The rubber match of a three-game series between the Washington Nationals and Tampa Bay Rays will take place on Sunday afternoon. The Washington Nationals will travel to St. Petersburg, Florida, to face the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. The game will start at 1:40 PM ET and air on Bally Sports Sun and MASN.
The Washington Nationals ended their four-game losing streak following an 8-1 win in Game 2 of the series on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays. After losing two of their last three series, they have the opportunity to win their fourth series in June with a win in Game 3 of the series on Sunday afternoon against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Nationals scored eight runs in their win against the Rays, six of which came in the 7th inning. Jesse Winker and Luis Garcia scored off a triple off the bat of Harold Ramirez.
Jake Irvin had another great start this season and improved his record to .500 on the year at 6-6 after recording his 7th quality start in his previous eight starts on the mound, lasting six innings, allowing one run, and striking out five batters in the win.
The win in Game 2 ended the Nationals' four-game losing streak against the Rays. However, Tampa Bay has outscored them by an average of 3.8 to 5.4 runs per game over the previous five games. The Washington Nationals will look to win the series with a win in Game 3 against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Tampa Bay Rays have won seven of their last ten games. However, they are coming off a 1-8 loss in Game 2 of the series at home against the Washington Nationals, with the eight runs the most given up by the Rays in their previous 12 games.
The Rays struggled to hit the ball in Game 2 of the series. They only had two hits, one of which came in the first inning. Brandon Lowe scored the only run of the game for the Rays with a one-run home run, which was also his sixth home run this season.
The Rays have been great this season. They are one game below .500 despite having won seven of their last ten games, which puts them in fourth place in the AL East. They are only ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays and four games behind the Kansas City Royals for the final AL Wild Card spot.
Tampa Bay has won two of the previous three games in the series against Washington; however, both teams have averaged 3.67 runs per game in the previous three matchups. The Tampa Bay Rays will look to win their fourth consecutive series when they host the Washington Nationals for Game 3 on Sunday afternoon.
WagerWeb lists the Tampa Bay Rays as -175 moneyline favorites at home against the Washington Nationals for Game 3 of the series on Sunday afternoon. The teams have split the previous ten meetings 5-5, with Washington outscoring Tampa Bay by an average of 5.2 to 4.8 runs per game in those matchups. The Rays have won two of the previous three meetings; however, both teams have averaged 3.67 runs per game in those matchups.
The Washington Nationals have had solid performances from their starting rotation this season with one exception, Patrick Corbin, who has been a dumpster fire this season with a record of 1-7 and an ERA of 5.46 while striking out 60 batters.
Corbin has put together three solid performances in a row, allowing three or fewer runs in three straight starts. However, he is due to regress and lost his start against the Rays last season after allowing six runs, which is why I am taking the moneyline for the Tampa Bay Rays when they host the Washington Nationals for Game 3 of the series.
