Tampa Bay Rays vs Washington Nationals Prediction: The Rays to open the series with a win

Friday MLB action at Tropicana Field will see the Tampa Bay Rays play Washington Nationals. This will be the opener of a three-game series. Which side draws the first blood?

The Tampa Bay Rays will come into this game hoping to secure a win in this series, and a win in this opener will go a long way. In their last series, the Tampa Bay Rays played the Seattle Mariners and secured a win. In the opener, the Tampa Bay Rays secured a 4-3 win and then 11-3 in game 2. However, despite losing 2-5 in the finale, that could not stop them from taking something out of the series. In the MLB this season, the Tampa Bay Rays have a 40-41 record and are seated 4th spot in the American League East Division.

The Washington Nationals are coming off a series against the San Diego Padres. In that series, the Washington Nationals were swept, scoring 18 runs. In the opener, they lost 7-6, and then 97 in game 2. However, their final encounter saw them lose by three runs in an 8-5 outcome. Heading into this opening series against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Washington Nationals have a 38-42 record, leaving them positioned 4th in the National League East Division.

The Tampa Bay Rays should win this opener, looking at the Washington Nationals' run of games. However, this game should be a tight one, as I expect a solid and improved performance from the Nationals. Therefore, we expect a high-scoring encounter.