In the first of a two-game series between the Tampa Bay Rays (35-29) and the Washington Nationals (35-29) at Tropicana Field, Erasmo Ramirez (5-2, 4.96 ERA) and Gio Gonzalez (4-3, 4.42 ERA) take the mound. The game gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET on Monday, Jun. 15 and will air on MASN2 and SunSports.
In his most recent outing, Ramirez pitched 5.0 innings, giving up two runs and striking out three in a 4-2 victory over the Angels. David DeJesus (.301, 17 Rs, 5 HRs, 20 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one run and one stolen base. In his career against the Rays, Gonzalez is 2-1 with a 4.37 ERA. He meets a less-than-stellar Tampa Bay offense that’s batting just .240. Bryce Harper (.343, 48 Rs, 21 HRs, 51 RBIs, 3 SBs) has been doing well offensively for the Nationals, going 3 for 3 yesterday with one run and two RBIs.
Tampa Bay is a slight underdog (+105) and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at seven runs. The Rays are 17-16 as the underdog and have an overall money line of +387. They come into the game with notable records of 3-1 as the underdog and 3-2 SU against the National League. Tampa Bay has averaged 5.0 runs per game during interleague play, higher than its season average of 3.7. Tampa Bay’s pitchers struggle against teams that play in the National League. The Rays have given up an average of 4.0 runs to opponents from the NL, well over their defense’s season average of 3.5 runs per game. The Rays don’t allow many hitters to get on base, ranking third in the league with a 1.19 WHIP. An area where the Rays are particularly strong is striking batters out, where they average 8.5 K’s per game.
Moving on to the opposing team, the Nationals come into this game with a win percentage of .553 when playing as the favorite (26-21) and an overall money line of -477. They have played poorly when rated as favorite as of late. They managed a 1-5 record when playing as the favorite and an SU record of 3-7. Washington has an eye for the strike zone on the road, ranking 3.3 in the NL with second walks per game. Washington’s pitching staff tends to perform poorly when they play competition from the AL. They’ve allowed an average of 5.5 runs per game against teams from the AL, higher than their season average of 4.3. They also allow just 2.5 hits per road game, good for third in the NL. They also have some of the most overpowering arms in the NL with an average of 7.8 strikeouts per road game.
This game will feature Gonzalez (LHP) on the mound against the Rays, who have a 12-8 record when they take on a left-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Nationals will be the right-hander Ramirez. They sport a 23-26 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – TB, O/U – Over
Notes
Tampa Bay has won 54% (13-11) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Washington has won 55% (17-14) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Rays are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Nationals have a 2-8 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Nationals are 6-28. The Rays have a 7-20 record when opponents outhit them.
Tampa Bay ranks in the bottom half of the league at 16th when it comes to home runs, hitting 57 this season. Washington ranks in the top 10 at eighth with 67.
Ranking 13th, Tampa Bay is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.00 per game. Washington ranks in the top 10 at 10th with 8.44.
Ranking 24th, Tampa Bay is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.684). Washington ranks in the top half at 12th with an OPS of .720.
When the Nationals allow at least one home run, they are 9-17. When the Rays allow one or more homers, they have a 15-21 record.
