The Washington Nationals (1-1) and Cincinnati Reds (1-1) square off for the finale in their three-game series on Sunday, March 31 at 1:40 PM ET at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Reds are becoming moderate favorites with a moneyline at -175.

The Nationals came up short in game one of the series, but bounced back with a win in the second. This was a 7-6 performance for game two, as they capped off the game with three-runs in the top of the ninth.

They finished last in the National League East last season with a 71-91 record. Their division will be tough to climb out of, but they must take each game seriously if they want any shot at the playoffs this season.

The Nationals did not score their first run of game two until the top of the fourth. However, their offense nearly averaged a run per inning at the end. They have a batting average at .254 and have landed two home runs so far in two games of action.

Slugging percentage is a bit weaker in comparison to the Reds’, coming in at .403. They also have an on-base percentage at .316, showing solid numbers to get in scoring position.

The Reds seem like they will have a volatile season with recent performances in spring training and for this series. They won game one with an 8-2 blowout, but failed to close out strong in game two when they had the lead going into the ninth inning.

They were nearly a coin flip to be in wild card status last season in the NL Central. They will need to find ways to capitalize each game to push themselves more than just over .500 at the end of the regular season.

Offensively so far, they have been on fire. They are averaging 7.0 runs in their first two games and have even landed two home runs per game (four total). Their batting average comes in at .294, which shows they can easily put themselves in scoring positions.

Defensively, they will need to run a tighter ship, because they cannot afford to consistently allow more runs if their offense is not on par for the day. They have an on-base percentage at .351 and a slugging percentage at .541.

Excellent MLB odds await through MyBookie, who currently has the Cincinnati Reds as moneyline favorites to succeed. Market insights are predicting they have a 65.9 percent chance at success, especially being at home.

Despite the scoring outburst from the Nationals, the Reds appear to be in control for this series. Look for the Reds to bounce back with another good offensive performance.