Tampa Bay Rays vs Washington Nationals Prediction, 9/8/2020 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Tampa Bay Rays vs Washington Nationals

Date: Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Location: Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

TV: MASN/SUN

Odds/Point Spread: Rays (-140) Nationals (+130)

Nationals Park is the site where Victor Robles and the Washington Nationals (14-25, 5th in NL East) will play the Tampa Bay Rays (28-13, 1st in AL East) on Tuesday. The Nationals open this matchup at +130 while the Rays are priced at -140. The total opens at 9.5. The men taking the mound are Ryan Yarbrough and Anibal Sanchez.

Key Tampa Bay Rays Injuries

9/7/2020 Mike Zunino C Oblique Expected to be out until at least Sep 12
9/6/2020 Ryan Yarbrough SP Groin Expected to be out until at least Sep 8
9/6/2020 Cody Reed RP Finger Probable for Sep 7
9/5/2020 Oliver Drake RP Biceps Expected to be out until at least Sep 10
9/4/2020 Jose Alvarado RP Shoulder Out for the season
8/31/2020 Yandy Diaz 3B Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Sep 11
8/29/2020 Jalen Beeks RP Elbow Out for the season
8/29/2020 Chaz Roe RP Elbow Out for the season
8/22/2020 Yonny Chirinos SP Elbow Out for the season
8/13/2020 Andrew Kittredge RP Elbow Out for the season
7/21/2020 Colin Poche RP Elbow Out for the season

Key Washington Nationals Injuries

9/6/2020 Luis Garcia 2B Heel Probable for Sep 7
9/4/2020 Juan Soto LF Elbow Probable for Sep 7
9/2/2020 Javy Guerra RP Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Sep 12
8/29/2020 Starlin Castro 2B Wrist Out for the season
8/24/2020 Seth Romero RP Hand Out for the season
8/22/2020 Stephen Strasburg SP Hand Out for the season
8/18/2020 Sam Freeman RP Elbow Out for the season
8/13/2020 Roenis Elias RP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 15
6/29/2020 Adrian Sanchez 3B Achilles Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Rays have a 28-13 overall record this season. Yarbrough has thrown 326 innings and is sitting with 271 K's in his career. His earned run average is 3.98 (144 ER's allowed) and his career WHIP is 1.150. He has allowed 296 base hits (8.2 hits per 9 innings) and has had 79 free passes. Yarbrough (27-14 win-loss record in his career) is the owner of a FIP of 3.97 and he has gone up against 1,346 opposing batters in the majors. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.75 and they have given up 170 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .215 against the bullpen and they've struck out 188 hitters and walked 68 batters. As a team, Tampa Bay allows 8.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.5 batters per nine innings. They are 7th in the league in team earned run average at 3.76. The Rays pitchers collectively have given up 333 base hits and 152 earned runs. They have allowed 52 home runs this season, ranking them 14th in the league. Tampa Bay as a pitching staff has walked 125 batters and struck out 385. They have walked 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.26 and their FIP as a unit is 4.06.

Related: How to Bet Parlays

Hitting Statistics

As a team Tampa Bay is hitting .241, good for 18th in the league. The Rays hold a .435 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .332, which is good for 9th in baseball. They rank 16th in MLB with 8.0 hits per game. Kevin Kiermaier is hitting .224 with an on-base percentage of .339. He has 22 hits this season in 98 at bats with 17 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .388 and an OPS+ of 102. Willy Adames is hitting .302 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .376. He has totaled 38 hits and he has driven in 15 men in 126 at bats. His OPS+ is 152 while his slugging percentage is at .548. The Rays have 328 hits, including 80 doubles and 56 home runs. Tampa Bay has walked 177 times so far this season and they have struck out 391 times as a unit. They have left 280 men on base and have a team OPS of .768. They score 5.1 runs per contest and have scored a total of 209 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Washington has a 14-25 overall mark this year. In his MLB career, Sanchez has given up 1,885 hits while he has tallied 1,707 K's in 1,928 innings. He has allowed 862 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.312 and a FIP of 4.0. He has a SO/W ratio of 2.65 and he has gone up against 8,229 hitters during his pro baseball career. Sanchez (109-112 career mark) is the owner of a 4.02 earned run average while allowing 8.8 hits per 9 innings. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.56 and they have given up 137 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .210 against the Nationals bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 155 batters and walked 73 opposing hitters. As a team, Washington allows 10 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings. They are 27th in the league in team earned run average at 5.27. The Nationals pitchers as a team have surrendered 367 base knocks and 193 earned runs this season. They have given up 64 home runs this year, which ranks 3rd in Major League Baseball. Washington as a staff has walked 142 hitters and struck out 322 batters. They give up a walk 3.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.54 while their FIP as a staff is 5.12.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .266, good for 4th in the league. The Nationals hold a .438 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .332, which is good for 11th in baseball. They rank 8th in MLB with 8.9 hits per contest. Victor Robles comes into this matchup batting .256 with an OBP of .326. He has 30 hits this year along with 12 RBI in 117 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .342 with an OPS+ of 78. Adam Eaton is hitting .221 this season and he has an OBP of .277. He has collected 29 hits in 131 at bats while driving in 15 runs. He has an OPS+ of 71 and a slugging percentage of .374. The Nationals as a unit have 348 base hits, including 68 doubles and 47 homers. Washington has walked 116 times this year and they have struck out on 297 occasions. They have had 266 men left on base and have an OPS of .771. They have scored 4.72 runs per game and totaled 184 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Rays/Nationals MLB game against the spread?

Parlays Pundit's Pick: Take the Nationals (+130) and over 9.5 runs

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here