After winning the Citrus Series over the weekend, the Tampa Bay Rays departed the friendly confines of Tropicana Field for Washington, D.C., where they will start a brief, two-game set against the reigning World Series champs on Monday. Washington split a four-game series against Atlanta.
At 28-13 on the season, the Rays enter play 15 games over .500 and with a 5-1/2 game lead over the second-place Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East. They also maintain the best mark in the American League with 19 games left to play. The Nationals have struggled and enter the series in last place in the NL East, five games out of the last playoff spot.
The Rays have been on fire over the past 10 games, going 8-2. They are 22-5 over a 27 game stretch and boast four walk-off wins; Tampa Bay is tied with Oakland for the most walk-off wins in the big leagues.
Meanwhile, the Nationals had their two-game winning streak snapped by Atlanta and had to settle for a series split. Still, they are seeking their third win in their last four games.
Not traditionally an offensive juggernaut, Tampa Bay is one of the best offensive teams in the American League. While their overall .243 batting average (16th in the league) isn’t eye-popping, their .335 on-base percentage is sixth in the AL. The Rays have plated 204 runs on the season, good for seventh-best in the league.
Washington has played well offensively, owning a .267 batting average which is fourth in the league. What’s more, the Nationals also boast a .335 on-base percentage, good for seventh in the National League. Yet, they haven’t hit the ball well at home, hitting .233 Nationals Park while averaging 3.37 just runs per game.
Nevertheless, Washington can be a dangerous team, offensively speaking, if given the opportunity, although pitching is the clear Achilles heel. Opponents have hit .273 against Nationals, while their 1.51 WHIP is 29th in the league. What’s more, the beefy 5.27 ERA (5.12 FIP) is 1.51 runs higher than that of Tampa Bay (3.76 ERA/4.06 FIP). If Charlie Morton and Ryan Yarbrough can keep Juan Soto and company in check, the Rays should be able to score some runs in D.C. on Monday and Tuesday.
Pitching Probables
Kevin Cash will lean on Charlie Morton (1-1, 4.82 ERA) and Ryan Yarbrough (0-2, 3.65 ERA), who is expected to come off the Injured List before Tuesday’s contest, over the next two days. Davey Martinez will counter with Max Scherzer (3-2, 3.95 ERA) and Aníbal Sánchez (1-4, 6.48 ERA).
Charlie Morton allowed no hits and two walks while striking out four across two innings on Wednesday in New York. Morton threw 36 pitches in his return from the IL. He showed some rust, as only 20 of his 36 pitches found the zone (56% strike rate), although he was still effective. More importantly, he regularly hit 95 mph with his fastball at the beginning of the outing, with his velocity fading a bit as his pitch count rose. The right-hander is 2-3 with a 6.23 ERA in nine career starts against Washington, although most of that came with the Pirates when he wasn’t as effective as he has been since coming over from the NL.
Max Scherzer allowed three runs on seven hits (one home run) and three walks while striking out six batters over six innings against the Phillies on Wednesday. It wasn’t the prettiest outing for Scherzer although he still gave his team a fighting chance. Scherzer is having a down year in comparison to recent seasons yet he still owns a healthy 3.95 ERA and a 3.81 K/BB across 43-1/3 innings. Scherzer is a five-pitch pitcher that relies primarily on a whiffy 95 mph four-seam fastball with some natural sinking action and slight arm side run, while also mixing in an 86 mph slider, a firm 85 mph changeup that dives down out of the zone, a sweeping 77 mph curveball, and a whiffy 92 mph cutter that has a little cutting action and some natural sink. He is 5-3 with a 2.66 ERA in 10 career starts against the Rays.
In his last start before hitting the IL Ryan Yarbrough (groin tightness) tossed 6-2/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and no walks while striking out five. Yarbrough threw a successful bullpen session Friday, according to Rays manager Kevin Cash.
The bullpen went really, really well. I spoke with (pitching coach Kyle Snyder) during the game. He said (Yarbrough) looked great. I think now it’s just a matter of him going through the bullpen and us finding where we’re going to slot him back in.
— Kevin Cash
Trevor Richards (0-0, 4.91 ERA), who threw 4-2/3 innings in his last start, is available in a bulk role during either game.
Aníbal Sánchez allowed four runs (one earned) on eight hits and one walk while striking out one across 3-1/3 innings against the Phillies on Thursday. Sánchez was the victim of poor defense although he didn’t pitch particularly well. He allowed a home run to Rhys Hoskins and has now surrendered at least one homer in five of his seven starts this season. Sanchez also generated only eight called strikes and six swinging strikes across 74 total pitches. He now has a 6.48 ERA with a 2.4 K/BB across 33-1/3 innings this season. Sanchez relies primarily on an 82 mph changeup with some natural sink to it, an 89 mph four-seam fastball with a little natural movement, and an 88 mph cutter with good “rise”, while also mixing in a 76 mph 12-6 curveball with little depth, an 89 mph sinker little sink and arm-side run, and a 69 mph splitter. He is 3-4 with a 5.61 ERA in nine outings (51-1/3 IP) against Tampa Bay. Key Matchup: Kevin Kiermaier (2-7, 2B, 3B)