The Boston Red Sox continue to make their push towards an improbable AL Wild Card berth as they conclude their three-game series with the finale of their set Thursday afternoon inside Nationals Park in Washington, District of Columbia. They toss out the first pitch at 4:05 pm. The Nationals got the 6-2 win on Wednesday night. The Red Sox are -178 in Thursday's clash. 

The Red Sox (63-57)  might be out of the running when it comes to trying to win the AL East, but they are on a recent run and surge and it has put them in a much better position to perhaps clinch a wild card berth in the American League. 

Their offense has been very productive over this recent span of winning and they have found ways to win close games too with very clutch and timely hitting late. On offense, they are paced by third baseman Rafael Devers who has drilled a team-high 26 home runs while driving in 79 runs and hitting .262 on the season. The Red Sox have several other players on their roster that are capable of hitting more than 20 home runs. 

They will send out veteran hurler Chris Sale who steps on the mound with a record of 5-2 to go along with an ERA of 4.52. He seems to have found some of his old stuff and has won two of his last four starts. He needs to give the Red Sox a strong start and going forward might be called upon to pitch in a game that has playoff implications down the stretch. 

The Nationals (54-67) have had a rough season and if they can derail a team's playoff hopes they will. They have played better baseball over the last several weeks and have four of five overall but they are still buried in the NL East. 

On offense, they rely on right fielder Lane Thomas who has quietly put together a very solid season for them as he has drilled 20 home runs to lead the club and is hitting around .284 on the season. He has been a nice consistent player for them and his offense has been surprising. 

They will send out veteran Patrick Corbin who sits with a mark of 7-11 to go along with an ERA of 4.85. He has won just two of his last five decisions and has been rocked in a couple of games where he did not factor into the decision. 

The Nationals are 4-1 in their last five games and 3-2 in their last five games against the spread. They are also 38-22 in their road games against the spread and the totals have gone over in just two of their last five games and 28 of their last 60 games at home. The Red Sox are 3-2 in their last five games and 2-3 in their last five games against the spread. They are also 28-29 in their road games against the number. The totals have gone over in none of their last five games and 30 of their last 63 games at home.