The Washington Nationals (38-43) travel to face off against the Tampa Bay Rays (41-41) on Saturday, June 29th. This game will be played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg and televised on MASN. The Rays are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Nationals are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Rays. First pitch is set for 3:10 CT.
Nationals vs Rays
Tampa Bay picked up a 3-1 win over the Nationals in the most recent game of this series. The Rays had a two-run lead going into the 7th inning, and the Nationals could only muster one run in the 7th. As for the Nationals, they got on the board with one run in the 2nd and were held in check until their one-run 7th.
Jose Siri was the difference for the Rays, as he homered twice, scored three times, and finished with two RBIs. Jonny DeLuca also had a two-hit game for Tampa Bay. For the Nationals, Jacob Young went 2/3 with an RBI.
Zach Eflin pitched well for the Rays in this one, going six innings and striking out six without giving up a run. He picked up a win in the game, while Pete Fairbanks closed things out. Mitchell Parker had a rough outing for the Nationals, taking the loss.
Washington is 38-43 overall and trail the Phillies by 15.5 games in the NL East. The Nationals have lost four straight games and are 3-7 over their last 10. In the NL East, they are 14-10 against other teams in the division.
So far, the Nationals are 17-19 at home compared to 21-24 on the road. As the underdog, Washington is 30-36 this year, and they are 8-7 when favored. Their overall series record is 11-14-1, and they are currently losing their series vs. the Rays.
Washington is 27-18 against the run line on the road this season, but they have failed to cover in three straight road games. The Nationals are 7-8 against the run line as the favorite this season and 40-26 as the underdog. Their average run margin in winning games is +3.3, while their average run margin in losing games is -3.3.
The Washington Nationals are on the road today against the Tampa Bay Rays, and the over/under line for the game is set at 7.5 runs. The Nationals have an average combined run average of 8.4 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 37-41. When the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, their record is 11-8. Overall, 74.1% of their games this season have had over/under lines set higher than 7.5 runs.
Jake Irvin Gets The Start For The Nationals
Jake Irvin is getting the start for the Nationals today as he faces the Rays on the road. He has made 16 starts this season and has a record of 5-6 with an ERA of 3.13. Looking at his overall numbers, Irvin has a WHIP of 1.09 and has issued just 1.96 walks per nine innings compared to 7.92 strikeouts. Out of his 16 starts, Irvin has turned in 10 quality starts. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, going six innings and giving up one earned run on 10 hits. Before that, he had won two straight starts.
Nationals Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Nationals offense has been a bottom 10 unit in terms of scoring, averaging just 4.1 runs per game. They have also been one of the league’s worst home run-hitting teams and have a collective batting average of just .235. However, they do come into the game with a few hitters who have been swinging the bat well of late. CJ Abrams has gone 12/27 in his last seven games, and Jesse Winker is batting just .208 in his last nine games but does have three homers during that stretch.
For the season, Abrams is batting .278 with 12 homers, and Joey Meneses is hitting just .237 but is the team’s current leader in RBIs. Meneses has gone deep just three times this season.
Tampa Bay is currently at an even 41-41 overall and is 4th in the AL East, 11 games behind the Orioles for the division lead. So far, they have gone just 10-17 in AL East matchups. The Rays are coming off a series win over the Blue Jays and have gone 7-3 over their last 10 games.
At home, the Rays are 22-24 this year and have been a bit better on the road at 19-17. Tampa Bay has won three straight series and has an overall series record of 13-11-2 this year.
When the Rays win, they do so by an average of 2.4 runs per game, but when they lose, they lose by an average of 3.8 runs per game. That’s why their run line record is 37-45, and they are 15-31 against the run line at home. They have been better on the run line on the road, going 22-14. As the favorite, they are just 16-29 against the run line, while as the underdog, they are 21-16.
Today the Tampa Bay Rays are at home against the Washington Nationals. The over/under line for the game is set at 7.5 runs. The combined run average for Rays games this season is 8.7 runs per game. On the year, the over/under record for Tampa Bay is 41-37, and the average over/under line for their games is set at 8 runs. When the line has been set at 7.5 runs, the over/under record for Rays games is 14-10. Overall, 64.6% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 7.5 runs.
Aaron Civale Gets The Start For The Rays
Right-hander Aaron Civale gets the start for the Rays today as he faces the Nationals at home. He has made 16 starts this year and has a record of 2-5 with an ERA of 5.20. Civale has yet to pick up a win in the month of June, coming away with a no-decision in each of his last three outings. In his most recent start, he went five innings and gave up one earned run on three hits. Civale has allowed a homer in three straight outings. So far, he has turned in three quality starts and is averaging 9.07 strikeouts per nine innings.
Rays Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, the Rays offense is batting just .237 this season, which is 17th in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in scoring, home runs, and slugging percentage. However, they have done a good job of putting the ball in play, as their strikeout numbers are near the bottom of the league, and they have the 5th best BABIP in the league. Over their last nine games, both Yandy Diaz and Jose Siri have three homers, with Diaz batting .381 and Siri hitting .333.
Isaac Paredes has been a nice surprise for the Rays this season, as his 12 homers are 14th in the league and is batting .272. Yandy Diaz has been consistent all season, with a batting average of .274 and 40 RBIs, which is 2nd on the team. He is also on a 20-game hitting streak.
Nationals vs Rays Prediction
Our predicted final score for this game is 5-4 in favor of the Rays. Given that they are at -136 on the money line, this is the way we recommend playing this one. Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Aaron Civale finishing with five strikeouts compared to Jake Irvin at five.
Offensively, our projections have the Nationals finishing with seven strikeouts compared to the Rays with nine. Looking at the team’s home run potential, the Nationals are projected to finish with the fourth-fewest home runs in the league today, with the Rays coming in at 13th.
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 29, 2024 Nationals, Rays