Keagan Smith gives you a preview, prediction and pick for today\u2019s game between the Washington Nationals and Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday\u2019s MLB slate.<\/p>\n
The Tampa Bay Rays got back on the right foot to an extent yesterday, beating the Washington Nationals for a much-needed win at home. On Saturday afternoon, they run things back again at the Trop as Cade Cavalli and Ian Seymour go head-to-head on the mound. Will we get an exciting battle between postseason hopefuls?<\/p>\n
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\u2019 young bats have cruised to a 39-37 record on the campaign and are clearly in the hunt for a Wild Card spot. They\u2019re still 6-4 over their last 10 games and offer plenty of upside, but the pitching did them in yesterday as Miles Mikolas gave up five earned runs on nine hits in his start. However, Washington still has a run differential of +12 and produces an MLB-best 5.38 runs per game. The club maintains a a .742 OPS that ranks fifth overall in the sport, and the full slash line reads .247\/.321\/.421 with a .285 BABIP. However, they get the benefit of facing a lefty tonight, bringing improved marks at .271\/.352\/.439 for a .791 OPS. While just 23 homers have come against southpaws, the Nats have 98 on the year in total with an overall ISO of .174 that ranks third in baseball. Plus, the plate process is perfectly fine with a 21.0% K% and 8.8% BB%.<\/p>\n
RHP Cade Cavalli was scheduled to start yesterday but missed due to illness. Today, he\u2019s healthy enough to suit up and enters with a 4-4 record through his 15 outings. He brings a 3.98 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 81 strikeouts across 74.2 IP. The bullpen\u2019s numbers are rough though, sitting 24th in ERA at 4.75 with a 1.42 WHIP and 7.5% K-BB%.<\/p>\n
Tampa Bay Rays<\/p>\n
The Rays are seeking a path back to the top of the AL East, and at 42-30, they\u2019re just three games shy of first place. They had hit a rough patch recently with the bats cooling way off in a slump that had them dead last in OPS over a two-week span heading into yesterday, but they scored five in the win and are up to a +8 run differential on the year. They average 4.44 runs per game. Tampa Bay has a .715 OPS and a slash line of .256\/.333\/.381, and the club gets the better of its splits today at .261\/.340\/.397 for a .737 OPS against right-handed pitching. That\u2019s a positive for this outing, as is a BB\/K ratio of 0.50, plus an MLB-best 18.9% K% and a 9.5% BB%. The Rays put the ball in play with a .301 BABIP, but a .126 ISO and 60 home runs mean that power is a problem for this lineup. That\u2019s certainly the biggest area in which they\u2019re lacking.<\/p>\n
LHP Ian Seymour comes out of the bullpen to start today. He has a 3-0 record with a 4.93 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP and 41 SO across 38.1 IP. He does have excellent grades in xBA and whiff rate, also keeping opponent exit velocity down. He\u2019ll likely get the first couple of innings if he\u2019s rolling, but he certainly won\u2019t pitch deep into the game. The Rays\u2019 bullpen has a 4.61 ERA that ranks 22nd with a 1.36 WHIP and 10.9% K-BB%.<\/p>\n
Nationals vs. Rays pick, best bet<\/p>\n
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Rays as -125 Moneyline favorites at home today. The Nationals are underdogs at +104 odds to win outright with the run total set at eight.<\/p>\n