First pitch: Friday, 7:05 p.m. ET
Line: Texas +160, Washington -170, Total: 9.0

The Nationals will be going for their fifth win in six games when they host the Rangers on Friday.

The Rangers are really struggling right now, as the team has lost five of its past six coming into this one. Texas most recently lost 4-3 at home against the Mets on Jun. 7, but the team will be well rested coming into this series. The Rangers had a day off to get right for this meeting with the Nationals, and they needed it. This Nationals team is scorching hot at the moment, as Washington has won eight of its past 10 games. They’ll look to keep up their excellent play in this series. The starters in this Friday night showdown are set to be RHP Andrew Cashner (2-5, 3.39 ERA, 25 K) for Texas and RHP Tanner Roark (6-2, 3.95 ERA, 60 K) for Washington. The Nationals have won in each of Roark’s past three starts, so they’ll be very confident when he takes the mound here. Washington is, however, a miserable 3-12 against the money line after allowing three runs or less in four straight games over the past two seasons. One injury that needs to be pointed out in this game is that 3B Adrian Beltre (Ankle) is likely to be out for Texas.

The Rangers can really use a win on Friday night and Andrew Cashner is going to need to be at his best in order to do that. He just might be going up against the best offense in baseball, so he can’t afford to make many mistakes here. The righty was awful in his most recent start, as he allowed five earned runs on 11 hits in six innings of work against the Astros on Jun. 3. This Nationals offense is similarly explosive, so Cashner must be a lot better than he was in that game. Offensively, the Rangers can use something from C Jonathan Lucroy (.256 BA, 3 HR, 13 RBI) in this one. Lucroy has more experience than of his teammates against Roark, and he is 5-for-13 with a double and an RBI against the righty in his career. This season has been a bit of a struggle for the former Brewer, but he is on a three-game hitting streak coming into this contest. He should be feeling good when he takes the field here.

The Nationals are sending Tanner Roark to the mound on Friday, and the righty has been dealing lately. In his past three starts, Roark has pitched 21.2 innings and allowed only five earned runs. He has walked only two batters over his past three starts, and he’ll need to bring that same control on Friday. He has had five starts with three or more walks this season, so that’s obviously a major issue in his game. Offensively, the Nationals have a ton of firepower. The guys to really pay attention to in this one are, however, 2B Daniel Murphy (.336 BA, 10 HR, 41 RBI) and OF Bryce Harper (.325 BA, 15 HR, 46 RBI). These two are the best hitters Washington has to offer, but they also happen to be a combined 9-for-17 with a double, a homer and five RBI against Cashner in their careers.