Tampa Bay Rays vs Washington Nationals Prediction – 8/31/2025
The Tampa Bay Rays will visit the Washington Nationals to close out a three-game series on Sunday afternoon. The Rays have won the first two games of this series behind a couple of excellent performances from their pitching staff. Tampa will look to take a third straight game over the Nats before moving onto their next opponent. Before this interleague matchup begins, continue reading to get my Rays vs Nationals prediction.
Our Rays vs Nationals Pick
- Pick: Tampa Bay Rays moneyline
- Confidence: 4/5
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Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Tampa Bay Rays vs Washington Nationals
- Date & Time: Sunday, August 31, 2025, 1:35 PM ET
- Starting Pitchers: Ian Seymour vs Brad Lord
- Stadium: Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.
- Broadcast: MASN and FanDuel Sports Network Sun
Key Storylines
- The Rays need wins down the stretch to keep alive any hope for a playoff push. They are 5.5 games out of the final American League Wild Card spot.
- The Nationals are in rebuilding mode and could fall 30 games below .500 for the year with a loss today.
Pitching Matchup
Ian Seymour is set to start for the Rays after a strong recent stretch. He is 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA and a high strikeout rate this season. Brad Lord will get the call for the Nationals and has a 3.84 ERA across just over 100 innings. Lord struggled against the New York Yankees recently and will look to rebound from that in this start. Expect the Rays to try and run Lord’s pitch count up to get to a bullpen that has the highest ERA in baseball.
Recent Team Streaks
- Tampa Bay has won two games in a row and they are 3-2 in their last five games.
- The Nationals have lost seven games in a row and will try to end that losing streak here.
Best Player Props
| Player | Prop |
|---|---|
| Junior Caminero | Over 0.5 Home Runs |
| James Wood | Over 1.5 Total Bases |
| Ian Seymour | Over 4.5 Strikeouts |
Betting Trends & H2H
- The Rays lead the season series against the Nationals by a 2-0 margin.
- This is the last regular-season game scheduled between the Rays and Nats this year.
- Tampa has outscored Washington 8-2 through two games in this series so far.
Rays vs Nationals Model Projection
Score Projection: Tampa Bay Rays 5 – Washington Nationals 3
Win Probability: Tampa Bay Rays 61%, Washington Nationals 39%
Final Thoughts
Tampa has won the first two games of this series with relative ease. Brad Lord isn’t a bad starting pitcher for Washington, but I don’t think that he will be enough to break up the momentum of the Rays here. I’ll take the Rays to win this game and to secure a three-game series sweep over the Nationals. The lineup depth and bullpen superiority for Tampa will be too much for the Nats to overcome.
