The Washington Nationals (38-42) travel to face off against the Tampa Bay Rays (40-41) on Friday, June 28th. This game will be played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg and televised on MASN. Both the Nationals and Rays are looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. First pitch is set for 5:50 CT.
Nationals vs Rays
Led by a big game by Lane Thomas at the plate, the Nationals are coming off a game in which they scored five runs on only five hits. Thomas went 1/2 with two RBIs and a run scored. The Nationals really broke things open with a five-run 9th inning to pick up the win. Washington was the +159 underdog going into this road game.
DJ Herz got the start for the Nationals and took the loss. He only lasted 3 1/3 innings, giving up four earned runs. Washington’s bullpen was excellent, though, going 5 2/3 innings and not giving up a run. The Nationals also had a good game defensively, turning three double plays.
Washington is on the road today to take on the Rays, having dropped three straight games. The Nationals are 38-42 overall, and they trail the Phillies by 14.5 games in the NL East. So far, they are 14-10 against other teams in the NL East.
The Nationals have dropped three straight on the road, and they are 21-23 overall in road games. As the underdog, Washington is 30-35 this season, and they are 17-20 as the road underdog. Their overall series record is 11-14-1 this year.
The Nationals have been a solid run line bet this season, going 47-33 overall. They have been especially good on the road, where they are 27-17 against the run line. They have been a better run line bet as the underdog, going 40-25 compared to 7-8 as the favorite. Their average run margin in winning games is +3.3, while it is -3.4 in losing games.
The Washington Nationals are on the road today against the Tampa Bay Rays. The O/U line for the game is set at 7.5 runs, which is lower than their combined run average of 8.5 runs per game. The Nationals have hit the over in 11 of their 18 games when the O/U line has been set at 7.5 runs this season. Overall, the over has hit in 37 of their 77 games this season, and they are currently on a three-game over streak.
Mitchell Parker Gets The Start For The Nationals
Left-hander Mitchell Parker gets the start for the Nationals today as he faces the Rays on the road. He has made 13 starts this season and has a record of 5-3 with a 3.30 ERA. Parker’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.10. In his 13 starts, he has turned in five quality starts and is averaging 7.09 strikeouts per nine innings. Parker’s last outing came against the Rockies, where he finished with a no-decision, giving up four earned runs in six innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts.
Nationals Offense Breakdown
Washington’s offense has been one of the worst in the league this season, as they are just 19th in runs per game at 4.2, and their team batting average of .236 is also below the league average. The Nationals have also struggled in the power department, as their 67 homers are 20th in the league. However, they do have a few hitters who have been swinging the bat well of late. CJ Abrams has gone 9/20 in his last five games with a home run and six runs scored.
Joey Meneses is the Nationals’ leader in RBIs this season, but he is batting just .240 with only three homers. Jesse Winker is batting .261 for the season and has gone deep nine times. Heading into the game, Nick Senzel is on a three-game hitting streak, and Lane Thomas has a seven-game streak going.
The Rays will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Mariners with a 5-2 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 6th inning before the Mariners scored three runs in the top of the 6th. Tampa Bay was the -111 favorite at home going into the game.
Ryan Pepiot was excellent for the Rays, going 5 1/3 innings and giving up just one earned run while striking out eight. However, the Rays couldn’t close things out, and Shawn Armstrong took the loss out of the bullpen. The Rays also wasted a big game from José Caballero, who went 3/3 with a run scored.
Tampa Bay will open their series vs. the Nationals at home with a record of 40-41, which has them 4th in the AL East. They are 11 games behind the Orioles for the division lead. So far, the Rays are 10-17 in AL East matchups. Tampa Bay has been playing well recently, going 7-3 over their last 10 games.
At home, the Rays are 21-24 this year, and they have gone 19-17 on the road. So far, they have been a bit better than .500 both as the favorite and as the underdog, putting up an overall mark of 23-21 as the favorite and 17-20 as the underdog. The Rays have won three straight series, and their overall series record is 13-11-2 this year.
When betting the run line, the Rays have been a much better play on the road this season, where they are 22-14 compared to 14-31 at home. Tampa Bay has an average run margin of -0.7 runs per game this season, and they have been outscored by an average of 0.8 runs per game at home. The Rays are 21-16 against the run line as an underdog this season.
When the Tampa Bay Rays play at home, the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs. The team’s games have averaged 8.8 runs per game this season, and their overall over/under record is 41-36. When the line is set at 7.5 runs, their over/under record is 14-9. In total, 65.4% of their games have had higher over/under lines than 7.5 runs.
Zach Eflin Gets The Start For The Rays
Zach Eflin gets the start for the Rays today and comes in with a record of 3-5 and ERA of 4.21. So far this season, he has made 14 starts, and opponents are batting .260 off the right-hander. Eflin has made four quality starts this year and is averaging 6.97 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, Eflin took the loss, giving up four earned runs in seven innings of work. Before that, he had gone three straight outings without taking the loss. Eflin has finished with a no-decision in three straight trips to the mound.
Rays Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, Yandy Diaz is on a 19-game hitting streak and is batting .275 for the season with seven homers and 40 RBIs. Over his last six games, Diaz is 11/28 with two homers and seven RBIs. Isaac Paredes has been the team’s top power threat this season, as his 12 homers are 1st on the team and 13th in the league. His 41 RBIs are also a team high.
As a team, the Rays are averaging 4 runs per game, which is 23rd in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in home runs and have a team batting average of just .236. However, they have been swinging the bats better of late, as Ben Rortvedt is 7/15 in his last four games and Josh Lowe is 8/23 in his last six games.
Nationals vs Rays Prediction
Our prediction for this Nationals and Rays matchup is to take the Nationals on the money line at +135. We have the Nationals winning this one by a final score of 5-4. If you’re looking for a parlay, you could also look to take the over, as the line is sitting at 7.5 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Zach Eflin finishing with six strikeouts compared to Mitchell Parker with five. Eflin is projected to go 6.2 innings, while Parker is predicted to go 5.1 innings.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:June 28, 2024 Nationals, Rays