Washington @ Chicago preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 8, 2016 ) Washington 11, Chi. White Sox 4

The Washington Nationals have won three in a row to move a season-high 13 games over .500 as they vie for a three-game interleague sweep of the host Chicago White Sox on Thursday. The Nationals are lighting up the scoreboard, hitting four homers Wednesday to register at least 10 runs in three consecutive contests for the second time in franchise history.

A paternity leave did little to cool off Washington's Ryan Zimmerman, who swatted a two-run homer to extend his hitting streak to seven games. Jayson Werth also is on a roll with four homers and 10 RBIs over his last eight games for the Nationals, who own a 3 1/2-game lead atop the National League East. Chicago, in a freefall since racing out to an American League-best 23-10 start, was forced to use outfielder J.B. Shuck on the mound in Wednesday's 11-0 shellacking. The defeat was the fifth in a row and 20th in 26 games for the White Sox, who dropped below .500 (29-30) for the first time.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, MASN2 (Washington), WPWR (Chicago)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Nationals LH Gio González (3-4, 3.94 ERA) vs. White Sox RH Miguel González (0-1, 3.93)

Gio Gonzalez owned a sparkling 1.86 ERA through his first eight starts after beating the New York Mets with 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball on May 18, but the wheels have come off since. He lost his third consecutive outing as he was knocked around for five runs and nine hits over six innings at Cincinnati on Friday. The 30-year-old Floridian, who is 0-4 with a 5.23 lifetime ERA versus Chicago, has allowed 18 runs and 25 hits over 15 2/3 frames during his three-start skid.

Miguel Gonzalez was bumped from the rotation to make room for the newly acquired James Shields, but he earned a reprieve when the White Sox elected to skip Carlos Rodon's scheduled start due to neck discomfort. The 32-year-old Mexican pitched decently in the three starts prior to his demotion, going 0-1 while yielding a total of six earned runs. He was rocked for six runs and nine hits in his lone start versus Washington last year, serving up homers by Bryce Harper and Danny Espinosa.

WALK-OFFS

1. Harper continues to emerge from his slumber, going 7-for-14 over his last three games.

2. White Sox 1B Jose Abreu is 9-for-20 during his five-game hitting streak while LF Melky Cabrera is 5-for-9 in the series.

3. Espinosa has homered six times in his last 12 contests.

PREDICTION: Nationals 6, White Sox 4