The Tampa Bay Rays (65-69) take on the Washington Nationals (53-81), who will be trying to snap a six-game losing skid, Saturday at 4:05 p.m. ET, at Nationals Park.
As the favorite, the Rays (-146 moneyline odds to win) play at the Nationals (+123). The matchup on the mound for this contest is set with the Tampa Bay Rays looking to Ryan Pepiot (9-10), and Jake Irvin (8-9) taking the ball for the Washington Nationals.
These clubs meet again following the Rays’ 4-1 victory over the Nationals yesterday. Brian Van Belle (2.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 K) picked up the win for the Rays. Brandon Lowe went 1 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs to lead the team on offense. Mitchell Parker (6.1 IP, 3 R, 6 H, 7 K) was credited with the loss on the mound for the Nationals.
Ahead of this Rays vs. Nationals showdown, here is what you need to get ready for Saturday’s MLB action, including viewing options.
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Washington Nationals odds, line and spread
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Saturday at 9:19 a.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
Favorite: Rays (-146, bet $146 to win $100)Underdog: Nationals (+123, bet $100 to win $123)Over/under: 9Rays vs. Nationals: Game time and live stream infoGame day: Saturday, August 30, 2025Game time: 4:05 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 won 38, or 58.5%, of the 65 games they’ve played as favorites this season.This season Tampa Bay has won 12 of its 24 games, or 50%, when favored by at least -146 on the moneyline.The Rays have a 59.3% chance to win this game based on the implied probability of the moneyline.Tampa Bay and its opponents have gone over the total this season in 56 of 134 opportunities.The Rays are 60-74-0 against the spread in their 134 chances this season.Ryan Pepiot (Rays probable starter)Pepiot will look for his 10th victory when he gets the start for the Rays, his 28th of the season. He is 9-10 with a 3.82 ERA and 149 strikeouts through 153 2/3 innings pitched.In his most recent appearance on Sunday, the right-hander threw five scoreless innings against the St. Louis Cardinals while surrendering one hit.The 28-year-old has put up a 3.82 ERA and 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings in 27 games this season, while allowing a batting average of .226 to opposing hitters.Pepiot has recorded 14 quality starts this year.Pepiot will look to build upon a five-game streak of lasting five or more innings (he’s averaging 5.7 innings per outing).He has had four appearances this season in which he did not surrender an earned run.He will match up with a Nationals offense that ranks 21st in MLB with 1096 total hits (on a .244 batting average). The team also slugs a collective .387 (23rd in MLB) with 126 total home runs (28th in MLB).The 28-year-old’s 3.82 ERA ranks 28th, 1.163 WHIP ranks 19th, and 8.8 K/9 ranks 26th among qualifying pitchers this season.Rays batting statsThe Rays’ 151 home runs rank 16th in Major League Baseball.Fueled by 368 extra-base hits, Tampa Bay ranks 14th in MLB with a .402 slugging percentage this season.The Rays’ .251 batting average is among the best in baseball, ranking ninth in MLB.Tampa Bay ranks 14th in the majors with 600 total runs scored this season.The Rays have an on-base percentage of .314 this season, which ranks 18th in the league.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 117 contests they have been listed as the underdogs in this season.Washington has a mark of 28-49 in contests where oddsmakers favor it by +123 or worse on the moneyline.The Nationals have an implied victory probability of 44.8% according to the moneyline set by sportsbooks for this matchup.Washington and its opponents have gone over the total this season in 66 of its 133 opportunities.The Nationals are 65-68-0 against the spread in their 133 games that had a posted line this season.Jake Irvin (Nationals probable starter)The Nationals are sending Irvin (8-9) to the mound for his 28th start of the season. He is 8-9 with a 5.40 ERA and 99 strikeouts over 148 1/3 innings pitched.In his most recent appearance on Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies, the righty tossed 2 1/3 innings, allowing three earned runs while surrendering six hits.The 28-year-old has put up an ERA of 5.40, with 6.0 strikeouts per nine innings in 27 games this season. Opponents are hitting .270 against him.Irvin has collected nine quality starts this year.Irvin has 22 starts this year that he pitched five or more innings.He has had three appearances this season in which he did not surrender an earned run.He will match up with a Rays offense that is hitting .251 as a unit (ninth in the MLB). They are also slugging a collective .402 (14th in the league) with 151 total home runs (16th in MLB action).This season, the 28-year-old ranks 54th in ERA (5.40), 54th in WHIP (1.429), and 55th in K/9 (6.0) among pitchers who qualify.Nationals batting statsThe Nationals have hit 126 home runs this season, the third-lowest total in MLB play.So far this season, Washington’s .387 slugging percentage is 23rd in baseball.The Nationals are 19th in MLB with a .244 batting average.Averaging 4.2 runs per game (566 total), Washington is the 23rd-highest scoring team in the majors.The Nationals’ .309 on-base percentage ranks 22nd in MLB.