Tampa Bay Rays (3-0) vs. Washington Nationals (1-2)
April 3, 2023 7:05 pm EDT
The Line: Washington Nationals +130 / Tampa Bay Rays -167; Over/Under: +7.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Tampa Bay Rays and Washington Nationals meet Monday in MLB action at Nationals Park. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.
The Tampa Bay Rays have scored 21 runs in their first 3 games and 4 or more runs in all 3 games. The Rays have won 11 straight games when scoring 4 or more runs. Wander Franco leads the Rays with 7 hits and 4 RBI, while Jose Siri and Randy Arozarena have combined for 6 hits and 8 RBI. Drew Rasmussen gets the ball, and he was 11-7 with a 2.84 ERA and 125 strikeouts last season. This will be Rasmussen’s second career game against the Nationals.
The Washington Nationals have scored 7 runs in their first 3 games, and 3 or fewer runs in 2 of those contests. The Nationals have lost 8 straight games when scoring 3 or fewer runs. Lane Thomas leads the Nationals with 5 hits, while Keibert Ruiz and Dominic Smith have combined for 7 hits and 3 RBI. Trevor Williams gets the ball, and he was 3-5 with a 3.21 ERA and 84 strikeouts last season. This will be Williams’ second career game against the Rays.
The Rays are 0-7 in their last 7 road games and 3-7 in their last 10 overall. The Nationals are 16-39 in their last 55 home games and 27-61 in their last 88 overall. The under is 8-2 in Rays last 10 overall. The over is 6-2 in Nationals last 8 overall. The Rays are 0-6 in the last 6 meetings in Washington and 1-4 in the last 5 meetings.
The Washington Nationals are likely going to be one of the worst teams in baseball this season, and their first series did nothing to change that belief. Trevor Williams doesn’t have the sample size to lean me toward the plus money. The Tampa Bay Rays are on fire out the gate, and Drew Rasmussen was sharp last season. Not stepping in front of the Rays. Give me the road team and the reasonable price.
