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Washington Nationals vs Tampa Bay Rays

Saturday, Jun 20, 2026Tropicana FieldFinal
WSH · Away · 55-59

Washington Nationals

NL East · 2nd · 13.0 GB
4:3
Final
H2H 03
TB · Home · 66-46

Tampa Bay Rays

Starting pitchers
Starter form · last 5 starts
Season4.07
Last 54.38
0.31 ERA worse in last 5
86 days restQS 16.7%Blow-up 0/5
104/18
404/13
104/07
104/01
203/26
Season4.98
Last 52.09
2.89 ERA better in last 5
82 days restQS 0%Blow-up 0/4
004/10
104/06
004/01
003/30

↑ ERA trending up lately

Matchup edge
Cade Cavalli pitching edge·Nationals 46 L10
PitchingNationals
Nationals37Rays33
HittingNationals
Nationals32Rays28
BullpenRays
Nationals38Rays62
Projected hitters vs LHP / RHP
Nationals vs LHP
Avg OPS 0.670Top: Mead 0.843 · Abrams 0.823 · Chaparro 0.664

Projected sample — season splits vs pitcher hand, not official order.

Rays vs RHP
Avg OPS 0.6931 hot hitterTop: Aranda 0.903 · Feduccia 0.686 · Simpson 0.678

Projected sample — season splits vs pitcher hand, not official order.

Washington Nationals hitters vs LHP (projected)
Batter
AVG
OPS
HR
0.179
0.664
0
0.289
0.823
3
0.253
0.843
5
0.250
0.612
0
0.100
0.408
0
Tampa Bay Rays hitters vs RHP (projected)
Batter
AVG
OPS
HR
0.239
0.604
0
0.186
0.596
6
0.295
0.678
0
0.250
0.686
1
0.287
0.903
11
◆ Matchup preview

Washington Nationals at Tampa Bay Rays (2026-06-20). Cade Cavalli vs Ian Seymour at Tropicana Field.

Cade Cavalli, a right-hander for the Nationals, enters with a 3.98 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP over 74.2 innings pitched this season, featuring a solid 9.76 K/9 and a 3.01 BB/9. His ERA trend is flat, and he has maintained a stable alternating pattern, though his quality start percentage is a modest 16.7 percent. His recent outings show inconsistency, including a 1.1-inning, 4-earned-run performance on April 13, juxtaposed with a 6-inning, 1-earned-run start on April 1. Ian Seymour, a left-hander for the Rays, has a 4.93 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP across 38.1 innings, with a 9.63 K/9 and a higher 4.46 BB/9. Seymour's ERA trend is up, and he has yet to record a quality start this season, indicating potential struggles with efficiency and longevity in his appearances. His last five outings have been brief relief appearances, with his most recent start on March 26 resulting in 5 earned runs over zero innings.

The Nationals' offense has been more productive, posting a .742 OPS and scoring 409 runs this season, compared to the Rays' .714 OPS and 320 runs. Washington also leads in home runs with 98 to Tampa Bay's 60, suggesting more power potential. On the pitching side, the Rays hold a clear advantage with a team ERA of 3.92 and a 1.24 WHIP, significantly better than the Nationals' 4.66 ERA and 1.39 WHIP. This disparity in team pitching could be a critical factor, especially if the starting pitchers struggle to go deep into the game.

Recent head-to-head matchups from August 2025 show the Rays sweeping the Nationals in a three-game series, with scores of 7-4, 4-1, and 4-1. These past results suggest a historical advantage for the Rays in this particular matchup, often characterized by lower-scoring contests. With no total line available for this specific game, it is difficult to assess how the market views the expected run environment, but the historical head-to-head data implies a tendency towards fewer runs.

Key facts
Nationals OPS 0.742Rays Team ERA 3.92Cavalli K/9 9.76Total n/a
◆ Lineup notes

James Wood is 0-for-3 against Ian Seymour, while CJ Abrams is also hitless in three at-bats. Dylan Crews and Daylen Lile are both 0-for-2. Curtis Mead has a 1-for-3 record with a 1.000 OPS, and Andrés Chaparro is 1-for-2 with a 1.000 OPS. Jacob Young is 1-for-2 with a 1.500 OPS. Nasim Nuñez and Keibert Ruiz have no MLB history against Seymour.

Cedric Mullins is 0-for-2 against Cade Cavalli, while Victor Mesa Jr. is 1-for-4 with a .750 OPS. Yandy Díaz, Jonathan Aranda, Junior Caminero, Richie Palacios, Chandler Simpson, Hunter Feduccia, and Taylor Walls have no MLB history against Cavalli.

The away lineup features more batters with prior plate appearances against the opposing starter compared to the home team.

Head to head (2025–2026)
03
Tampa Bay Rays lead series
3 meetings total
2025-08-31
Tampa Bay Rays @ Washington Nationals
74
TB
2025-08-30
Tampa Bay Rays @ Washington Nationals
41
TB
2025-08-29
Tampa Bay Rays @ Washington Nationals
41
TB
Team picture · 2026
46
WLWWLLLLLW
55
LLWWLLLWWW
WSH
TB
Team AVG
0.247
0.256
Team OPS
0.743
0.716
Home runs
100
60
Runs scored
413
323
Team ERA
4.64
3.92
HR allowed
109
88

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