Tonight at 6:05 p.m. ET, the San Francisco Giants (42-38) and Washington Nationals (43-36) take the field for a Fourth of July weekend three-game series live from Nationals Park in the nation's capital.

San Francisco has dropped three straight games as it continues a six-match road trip while Washington is on a two-contest skid as it enters a six-game homestand.

The Giants were swept away by the Marlins in Miami from Tuesday-Thursday while the Nationals dropped two of three to the Braves in Atlanta.

This game can be live streamed for free here.

Jake Peavy (0-2, 9.39 ERA) takes the mound for San Francisco while Washington counters with Gio Gonzalez and he is 5-4 on the campaign with a 4.41 ERA.

Peavy starts for the first time since April 17 as he returns from the disabled list where he was dealing with back issues. He's pitched just 7.2 innings this season.

Gonzalez's last outing against the Philadelphia Phillies was washed out as he pitched one scoreless inning before it was called due to rain.

Peavy returns to face a Nationals lineup that is paced by outfielder Bryce Harper, who leads the MLB with a .705 slugging percentage and a 1.166 OPS and is practically a lock to be at the All-Star Game in two weeks in Cincinnati.

Harper ranks in the top five in the National League in several categories, including third in batting average (.339) and homers (24, tied) and fourth in RBI (58).

The Giants counter with a lineup that is led by several All-Star-caliber players.

Second baseman Joe Panik is third in the NL in hits (93), catcher Buster Posey is fifth in the Senior Circuit in RBI (56) and outfielder Nori Aoki ranks fifth in batting average (.317). Posey also has a club-best 13 homers.

In the standings, Washington enters 4th of July weekend on top of the NL East with a 3.5-game lead over the second-place New York Mets while San Francisco is second in the NL West, three games behind the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.

As the United States prepares to celebrate its birthday, the fireworks start early when the Giants and Nationals open up a three-game set live from Nationals Park tonight in Washington, D.C.

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