Washington Nationals vs Tampa Bay Rays Betting Pick & Prediction 6/29/24

From Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, we have the Nationals and Rays facing off in an interleague matchup. This one gets started at 4:10 PM ET, and MASN will be televising it.

The over/under line is currently at 7.5 runs, and the Rays are favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -136. The Nationals have lost four straight and are 4th in the NL East, while the Rays are 4th in the AL East. Jake Irvin is starting for the Nationals, and he is facing off against Aaron Civale.

TAMPA BAY RAYS VS WASHINGTON NATIONALS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Tampa Bay Rays Moneyline -136

This game will be played at Tropicana Field at 4:10 ET on Saturday, June 29th.

HOW TO BET THE NATIONALS VS RAYS:

• We have the Rays winning by a score of 5 to 4
• However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the Nationals to cover
• As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over

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 two runs, and finished with two RBIs. Jonny DeLuca also had a two-hit game for Tampa Bay. As 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.

Nationals Records & Stats

Washington is 38-43 overall, and they are 15.5 games behind the Phillies in the NL East. The Nationals have dropped four straight games, and they lost the series opener vs. the Rays. So far, they have gone 14-10 in divisional games.

At home, the Nationals are 17-19 this year and 21-24 on the road. As the underdog, Washington is 30-36 this year, and they are 8-7 as the favorite. The Nationals have dropped four straight on the road, and they are 11-14-1 in series this year. Over the last 10 games, the Nationals are just 3-7.

Washington is 47-34 against the run line this season, including a 27-18 mark on the road. The Nationals have been favored in 15 games and have covered the run line in seven of those contests. They are 40-26 against the run line as an underdog. Washington’s average run margin in its wins is +3.3, while it’s -3.3 in losses.

The Washington Nationals are on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays today, with the over/under line set at 7.5 runs. The combined run average for Nationals games this season is 8.4, 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 have had higher over/under lines than 7.5 runs.

Jake Irvin gets 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 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. The right-hander has been much better on the road, coming in with a record of 4-1 and an ERA of 2.57 compared to 1-5 with a 4.60 ERA at home.

Washington’s offense has been one of the worst in the league this season, averaging just 4.1 runs per game (20th). They are also near the bottom of the league in home runs and have a collective batting average of just .235. However, they do have a few hitters who have been swinging the bat well of late, including CJ Abrams, who is hitting .444 over his last seven games and is 2nd on the team with 40 RBIs.

Jesse Winker has been one of the Nationals’ top power threats this season, with a team-high 12 home runs, but he is hitting just .260 for the year and has gone just 5/24 in his last nine games. Joey Meneses has driven in the most runs for the Nationals this season but is batting just .237.

Rays Records & Stats

The Rays are 41-41 overall, and they are 11 games behind the Orioles for the AL East lead. Tampa Bay will also be looking to close the 2.5-game gap between them and the Yankees for the second Wild Card spot. So far, they have gone just 10-17 in AL East games this year.

At home, the Rays are 22-24 and have gone 19-17 on the road. Tampa Bay has won three straight series, and their overall series record is 13-11-2 this year. As the home favorite, the Rays are 16-15 this year and 24-21 overall as the favorite.

When it comes to betting the run line, the Rays have been a better bet on the road this season, going 22-14 compared to 15-31 at home. Overall, Tampa Bay is 37-45 against the run line this season, with an average run margin of -0.7 runs per game. The Rays have been an underdog in 37 games this season, going 21-16 against the run line, compared to 16-29 as the favorite. In games they win, the Rays’ average run margin is +2.4, while it drops to -3.8 in games they lose.

When the Tampa Bay Rays play at home, the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs for their game against the Washington Nationals. The combined run average for Rays home games this season is 8.7 runs, and their over/under record is 41-37. The average over/under line for their games is 8 runs, and when the line is set at 7.5 runs, their over/under record is 14-10. So far this season, 64.6% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 7.5 runs.

Tampa Bay is sending Aaron Civale to the mound today vs. the Nationals, and he will be looking to pitch better than he did in his last outing, where he finished with a no-decision. Against the Pirates, Civale went five innings, giving up one earned run on three hits. Looking back over his last three outings, he has finished with a no-decision in each one. Civale has made 16 starts this year and has a record of 2-5 with a 5.20 ERA. Opponents are batting .266 off the right-hander this season. So far, he has turned in three quality starts and is averaging 9.07 strikeouts per nine innings.

Yandy Diaz has been the Rays’ best hitter so far this season, as he is batting .274 and is currently on a 20-game hitting streak. Over his last nine games, he has gone 16/42 with three homers and 10 RBIs. Jose Siri has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 10/30 with three homers in his last nine games, and he is batting just .219 for the season.

As a team, the Rays are 23rd in scoring at 4 runs per game and have been even worse at home, averaging just 3.8 runs per contest. Collectively, they are batting .237 and are near the bottom of the league in both slugging percentage and on-base percentage.