Philadelphia Phillies lefty Jesus Luzardo will look to stay hot when he takes the mound against the Washington Nationals on Thursday at Nationals Park. The 27-year-old starter (11-5, 4.20 ERA) already has eclipsed his previous single-season career high in wins (10), which was set in 2023 when he was with the Marlins. He enters Thursday’s game having won each of his last two starts and four straight decisions. He has not lost a decision since the Fourth of July.
Thursday’s game will be the second time Luzardo has faced the Nationals this year. In the second game of the season on March 29, he gave up just two runs in five innings while striking out a season-high 11 batters in an 11-6 Philadelphia victory.
Washington will give the ball to rookie righty Brad Lord (3-6, 3.28), who has shuffled between the bullpen and rotation during his inaugural season. Over the last month, Lord has been used strictly as a starter and has excelled, going 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. He is coming off arguably his best start of the season: one earned run on four hits in six innings in a win at the Giants.
Tonight’s game will be Lord’s second start against the Phillies. On May 1, he allowed two runs on six hits while striking out four and walking one in a 4-2 Nationals victory.
The Phillies (69-51) are on track to reach the postseason for the fourth straight season. They lead the National League East by five games over the Mets and own the second-best record in the NL, behind only the red-hot Brewers (76-44).
Meanwhile, Washington (48-72) sits at the bottom of the NL East, 21 games behind Philadelphia. Only the Rockies (32-88) have a worse record in the NL.
The Phillies are -193 favorites, according to the latest MLB odds, while the Nationals are +160 underdogs. While the Phillies-Nationals game is the marquee attraction on the sporting landscape on Thursday, there are other options on an seven-game MLB slate.
Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Thursday, Aug. 14. All times Eastern
MLB best bets, where to watch
Diamondbacks at Rockies
Time: 8:40 p.m. | Location: Denver | TV: FS1 | Stream: Fubo (start watching, save $20!)
SportsLine pick — Model: Rockies +1.5 -101 | Expert: Eduardo Rodriguez Under 16.5 total pitcher outs -135 (Alex Selesnick)
Two NL West rivals collide when the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies battle at Coors Field. The Diamondbacks (59-62) occupy third place in the NL West and are 5.5 games behind the Mets for the third and final Wild Card spot in the NL. Meanwhile, the Rockies (32-88) have the worst record in baseball. Colorado, however, has showed some life at the plate recently. This month, the Rockies rank third in all of baseball in batting average (.277) and fifth in OPS (.778). The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every MLB game 10,000 times, gives Colorado a 52.0% chance to cover on the run line and gives a ‘B’ grade to Rockies +1.5 (-101). Meanwhile, Rodriguez has gone Under 16.5 total pitcher outs in 14 of his 20 starts this season, including nine of 12 on the road. “He gets a difficult test today at Coors Field, which is the most hitter friendly environment in the majors,” Selesnick says.
Marlins at Guardians
Time: 6:40 p.m. | Location: Cleveland | Stream: Fubo (start watching, save $20!)
SportsLine pick — Model: Guardians -121 | Expert: Guardians -130 (Matt Severance)
The Miami Marlins and Cleveland Guardians play the rubber game of their three-game series when the teams take the field at Progressive Field. Arguably the hottest team in all of baseball less than two weeks ago, the Marlins are 3-7 in their last 10 games. They are six games behind the Mets for the third and final Wild Card spot in the NL. Meanwhile, the Guardians (62-57) are just one game behind the slumping Yankees for the final Wild Card spot in the AL. Thursday’s pitching matchup features Miami’s Edward Cabrera (6-5, 3.08) against Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee (8-9, 4.60). The SportsLine Projection Model gives the Guardians a 58% chance to win on Thursday, and Severance agrees. “The Marlins are at the end of one of their longest trips of the season,” he says.
More MLB best bets
Looking ahead
Titans at Falcons
Time: 7 p.m. Friday | Location: Atlanta | TV: NFL Network | Stream: Fubo (start watching, save $20!)
No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward plays his second preseason game when he and the Tennessee Titans take on the Atlanta Falcons on Friday. Last week in his preseason debut, the former Miami Hurricanes quarterback played two series, completed five of eight passes for 67 yards and led the Tennessee offense on a touchdown drive. He is slated to start again on Friday. Meanwhile, Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will sit out for the second straight preseason game, according to coach Raheem Morris. In a joint practice against the Titans on Wednesday, Penix got into a scuffle with Tennessee players that ended with Penix on the ground but unhurt.
Padres at Dodgers
Time: 10:10 p.m. Friday | Location: Los Angeles | TV: MLB Network | Stream: Fubo (start watching, save $20!)
The top two teams in the NL West begin a key three-game series when the San Diego Padres visit the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday. The Padres (69-52) enter the series with a one-game lead in the division over the slumping Dodgers (68-53), who held a nine-game lead in the NL West last month but have gone 12-21 since. San Diego has won five in a row while Los Angeles has dropped four straight. Friday’s pitching matchup pits the Padres’ Michael King (4-2, 2.81) against future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw (6-2, 3.14).