Chris Archer (7-4, 2.00 ERA) takes the hill for the Tampa Bay Rays (37-30) as they square off against Doug Fister (2-2, 4.31 ERA) and the Washington Nationals (34-32) in the second of a two-game series at Nationals Park. The Rays won the last game 5-0 and Tampa Bay leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 7:05 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jun. 18 and can be seen on SunSports and MASN.
Fister is 2-3 with a 2.88 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 22 strikeouts against the Rays. Denard Span (.303, 28 Rs, 5 HRs, 20 RBIs, 6 SBs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run and one RBI. Against the Nationals, Archer is 0-1 with a 1.50 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, and seven strikeouts. David DeJesus (.301, 18 Rs, 5 HRs, 20 RBIs, 2 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Rays, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run.
Tampa Bay takes on Washington as a -120 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at seven runs. The Nationals have an overall money line of -362 and a record as the underdog of 7-10. In interleague play, they have a 3-4 record when they were the underdog and 6-6 SU. Washington is one of the best in the NL in terms of walks, earning an average of 3.2 per game. Washington’s pitchers fall apart when American League teams are on the field. Its average runs allowed per game rises to 5.4 against AL teams, compared to its 4.3 season average.
In games where it is the favorite, Tampa Bay has a 18-14 record and an overall money line of +488. They played solid baseball as the favorite over their last 10 games with a 5-2 record, and a 6-4 record SU. Offensively, the Rays have really picked up the pace in interleague games. They have exceeded their season average of 3.7 runs per game by averaging 5.0 in those contests. Tampa Bay’s pitching staff has set the standard for its league, with an AL-low 3.00 ERA on the road. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Rays are the best in the AL on the road with an average of 7.4 hits allowed per away game. The Rays have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an AL-best 7.9 strikeouts per road game, making them one of the top five teams in the league.
The Rays lead the season series, 2-1. The Nationals have a 25-27 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Archer takes the mound. Fister (RHP) will be on the hill against the Rays, who have a 22-22 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – TB, O/U – Over
Notes
Washington recorded at least two errors for the seventh time this season.
The Nationals are 4-1 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Rays are 2-2 in such matchups.
The Rays are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Nationals have a 9-15 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Rays are 25-5. The Nationals have a 25-2 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 26th, Tampa Bay sits near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 251 this season. Washington ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 289.
Ranking 17th, Tampa Bay is in the bottom half of the league in walks, notching 183 this season. Washington ranks in the top 10 at eighth with 208.
The Nationals are 25-14 when they hit at least one home run. The Rays perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 25-16 record.
