MLB picks: Nationals vs. Marlins, Astros vs. Tigers

We took a deep dive into Thursday’s crowded MLB slate and came up with two solid wagers for the evening.

First we’ll highlight an NL East clash between the Washington Nationals and the Miami Marlins. Then we’ll take a look at the meeting between the Houston Astros and the Detroit Tigers.

Washington Nationals (35-36) at Miami Marlins (31-42), 7:10 p.m. ET

The surging Nationals – winners of nine of their last 10 games – should pull themselves up to .500 against the floundering Marlins (2-7 last nine games) on Thursday night.

Jon Lester seems to have recovered from a pair of ERA-inflating May starts, producing a 2.61 ERA through four June outings. He touched 100 pitches for the first time this year against the New York Mets last Saturday, when he scattered two runs over six innings.

Lester looked sharp in his lone 2021 start against Miami, blanking them through five frames on April 30. Looming behind the lefty is Washington’s red-hot bullpen, which owns the second-best ERA in the majors over the last two weeks (2.41).

Cody Poteet counters for the Fish, and he appears to be losing his grip on a rotation spot. He sports an 8.44 ERA over his last three outings, lasting just 10 2/3 combined innings in the process. His WHIP in that span is 1.781.

Look for the surging Kyle Schwarber (six homers in his last four games) to drive the offense for the Nats.

MLB pick: Nationals -117

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Houston Astros (46-28) at Detroit Tigers (32-42), 7:10 p.m. ET

The Astros should pick up their 11th straight victory in one-sided fashion against the Tigers on Thursday night.

Luis Garcia gets the call for Houston, and he owns a 2.22 ERA through four starts this month after holding the Chicago White Sox to one run over seven frames last Friday. He blanked Detroit through 4 1/3 innings of relief on April 12.

Backing Garcia is a buttoned-up Astros bullpen that’s fifth in the majors by ERA over the last 14 days (2.82).

Jose Urena responds for the Tigers, and he’s struggled mightily through three June starts (13.91 ERA). It’s difficult to envision him turning things around against a Houston lineup that’s averaged 8.1 runs per game during their prolonged winning streak. Detroit’s bullpen is a lackluster 16th by ERA over the last two weeks (4.47).

Michael Brantley has been hitting at a torrid pace since returning from injury on June 8 (.509 average) for the ‘Stros. Don’t expect him to cool off in this one.

MLB pick: Astros -1.5 runs (-139)