiding big hits. The card emphasizes measured risk with four solid shots to cash big on multiple deep-ball opportunities.

Francisco Lindor hosts Café con Lindor and taps into a playful, cross-sport conversation with Donovan Mitchell that leaves Mets fans buzzing. Mitchell, a lifelong Mets supporter with baseball roots, hurls bold takes while laughing with Lindor about De La Cruz’s ceiling and CJ Abrams’ comparable skill set. Lindor reframes Mitchell’s athletic profile to a grounded baseball lens and even teases a long-anticipated Mets pitch to Juan Soto. The banter dives into Mitchell’s No. 45 Jordan homage, his father’s Mets ties, and a running joke about recruiting Soto long ago, all underscored by a shared love of the game. The segment cements how baseball and basketball views mirror each other in speed, reach, and impact, with Lindor and Mitchell celebrating the cross-pollination of two elite worlds.

The chat stitches in a Mets-centric vibe: De La Cruz’s triple-digit throws and blazing sprint speeds meet Abrams’ explosive, versatile shortstop mold, while Soto looms as a name tied to long-term ambitions. Across the court and field, Mitchell’s charisma and baseball enthusiasm bring a fresh, fan-first spark to the Mets universe, turning ordinary guest moments into must-listen crossover content for fantasy players chasing context, comps, and compelling narratives this season.