The Pittsburgh Pirates (5-1) and Washington Nationals (2-3) battle in the finale for game three, with the series tied on Thursday, April 4 at 4:05 PM ET at Nationals Park in Washington, DC. The Pirates boast a moneyline at -135, showing they are slightly favored.

The Pirates have got off to a great start this season and just landed their first loss in six games. This was a 5-3 showing in game two against the Nationals, where they allowed four runs in the bottom of the second and could not overcome it the rest of the game.

Michael Taylor has been key for them offensively. He leads with a batting average of .429, a .440 on-base percentage, and a .524 slugging percentage. His success at the plate will help drive their offense.

Martin Perez will take the mound. To start this season, he has a 2.08 ERA and WHIP. This is solid for just the four innings he has pitched thus far. As a whole, they have an ERA of 3.79.

The Pirates' batting average is .278, and they allow their opponents to hit .224. Their on-base percentage is .377, which shows they do a solid job keeping runners in scoring positions. They also have a slugging percentage of .423.

The Nationals ended their two-game losing streak with the recent win over the Pirates. Joey Gallo finally broke his 0-12 slump to start the season when he landed a solo home run to get the offense going for them in the bottom of the second.

Trey Lipscomb is leading them at the plate with a batting average of .357, an on-base percentage of .400, and a slugging percentage of .571. They have an excellent chance to win again if he can have a strong start early.

Josiah Gray is their starting pitcher, but his stats are not appealing. So far, he has an ERA of 15.75 and a WHIP of 2.15 in four innings pitched this season. If he gets off to a bad start, this could be trouble for the team.

The Nationals are averaging .263 at the plate, while their opponents are getting .301. This is a negative ratio, and it could hinder their chances of having more scoring opportunities than their opponents. They also have an on-base percentage of .333 and a slugging percentage of .437, comparable to the Pirates.

MyBookie has the odds ready for this showdown, as the Pittsburgh Pirates are slight favorites to close out game three. According to market analysis, the Pirates have a 53.6 percent chance of winning this one.