It is an NL East battle as the Washington Nationals face the Miami Marlins. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Nationals-Marlins prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

The Nationals come into this game after winning three of four over the Yankees this week. They have been playing very well lately. They have won seven of their last ten games while facing the Yankees, Phillies, and Red Sox. The Nationals are now 59-69 on the season, and while that is 24 games out in the division and eight out in the Wild Card, it will easily eclipse their preseason win total. Still, the Nationals are focused more than on the field. They are preparing to celebrate the career of Stephen Strasburg as he retires from baseball.

While the Nationals are coming in hot, it has been a struggle as of late for the Marlins. They lost two of three to the Padres this week, and have lost six of their last ten games. That places them at 65-63 on the season, while 18 games out in the NL East. They are now a full two games behind the Diamondbacks for the last Wild Card spot, with the Reds and Giants in between them.

Here are the Nationals-Marlins MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Nationals-Marlins Odds

Washington Nationals: +1.5 (-125)

Miami Marlins: -1.5 (+104)

Over: 8 (-114)

Under: 8 (-106)

How To Watch Nationals vs. Marlins

TV: MASN2/BSFL

Stream: MLB.TV

Time: 6:40 PM ET/ 3:40 PM PT

*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Nationals Could Cover The Spread

The Nationals offense has been solid as of late.  They are now 19th in runs scored on the season while sitting fifth in batting average, 17th in on-base percentage, and 21st in slugging. Lane Thomas leads the team in home runs and batting average this year. His .284 average places him 21st in the majors as well. On the month he is hitting .268 with a .326 on-base percentage. He also hit four home runs and drove in 12. Whole hit two doubles and stole three bases. Thomas has scored 15 times.

Joey Meneses leads the team in RBIs this year and continues to drive them in. This month he is hitting .271 with a .347 on-base percentage. With the help of five doubles and three home runs, he has driven in 12 runs. Menenses has also scored 16 times this month. Meanwhile, CJ Abrams comes into this game producing well. He is hitting just .231 in the last week but has hit three home runs and driven in five. He has also scored four times in the last week. Carter Keiboom has returned to the lineup for the first time this year, playing in two games in the series with the Yankees. He went three for seven at the plate with a home run and a double, scoring twice. Finally, Alex Call may have one of the hottest bats coming in. He is hitting .400 in the last week with a home run and two RBIs.

The Nationals are sending Joan Adon to the mound today. He has made three starts for the Nationals this year, all in the this month. In those starts, he has pitched 13 innings and given up 11 runs with two home runs. That is good for a 7.62 ERA. Still, he is 1-0 in those games, and the Nationals have won each time he has started a game this year.

Why The Marlins Could Cover The Spread

The Marlins offense has become stagnant. In the last five games, they have scored just seven runs. On the year, they are 26th in runs scored, while sitting sixth in batting average, 20th in on-base percentage, and 22nd in slugging. Jorge Soler leads the team in home runs and RBIs this year. He is not hitting particularly well this month. He is hitting just .216 but does have a .301 on-base percentage. With the help of a double and eight home runs, he has driven in 12 runs this month, while also scoring 11.

The Marlins also have Jake Burger hitting well. He is hitting .364 in the last week with a .440 on-base percentage. He has hit a home run and a double in the last week, leading to three RBIs. Burger has also scored three times in the last week. Jazz Chisholm also has three RBIs in the last week. He is hitting just .261 in those games with a home run. He has also stolen a base and scored twice in the last week. As a whole, the Marlins are hitting just .205 in the last week, and have more strikeouts than hits in the last six games. They are also not walking much. They have 16 walks in the six games, giving them just a .271 on-base percentage.

The Marlins are sending Braxton Garrett to the mound today for the start. He is 7-4 on the year with a 3.94 ERA. He has been pitching fairly well as of late. In his four starts this month, he has pitched between five and six innings in each of them. Meanwhile, he has given up two or three runs in three of the four. Garrett has pitched 22 innings this month with a 3.27 ERA while going 2-1. The Marlins have won three of his four starts this month. Last time he faced the Nationals, he went six innings giving up just one run in the game.

Final Nationals-Marlins Prediction & Pick

The Marlins do have a pitching edge today. Joan Adon has not been amazing, but overall, he has not been awful either minus his last start. Braxton Garrett has been good but will give up some runs. Still, the differences on the offensive side of things are huge. Since the All-Star break, the Nationals are averaging 4.92 runs per game. That places them tenth in the majors. The Marlins are averaging just 3.7 runs per game, which places them 28th in the majors. While the Marlins give up 4.78 runs per game to the Nationals 5.30, the Marlins have a -40 run differential since the break against the Nationals -14. The Nationals will keep it going today and dispatch another playoff hopeful.

Final Nationals-Marlins Prediction & Pick: Nationals +1.5 (-125)