Tampa Bay Rays vs Washington Nationals Picks and Predictions June 28th 2024

Resurgent Rays Set to Set Winning Ways Facing Nationals

The Tampa Bay Rays vs Washington Nationals have arrived at the midpoint of the 2024 season, and after a rough beginning, the group appears to be ready briefly half. Supervisor Kevin Money’s crew will start their serious push for a 6th in a row postseason billet on Friday night, facilitating the Washington Nationals in the opener of a three-game series in St. Petersburg, Florida.

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Recent Performance

The Rays have been on a roll, winning seven of their past ten games. This recent success has helped them recover from being at the bottom of the American League East less than two weeks ago. Currently in fourth place, the Rays are looking up at the Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and first-place New York Yankees, with 81 games remaining and sitting just one game under .500.

Last Game Recap

In their last outing on Wednesday against Seattle, the Rays’ bats fell silent. The Mariners rallied for five unanswered runs, taking a four-run lead. Despite loading the bases with no outs in the ninth inning, Tampa Bay only managed one run before a double play ended the game in a 5-2 defeat, spoiling their chance for a series sweep. The Rays started their six-game, seven-day homestand with a 2-1 record.

Manager Kevin Cash on the Team’s Performance

“We’ve got to play better,” Cash said. “I think we’ve done some better things here of late. We’ve set ourselves back a little bit, and now we have to make up for it in the second half.”

Player Updates

Brandon Lowe

Cash mentioned that Brandon Lowe, who has been dealing with illness and a broken toe, might be available for the weekend after missing the past four games.

Yandy Diaz

Yandy Diaz is on fire, currently riding a 19-game hitting streak, tying the franchise record set by Jason Bartlett in 2019. Diaz is also tied for the franchise record with an RBI in eight consecutive games, matching the marks set by Rocco Baldelli, Carlos Pena, Evan Longoria, and Ben Zobrist. Additionally, Diaz has reached base in 28 straight games, a career-best run for him.

Nationals Update

The Nationals will bring a familiar face back to Tampa Bay with Harold Ramirez. The Rays designated Ramirez for assignment on June 7, and Washington signed him just over a week later. After a minor-league stint, he was called up and arrived in San Diego on Monday.

Regarding Harold Ramirez, Nationals manager Dave Martinez stated

“He loves swinging the bat.” He’s a decent partner, I’ve seen him conversing with everyone and stuff. He’s been good, then. He’ll get some at-bats from us, which should hopefully get him going. He can, I know, drive the ball. We will require him.”

Ramirez went 1-for-4 in his initial beginning as the assigned hitter on Wednesday, yet the Nationals were cleared in the three-game series at San Diego, falling 8-5 in the last game.

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Pitching Matchup

Mitchell Parker

Nationals left-hander Mitchell Parker (5-3, 3.30 Period) will show up against the Rays. Parker has a 3.07 Period in June however has just dealt with a 1-1 record in five beginnings.

Zach Eflin

The Rays will counter with right-hander Zach Eflin (3-5, 4.20 Period) in his fifteenth trip of the time. Eflin has not won since May 13 and will make his 13th appearance (and 12th start) against Washington. In those games, he has a 5.13 earned run average and a record of 4-5.

Series History

The unequaled series between the Rays and Nationals is tied at 20-20. The Rays procured a three-game scope in their matchup last year.
Conclusion This series against the Nationals provides the Rays with a chance to build momentum as they continue their revival. The two groups have something to demonstrate, and fans can expect an interesting series as Tampa Inlet intends to climb further up the standings and Washington hopes to say something.