Tampa Bay Looks to Continue Strong Play at Home vs Washington

The Tampa Bay Rays are 8-1 in their last nine home games. The Rays will try to keep things rolling at home with a win Tuesday night in the first game of a two-game series against the Washington Nationals.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The Rays opened as -190 favorites over the Nationals and have received enough betting action to bump the line up to Tampa Bay -210. Washington is going off at +190 to pull off the upset and the total has settled in at 7.5 runs since Sportsbook at 7 runs. The Nationals are 5-2 in their last seven games against American League opponents.

Starting Pitchers Analysis

Jon Lester pitched well last Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves, allowing only five hits and one earned run across 5.2 innings in a 5-3 National victory. Lester’s 4.37 ERA and 1.43 WHIP have been marred by a few bad starts; the veteran has allowed one run or none in four of his seven trips to the mound this season.

Tyler Glasnow sports a 2.69 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP through 77 innings. Glasnow ranks second in the majors in strikeouts with 106 behind only Shane Bieber’s 117. The 27-year-old has struggled against the Nationals in the past with a 7.53 ERA and a 2.02 WHIP in five career appearances against Washington.

Washington News & Notes

The Nationals scored six runs on Sunday but fell short in a 12-6 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. Washington ranks 25th in the majors in runs scored with only 3.84 per game, so letting a solid offensive effort go to waste hurts. Trea Turner has been the only bright spot in this lineup in 2021 with a .311 batting average, 31 runs, 10 home runs, 29 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.

Washington fell to 24-32 on the season with the loss. The Nationals were still in the thick of a tight race in the National League East as recently as late May with a 21-24 record, but their recent 3-8 skid has dropped them to seven games back of the division-leading New York Mets.

Tampa Bay News & Notes

The Rays trailed 1-0 heading into the eighth inning on Sunday before scoring three runs in the eighth and four runs in the ninth to leave Texas with a 7-1 win over the Rangers. Austin Meadows had two hits and two RBIs in the victory as Tampa Bay improved to 38-23. Tampa Bay has the best road record in baseball at 23-10.

Meadows carries a 10-game hitting streak into Tuesday night’s game. The 26-year-old has raised his batting average from .215 to .248 over the 10-game span and has gone 15-for-38 with 11 runs, five homers and 19 RBIs. Meadows has helped power a Rays offense that ranks fourth in the majors with 4.95 runs per game.

Betting Pick: Tampa Bay -210

Tampa Bay is hitting the ball well and sending its ace to the mound. The Rays are worth their chalky price in this spot.