Tampa Bay Rays vs Washington Nationals Pick – 8/30/2025
The Tampa Bay Rays and Washington Nationals will play in the second game of their three-game series this weekend on Saturday afternoon. Tampa got the win in the opening game of this series on Friday and will try to shut down the Nats in a similar fashion in this contest. Before these interleague opponents collide on the diamond, keep reading to get my Rays vs Nationals prediction for today.
Our Rays vs Nationals Pick
- Pick: Tampa Bay Rays -1.5
- Confidence: 4 out of 5
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Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Tampa Bay Rays at Washington Nationals
- Date & Time: Saturday, August 30, 2025, 4:05 PM EDT
- Starting Pitchers: Ryan Pepiot vs Jake Irvin
- Stadium: Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.
- Broadcast: MLB.tv
Key Storylines
Pitching matchup
Ryan Pepiot enters with a 9-10 record and a 3.82 ERA across 153 innings. He limits hard contact and has kept his walk rate under control with a 1.16 WHIP. Jake Irvin has an 8-9 record and a 5.40 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 148.1 innings. Irvin’s recent run has been rough. He is 0-4 with a 9.55 ERA in five starts during the month of August. Tampa Bay seems to have the advantage in the starting pitching matchup here.
Key Players
- Brandon Lowe hit a home run for the Rays on Friday and will look for more success against Washington today.
- The Nationals have the worst bullpen ERA in baseball and their bullpen will need to be better in this game.
Recent team streaks
- Tampa Bay snapped a two-game losing streak by defeating the Nationals in Friday’s series opener.
- The Nationals have lost six games in a row following Friday’s defeat.
Best Player Props
| Player | Prop Market | Pick |
|---|---|---|
| Junior Caminero | Home runs | Over 0.5 |
| Ryan Pepiot | Strikeouts | Over 5.5 |
| Brandon Lowe | Total bases | Over 1.5 |
Betting Trends & H2H
- The Rays lead the season series between these teams 1-0 after Friday’s win.
- The first game of this series went under the total with five runs scored between the two teams.
- Tampa is 26-24 in day games so far this season.
- The Nationals are 19-37 in their day games during the 2025 campaign.
Rays vs Nationals Model Projection
Score Projection: Tampa Bay 5 – Washington 3
Win Probability: Tampa Bay 58%, Washington 42%
Final Thoughts
The best bet in this game is for the Rays to cover the runline as home favorites. Tampa is playing better baseball than the Nationals of late. The Rays also have the starting pitching advantage with Pepiot on the hill against a struggling Irvin. I will go with the Rays to win this game by two runs or more on Saturday afternoon in D.C.
