Online Betting Preview The first step any baseball team takes in developing a winner is to consistently reach the .500 mark late in the season. While the Washington Nationals are 21 games out of first place in the NL East, that number is a bit deceiving. After all, the Nationals are chasing the best team in baseball right now in the Philadelphia Phillies. But for the Nationals, the remaining games of this season are not about the NL East pennant, they are about getting to .500. With Washington sitting at a 56-61 record, getting to .500 is not out of the question. If the Nationals can finish above .500 this year, then their future looks bright. Remember that the Nationals have a long list of young and talented players that will be ready for the big team soon lead by pitcher Stephen Strasburg who is throwing again after Tommy John surgery. Washington is taking things one step at a time and trying to build a winner. The Philadelphia Phillies are already the biggest winners in MLB right now. MLB baseball betting fans know that if the Phillies are playing in a game, then it is a safe bet to take Philadelphia. At 77-40, the Phillies have the best record in all of baseball and look like a lock to eclipse the 100 win mark this season. The much-hyped Philadelphia pitching staff has taken some hits this season, but the overall talent of the Phillies will help carry the team into the playoffs and possibly into the World Series. But in this game, the Phillies will have to beat a Washington team that has much more to play for than the Phillies do. Washington Nationals John Lannan is the starting pitcher for the Nationals in this game, and he has started to show a great deal of promise after the All-Star break. In his last 10 starts, Lannan is 4-2 and has an ERA of 3.51. His most recent start was on August 7th against the Colorado Rockies where he pitched six innings and allowed only one run on six hits. He did not get a decision in that game, but he put the Nationals in a position to win. Lannan’s development is another reason why the Nationals and their fans can start to expect more of the MLB baseball scores to go Washington’s way in the near future and in the coming years. Philadelphia Phillies Even though this is a regular season game in a season that the Phillies have locked up, Philadelphia is still very nervous about this game. They are nervous because it features a recovering Roy Oswalt on the mound. This game is Oswalt’s second start since going down with an injury on June 23. But what makes the Phillies really nervous is that Oswalt was 1-6 in the nine starts leading up to his injury. On the season, Oswalt is 4-7 with a 3.84 ERA. He has only been able to start 14 games this season and he has not looked good in any of them. In his August 7th start against San Francisco, Oswalt pitched six innings and gave up three runs on 12 hits. Oswalt not only needs to recover from his injury, he needs to salvage his season. The Bottom Line The Washington Nationals are an aggressive and young baseball team that wants to win games. The betonline.com future for the Nationals looks very bright, and a win over the Phillies and Roy Oswalt in this game could go a long way to giving the Nationals the confidence they need to reach .500. Pick: Washington Nationals
