Looking for a home run bet card for Thursday’s MLB slate? There are only nine games on the schedule, but that still leaves room to hunt for a few long-shot swings.
Wednesday paid off in the Daily Dinger column when Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson cashed a +351 homer prop by launching his 37th home run of the season against the Los Angeles Dodgers. With a smaller slate on Thursday, the search gets a little tighter, but three names stand out.
Hunter Goodman is one of them, and the Colorado Rockies catcher is in a strong spot after returning to the lineup. Goodman has gone 2-for-2 with a pair of home runs in his first two games back, and he’s now up to 36 homers on the season while hitting .252 with an .869 OPS.
Thursday afternoon brings a favorable matchup with the Washington Nationals and right-hander Jake Irvin, who led MLB in home runs allowed last season and has given up 14 in 16 appearances in 2026. Irvin has a 5.82 ERA this year and has surrendered seven home runs in five starts since coming off the injured list, with at least one long ball allowed in each outing.
Washington’s bullpen hasn’t helped much either, posting a 4.90 ERA and giving up 91 home runs, the most in MLB. Goodman has done most of his damage against right-handed pitching, with 27 of his 36 homers coming against righties.
Cody Bellinger is another name worth a look as he settles back in with the New York Yankees. Bellinger has only 12 home runs in 2026, but that number comes with the context of a hamstring injury that cost him a significant stretch of the summer.
Since returning earlier this week, the three-time All-Star has already collected two extra-base hits, including a homer and a double off the wall, in three games. He came close to leaving the yard against the Houston Astros on Wednesday, and he gets another home game Thursday night.
The matchup is with Astros right-hander Hayden Wesneski, a former New York prospect who has allowed two homers in five appearances this season. Houston has won four of his five outings, but Bellinger’s power profile is stronger against right-handed pitching, where he owns an .779 OPS and eight of his home runs.
The Astros bullpen is also in play here, having allowed 75 home runs this season. Bellinger is available at +454.
The third target is Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio, who enters Thursday with 17 home runs. Five of those have come against left-handed pitching, and he’s hit .286 with an .843 OPS versus southpaws in 2026.
That makes him an interesting play against Mets left-hander Sean Manaea, who has been giving up plenty of damage lately. Manaea has allowed six home runs over his last three starts and has given up 19 homers overall this season.
He’s worked both as a starter and reliever and carries a 4.31 ERA in 27 appearances. Chourio is 1-for-3 in his career against Manaea, and he’s coming off an 11-game homer drought.
Even so, his recent production has been solid, with four home runs over his last 24 games, along with a .283 batting average and an .817 OPS over the last 28 days.
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