Washington Nationals to beat Miami Marlins

The Nationals are one of the hottest teams in baseball, having won 10 of their last 11 games, including the first of this four-game series on Thursday.

They’re now 36-36 on the season and will move above .500 with a win over the Marlins, who are bottom of the NL East with a 31-43 record.

Miami has gone 2-8 over its last 10 games and is currently on a four-game losing streak after being beaten 7-3 by Washington on Thursday.

The Marlins will start Pablo Lopez, who boasts an impressive 2.86 ERA but is just 3-4 on the season. He hasn’t received much support from the Miami offense, and the Marlins have lost three of the last five games he’s started.

Starting for the Nationals will be veteran lefty Jon Lester. He’s 1-2 in 10 starts but has a steady 3.96 ERA, and Washington has won three of the last four games in which he’s started.

Tampa Bay Rays to beat Los Angeles Angels

The Rays’ 45-31 record is one of the best in baseball, and after a recent seven-game losing streak they’ve won their last two contests against the Boston Red Sox.

Tampa is 21-15 at home and now hosts the Angels, who are 15-19 on the road, have lost three consecutive games and are now fourth in the AL West.

This will be a bullpen game for the Rays, starting with Andrew Kittredge, who is having a great season. He’s gone 5-1 out of the pen with a 1.27 ERA.

Facing him will be Griffin Canning, who has pitched pretty well of late and is 5-4 on the season, but still has a 5.07 ERA and will need a lot of run support to beat the Rays. 

St Louis Cardinals to beat Pittsburgh Pirates

The Cardinals are struggling at the moment with six losses in their last seven games, but this looks a great opportunity to bounce back at home against the Pirates.

Pittsburgh won the first of this four-game set but remains bottom of the NL Central with a 27-46 record, including 11-25 on the road.

The Pirates rank last across both leagues in runs per game, home runs, slugging and OPS, and should also be at a pitching disadvantage here.

They are set to start Wil Crowe, who is 0-4 in nine starts this season with an elevated 6.42 ERA.

He faces Kwang Hyun Kim, who has been better than his 1-5 record would suggest. He possesses a solid ERA of 3.60 and has given up just two runs in 10 innings across his last two starts.

San Francisco Giants to beat Oakland Athletics

In this meeting of two of the best teams in baseball, the Giants should come out on top at home.

San Francisco currently tops the NL West – ahead of the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers – with a 48-26 record, including 24-10 on home turf.

The Giants have won eight of their last nine games, while the A’s have lost four out of six, with all those defeats coming on the road.

Starting for Oakland will be the impressive Sean Manaea. He’s 6-3 with a 3.01 ERA but took the loss in his last start against the New York Yankees.

Facing him will be veteran righty Johnny Cueto, who is 5-3 on the season, possesses a 4.05 ERA and should be solid enough to get the job done for San Francisco here.