The Washington Nationals (53-80) will host the Tampa Bay Rays (64-69), Friday at 6:45 p.m. ET, with both teams on losing streaks — five and two straight, respectively.
The Nationals play as a home underdog (+118) versus the Rays (-140). The Tampa Bay Rays will give the start to Adrian Houser (7-4, 2.88 ERA), who is looking for win No. 8 on the season, and the Nationals will counter with Mitchell Parker (7-14, 6.01 ERA).
The Nationals were defeated by the Yankees 11-2 Wednesday. Andres Chaparro led the way offensively after going 1 for 3 with a home run and an RBI in the defeat, while Cade Cavalli took the loss on the mound, throwing 2 1/3 innings, giving up seven earned runs on eight hits while striking out four.
Prepare for the Rays vs. Nationals with everything you need to know before Friday’s game, including viewing options.
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Washington Nationals odds, line and spread
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Thursday at 6:16 p.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
Favorite: Rays (-140, bet $140 to win $100)Underdog: Nationals (+118, bet $100 to win $118)Over/under: 9Rays vs. Nationals: Game time and live stream infoGame day: Friday, August 29, 2025Game time: 6:45 p.m. ETLocation: Washington D.C.Stadium: Nationals ParkTV channel: MASN and FDSSUNLive stream: Watch LIVE with Fubo! (Regional restrictions may apply)
Watch Rays vs. Nationals on Fubo!
Rays stats and trendsRays betting recordsThe Rays have been favorites in 64 games this season and won 37 (57.8%) of those contests.Tampa Bay has a record of 16-15 in games when oddsmakers favor them by at least -140 on the moneyline.The Rays have a 58.3% chance to win this game based on the implied probability of the moneyline.Tampa Bay and its opponents have hit the over in 56 of its 133 games with a total this season.The Rays are 59-74-0 ATS in their 133 games with a spread this season.Adrian Houser (Rays probable starter)Houser (7-4) gets the starting nod for the Rays in his 16th start of the season. He has a 2.88 ERA in 90 2/3 innings pitched, with 62 strikeouts.In his last time out on Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals, the righty went 6 1/3 innings, allowing four earned runs while surrendering six hits.In 15 games this season, the 32-year-old has put up a 2.88 ERA and 6.2 strikeouts per nine innings, while allowing a batting average of .263 to opposing hitters.Houser has collected nine quality starts this year.Houser is aiming for his sixth straight appearance lasting five or more innings. He averages 6.0 frames per appearance on the hill.He has had five appearances this season in which he did not allow an earned run.He will face a Nationals offense that ranks 22nd in the league with 565 runs while batting .243 as a unit. It has a collective .387 slugging percentage (23rd in MLB play) and has hit a total of 126 home runs (28th in MLB).Rays batting statsThe Rays’ 149 home runs rank 17th in Major League Baseball.Fueled by 365 extra-base hits, Tampa Bay ranks 16th in MLB with a .401 slugging percentage this season.The Rays’ .251 batting average is among the best in baseball, ranking eighth in MLB.Tampa Bay ranks 14th in the majors with 596 total runs scored this season.The Rays have an OBP of .314 this season, which ranks 18th in MLB.Tampa Bay ranks 18th with an average of 8.6 strikeouts per game.Nationals stats and trendsNationals betting recordsThe Nationals have come away with 49 wins in the 116 contests they have been listed as the underdogs in this season.Washington has a mark of 34-53 in contests where sportsbooks favor it by +118 or worse on the moneyline.The moneyline set for this matchup implies the Nationals have a 45.9% chance of coming away with a victory in the contest.Washington and its opponents have hit the over in 66 of its 132 games with a total set by oddsmakers this season.In 132 games with a line this season, the Nationals have a mark of 65-67-0 against the spread.Mitchell Parker (Nationals probable starter)The Nationals are sending Parker (7-14) to the mound to make his 27th start of the season. He is 7-14 with a 6.01 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 134 2/3 innings pitched.In his most recent time out on Saturday, the lefty tossed five innings against the Philadelphia Phillies, allowing six earned runs while surrendering six hits.The 25-year-old has amassed a 6.01 ERA and 5.8 strikeouts per nine innings during 26 games this season, while allowing a batting average of .276 to opposing batters.Parker has nine quality starts under his belt this season.Parker will look to record his 19th game of five or more innings pitched this season. He’s averaging 5.2 innings per appearance.In three of his 26 total appearances this season he has not surrendered an earned run.The opposing Rays offense has the 16th-ranked slugging percentage (.401) and ranks 17th in home runs hit (149) in all of MLB. They have a collective .251 batting average, and are 13th in the league with 1129 total hits and 14th in MLB play scoring 596 runs.Among qualifying pitchers in MLB play this season, the 25-year-old’s 6.01 ERA ranks 56th, 1.493 WHIP ranks 56th, and 5.8 K/9 ranks 56th.Nationals batting statsThe Nationals have hit 126 home runs this season, the third-lowest total in MLB play.This season, Washington is 23rd in the majors, slugging .387.The Nationals rank 20th in MLB with a .243 batting average.Averaging 4.2 runs per game (565 total), Washington is the 22nd-highest scoring team in the majors.The Nationals’ .309 on-base percentage ranks 21st in baseball.