The Washington Nationals and Tampa Bay Rays will conclude their short two-game series on Wednesday afternoon. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Rays-Nationals prediction and pick.
Washington took the series opener by a score of 4-3 in a solid outing from both starting pitchers. The Nationals have been on an absolute tear of late and have now won eight of their last 10 games to date. The Rays, on the other hand, have struggled of late with losses in six of their last 10 games. Tampa Bay will look to salvage the quick series and avoid slipping further down in the AL East standings.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Rays-Nationals odds.
MLB Odds: Rays-Nationals Odds
Tampa Bay Rays -1.5 (+120)
Washington Nationals +1.5 (-140)
Over 9.5 Runs (-115)
Under 9.5 Runs (-105)
Why The Rays Could Cover The Spread
The Rays have struggled recently with losses in nine of their last 13 games after their red-hot start to the season. They have fallen to 47-33 on the season and now trail the Red Sox by two games in the AL East standings.
Tampa's bats have struggled a bit recently, failing to surpass four runs in seven of their last 10 games. The Rays have been anchored by their pitching staff over the past several seasons. Although that is still the case this year, they have a plethora of key arms sitting on the IL right now.
The Rays will turn to right-hander Drew Rasmussen for the series finale. Rasmussen will be making his 19th appearance and first start of the season. He is 0-1 with a 3.48 ERA and 32 strikeouts through 20 2/3 innings of work this season. The young right-hander has been impressive over his last three appearances with no earned runs allowed through 3 2/3 innings in relief.
Why The Nationals Could Cover The Spread
The Nationals are one of the hottest teams in all of baseball right now. The Nationals are 13-3 in their last 16 games and 9-1 in their last 10 home games to date. They are now 39-38 and just three games back of the New York Mets for the lead in the NL East. Washington has been led by Kyle Schwarber, who is having a historic month of June for his club.
Washington is averaging just 3.95 runs per game on the season. This number is not an accurate depiction of what this team has done lately, though. Washington is averaging 5.5 runs per game over their last 10, thanks in large part to the sudden resurgence of the long ball. Outfielder Kyle Schwarber is putting together a historic month of June with 16 home runs just this month. He now has 25 homers and 53 RBI on the young season.
The Nationals will hand the ball to veteran left-hander Jon Lester as they look to complete the sweep. Lester has been really struggling this season with a 1-3 record and 4.99 ERA through 11 starts. He has been especially bad over his past seven starts with a 5.81 ERA through 31 innings of work. The southpaw is coming off a miserable start that saw him allow seven runs in just 2 1/3 innings against the Miami Marlins.
Final Rays-Nationals Prediction & Pick
I am going to ride the hot hand and pick the Washington Nationals to continue their hot streak at home with a win. Although Jon Lester has struggled, he has been a much better pitcher in Washington with a 1-1 record and 3.82 ERA at home. He gets to go up against a struggling Rays lineup that hasn't fared all that well against southpaws this season. Tampa Bay's struggles have certainly been alarming. Although I don't see them lasting much longer, it's hard to bet on them breaking the cold spell against a red-hot club.
FINAL PICK: Washington Nationals ML (+109)
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