Tampa Bay Rays vs. Washington Nationals – 9/16/20 MLB Pick, Odds, and Prediction
2020-09-16 13:10:00 EDT
The Washington Nationals and the Tampa Bay Rays meet Wednesday in MLB action from Tropicana Field.
This will be the second installment of a quick two-game series between these teams this week. In the opener on Tuesday, Tampa Bay scored twice in the second inning and four more times in the fifth to cruise on a 6-1 victory and take an early edge in the set. Check back all season long for free MLB picks and MLB predictions at Sports Chat Place.
The Nationals managed seven hits (and an error) in the Tuesday game, but could only muster one run for their trouble. Garcia and Kieboom each had two hits to lead the offense, and starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez went 4.1 innings with seven hits and six earned. With the loss, Sanchez dropped to 2-5 on the 2020 campaign.
For the Wednesday game, the Nationals will send Austin Voth out to the mound for the start. Over eight starts this season, Voth is 0-5 with a 7.99 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 32.2 innings of work. On his MLB career, Voth is 3-7 with a 5.48 ERA and 82 Ks in 88.2 innings total.
Over on the Rays’ side, Ryan Yarbrough did most of the heavy lifting on the mound with 5.2 innings, five hits, one earned and five strikeouts in the Tuesday win. Nate Lowe posted a solo homer, two hits and two RBI, while Manuel Margot had two hits, one run and one RBI of his own.
In the Wednesday starting pitcher role, it looks like the Rays will be sending out Josh Fleming. This season, Fleming holds a 3-0 record and a 4.12 ERA in four starts.
The Nationals are 4-0 in their last four interleague games versus a left-handed starter and 11-3 in their last 14 interleague road games. Washington is 6-14 in the last 20 overall and 31-14 in their last 45 versus a team with a winning record.
Meanwhile, the Rays are 4-0 in their last four Wednesday games and 7-1 in their last eight interleague home games. Tampa Bay is 24-9 in their last 33 overall and 39-15 in their last 54 home games. The over is 8-1 in the Rays’ last nine interleague home games and 6-1 in their last seven home games.
Pick: I’m going to stick with the Rays here. Washington has shut down any aspirations of being a decent team in this strange season, and they’re basically just checking out the roster at this point. Voth has been pretty uneven this season to say the least, but he was at least okay line-wise in his last start Thursday against Atlanta, giving up three runs on two hits in 4.1 innings. Tampa should be in full control here, though.
