Keagan Smith gives you a preview, prediction and pick for today\u2019s game between the Washington Nationals and Tampa Bay Rays on Friday\u2019s MLB slate.<\/p>\n
Did anyone have the Tampa Bay Rays and Washington Nationals competing for the MLB Postseason on their bingo cards? It\u2019s June 19 and both these teams have winning records, but the ways they\u2019ve gotten there are completely different. On Friday evening, this pitching-reliant Rays group squares off against the Nats\u2019 formidable offense, setting up a fun battle at the Trop.<\/p>\n
As the new series begins tonight at 7:40 p.m. ET, here\u2019s a betting prediction and pick for this Nationals vs. Rays matchup courtesy of MLB odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook.<\/p>\n
Nationals vs. Rays prediction, preview<\/p>\n
Washington Nationals<\/p>\n
The Nats are perhaps the most fun team in the entire MLB this season. With a group of talented young bats, they\u2019ve cruised to a 39-36 record on the campaign with a +15 run differential, also going 6-4 over their last 10 games. The upside of this offense is immense, and if they can get the pitching figured out, we could be looking at a future power in the NL. Washington produces an MLB-best 5.43 runs per game with a .744 OPS that ranks fifth overall. The full slash line reads .247\/.323\/.421 with a .287 BABIP; tonight, the group faces a RHP with a split of .238\/.311\/.414 for a .725 OPS against similar handedness. It may be the lower of their splits, but the Nationals do have 73 of their 96 homers against righties. The club\u2019s .174 ISO comes in at fourth in the sport, but a composite speed score of 6.0 also leads all other teams, too. Plus, a 21.0% K% and 8.9% BB% are solid-enough marks. <\/p>\n
RHP Cade Cavalli was scheduled to start for the Nats today but has now been scratched due to illness. A new starter is currently TBD, but this section will be updated when the announcement is made. The bullpen\u2019s numbers aren\u2019t great though, sitting 24th in ERA at 4.71 with a 1.42 WHIP and 7.5% K-BB%.<\/p>\n
Tampa Bay Rays<\/p>\n
The Rays have dropped from the top spot in the AL East after a few rough weeks in June, now sitting 41-30 with a +5 run differential. However, momentum is not on their side after going 4-6 over their last 10 and dropping both of their last two series \u2014 one to the Angels and the other to the Dodgers. Their offense is good with 4.44 runs per game, but doesn\u2019t quite have the elite upside of today\u2019s opponent. Tampa Bay has a .713 OPS and a slash line of .255\/.333\/.379, and the club gets the better of its lefty\/righty splits today at .259\/.339\/.393 for a .732 cumulative mark against right-handed pitching. That\u2019s a positive, as is a BB\/K ratio of 0.50 fueled by an MLB-best 19.1% K% and a 9.6% BB%. A .301 BABIP is nice to see, but a .124 ISO and 58 home runs this year leave much to be desired in terms of power. That\u2019s the biggest weakness of this team by far, but they have hit 45 of those off a RHP.<\/p>\n
RHP Griffin Jax gets the starting nod for Tampa Bay today. He\u2019s 1-5 across 20 games and nine starts. His numbers include a 3.68 ERA, a 1.36 WHIP and 41 SO in 44.0 IP. He\u2019s forced ground balls at an above-average rate and has seen positive results in terms of chase and whiff rate as well. The Rays\u2019 bullpen has a 4.67 ERA that ranks 22nd with a 1.37 WHIP and 10.9% K-BB%.<\/p>\n
Nationals vs. Rays pick, best bet<\/p>\n
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Rays as -126 Moneyline favorites at home today. The Rays are underdogs at +104 odds to win outright with the run total set at eight.<\/p>\n