ODDS ANALYSIS
The Tampa Bay Rays took over sole possession of first place in the AL East with their 6-1 home win Monday over the Nationals and the series shifts to our nation’s capital for the first of two games in Nationals Park.
Tampa Bay is a steady road play going 18-13 in away games up 6.13 units on the moneyline. The Rays are 7-3 in their last 10 road games up 4.44 units with the under at 6-3-1 in that span and 21-9-1 overall.
The Nationals have gone into a slide and seem to be treading water until they get some of their guns back in the lineup. Their loss at Tampa on Monday dropped them to 5-12 in their last 17, putting them further behind the Mets in the NL East standings. The Nats are 16-12 at home but their last homestand produced just two wins in seven games. The Nats are just 1-3 in the last four games started by Jordan Zimmerman.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Matt Andriese (1-1, 3.76 ERA) picked up his first Major League win in his first appearance since May 14 allowing two unearned runs on six hits in 5.2 inning with five strikeouts against the White Sox on Friday. He started in place of Jake Odorizzi, who is on the DL.
This will be Andriese’s first career interleague start and first appearance against the Nationals. In two outings on the road – one start – he owns a 3.86 ERA.
Jordan Zimmerman (5-4, 3.74 ERA) looks to rebound from his worst outing of the season when he allowed six runs and nine hits over 3.1 innings in a loss to the Brewers on Friday. It was the second time he failed to complete four innings of work and he’s allowed 10 runs in his last two outings with an ERA of 10.80 going 0-2.
Zimmerman’s only appearance against the Rays came in his 10th career start when he gave up a run and four hits in five innings getting a no-decision at Tampa on June 13, 2009.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“When guys are throwing 90-mph fastballs right down the middle ... I’m not able to pull the trigger, or I’m swinging at sliders in the dirt and not hitting balls I can hit. That’s what’s on my mind; the mental grind. I’ve been in this situation. It’s tough, but I’ve been through a lot of rain storms and every time they brought sun.” – Nationals’ shortstop Ian Desmond battling through a 6-for-60 slump.
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
As Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond continues to battle through a horrendous slump, the team is following along with him. Desmond continues to put in the work but he has just six hits in 60 at-bats with 24 strikeouts in the past 16 games. He went 0 for 4 on Monday, giving him 16 straight hitless at-bats, with a strikeout and has fanned 11 times in those ABs. Meanwhile, manager Matt Williams tried to give Desmond a different look, slotting him in the No. 9 spot for Monday’s game. “If anything is bothering me, it’s that I’m not doing the things I can do to help the team,” he said. “I want to come out and be a threat like I’ve been over the last three years.”
PROP TALK
Another former San Diego player blossoming out of Petco Park, Rays’ second baseman Logan Forsythe has taken over as the cleanup hitter in the Tampa Bay lineup. Forsythe has been a big part of an offense that has struggled most of the season. His three hits Monday against the Nats raised his average to .271 for a team that hits .241, and his two RBIs increased his team leading total to 30 for a team that scores 3.7 runs per game.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Nationals were supposed to have the dominant rotation and threaten to win 100 games this season. Instead the Nats are waiting for Doug Fister and Steven Strasburg to return from the DL and Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmerman to find some consistency. Washington’s offense suffered a blow when Ryan Zimmerman went on the DL with a foot injury, joining Jayson Werth. Bryce Harper was plunked over the weekend and sat out a game but returned to the lineup after missing only one game. It’s been a turbulent ride for the Nationals while the Rays continue to make noise with a roster void of big name players. With their depth tested the Nats are still a good team and even better at home. They pull out the victory over the stubborn Rays.
Washington 5, Tampa Bay 3
The MLB odds for this game will be available first at BookMaker Sportsbook. Gamble on the game between every half inning with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen in the next at-bat or how many runs will be scored in the next inning. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! First pitch for the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Washington Nationals is scheduled for Wednesday, June 17, 2015, at 7:05 p.m. ET at Nationals Park. The matchup will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
