The Tampa Bay Rays and the Washington Nationals conclude a quick two-game set on Tuesday night at Nationals Park. The Rays now have a 5 ½ game lead in the American League East with 19 games left on their schedule — and the second-place team isn’t even the Yankees anymore, as the Toronto Blue Jays have moved into second. The Nationals have not defended their World Series title well at all to this point, as they trail Atlanta by 9 ½ games in the National League East and are currently dead last in the division, four games back of the fourth-place Mets. With just a 6-13 record at Nationals Park and having dropped eight of ten heading into Monday’s action, can the Nationals get back on track?
Don’t miss our MLB betting preview of this series finale.
MLB Betting: September 8
Tampa Bay Rays at Washington Nationals Preview
Game Details
Tuesday, September 8, 2020, 6:05 pm ET
Nationals Park, Washington, DC
Probable Pitchers for the Game
Ryan Yarbrough (0-2, 3.65 ERA) (TB)
Anibal Sanchez (1-4, 6.48 ERA) (WAS)
Rays vs Nationals | Check the MLB Odds
Why should you bet on Tampa Bay?
Ryan Yarbrough has a hard-luck 0-2 record this season. In his Friday start against the Miami Marlins, he went 6 ⅔ innings, scattering four hits without allowing a single run. He struck out five and did not issue a walk…but the Rays didn’t score until after he had left the game, a 2-0 Tampa Bay win in which he did not get a decision. Yarbrough had had a difficult early going, getting shelled by the Red Sox twice and then by the Blue Jays once, but he seems to have turned the corner with a couple of dominant outings.
The Rays start a run against teams with poor winning percentages with their series in the nation’s capital. Starting Monday, they have 13 games against Washington, Boston and Baltimore. If the Rays can avoid the injury bug that has plagued so many teams — and can avoid postponements due to COVID-19 cases — they have an excellent shot to roll into the postseason with similar momentum.
Why should you put your money on the Nationals?
Anibal Sanchez has been alternating between solid starts and forgettable outings over his last four games. Four starts ago, he pitched fairly well against the Braves but gave up three runs on seven hits over five innings, and the Nats ended up losing. Then he threw seven innings of five-hit, one-run ball against the Marlins. Then the Red Sox touched him up for five runs on eight hits, including a pair of homers, but then he limited the Phillies to a run on four hits despite lasting just 3 ⅓ innings. So which Sanchez will show up on Tuesday?
Things aren’t going well for the Nationals in any sense of the game. Their general manager, of all people, was ejected from Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Braves. They seem to have given up, as they called up Carter Kieboom and installed him as the starter at third base the rest of the way. It’s hard to understand why they weren’t sellers at the trade deadline, and there’s nothing suggesting much in the way of confidence against one of Tampa Bay’s solid starters.
Final Score and Prediction
I loved watching Washington roll to a title last season, but they have not looked like champions at any point this season. I see the Rays extending the Nationals’ misery again on Tuesday night, in a 6-3 win.
Rays vs Nationals | Bet on the Game Now!
