First pitch: Thursday, 7:05 p.m. EDT
Line: Washington -125, Los Angeles +115, Total: 8

After tying up the series Wednesday with a 7-6 victory, the Dodgers will look to win the rubber game Thursday against the Nationals and stay in the NL playoff picture.

Two lefties will duel in this game with Ross Detwiler and Chris Capuano taking the hill. Capuano is coming off a rough start in which he did not make it out of the fifth inning, allowing four runs (two earned) on six hits and three home runs. He has an 11-10 record, 3.60 ERA and 1.19 WHIP this year, though his road splits—4.30 ERA and 1.27 WHIP— are noticeably worse. Detwiler is coming off a gem against the Braves, having allowed just one earned run over six innings. He has a 2.00 ERA in his last three starts and an overall 3.33 ERA this season, working his way to an 8-6 record as a starter. Detwiler is even better at home where he has a 6-2 record as a starter with a 2.82 ERA and 1.29 WHIP, leading his club to a 10-3 mark in these home starts. That fits right in line with the Nationals’ dominance at home where they have a 45-28 record (.616), tying them for the third-best mark in the majors. Take WASHINGTON as slight favorites here.

This three-star FoxSheets trend also supports the Nationals:

Play On - Home teams with a money line of -100 to -150 (WASHINGTON) - hot hitting team - batting .290 or better over their last 20 games, with a hot bullpen whose ERA is under 3.00 the last 15 games. (57-19 over the last 5 seasons.) (75%, +33.1 units. Rating = 3*).

Detwiler hasn’t lost since Aug. 22, leading his team to a 3-1 record in his past four starts. He has started against Los Angeles once this year, a loss on April 27 in which he allowed three earned runs in six innings. Overall, in two career starts against the Dodgers, he is 0-1 (team 1-1) with a 4.63 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. Going deep into games is not one of Detwiler’s strengths, he averages just 5.7 innings per start, but that works to his benefit with the National bullpen supporting him. Nationals relievers have a 3.20 ERA, 24-17 record and 48 saves on the season. Although the Nationals have lost four of their past five contests, look for them to reverse their fortunes here.

Capuano threw a gem against the Nationals earlier this season on April 29, allowing just three hits over 6.2 shutout innings. Overall he is 3-3 (team 3-4) in his career against them with a 3.72 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. Although the Dodgers have won three straight Capuano starts, he individually is 0-2 in his past six outings with Los Angeles falling in the previous three. Dating back to June 28, he is 2-8, while his team is 6-9 over these 15 starts. He’s averaged a mere 5.4 innings per start in his past three outings, but he can’t really count on L.A.’s bullpen to bail him out again, considering it has a 4.18 ERA on the road this season. The Dodgers are 4-1 against the Nats this year and are in more need of a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, trailing both Atlanta and St. Louis by two games in the NL Wild Card race. Still, avoid L.A. without too much help from the lines.