Washington Nationals at Tampa Bay Rays, MLB forecast
Win probability
Starts from the pregame forecast, then moves with the score and the time left after each inning. Above the line favors TB.
Game center
From the ESPN box score.
Top performers
Nationals- Jacob YoungBatting2-3
- Mitchell ParkerPitching5.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 K
Rays- Jose SiriBatting2-3, 2 HR, 2 RBI
- Zach EflinPitching6.0 IP, 0 ER, 6 K
Scoring summary
- 7Young scored on throwing error by catcher Jackson.1–3
- 7Young scored on throwing error by catcher Jackson.1–3
- 6Siri homered to center (428 feet).0–3
- 6Pitch 6 : Ball In Play0–3
- 6Pitch 5 : Strike 2 Foul0–2
- 6Pitch 4 : Strike 2 Swinging0–2
- 6Pitch 3 : Ball 20–2
- 6Pitch 2 : Ball 10–2
- 6Pitch 1 : Strike 1 Looking0–2
- 3Paredes singled to center, Arozarena scored on error, Paredes safe at second on fielding error by center fielder Young.0–2
- 3Pitch 4 : Ball In Play0–2
- 3Pitch 3 : Strike 2 Swinging0–1
- 3Pitch 2 : Strike 1 Looking0–1
- 3Pitch 1 : Ball 10–1
- 2Siri homered to left (405 feet).0–1
- 2Pitch 3 : Ball In Play0–1
- 2Pitch 2 : Strike 1 Foul0–0
- 2Pitch 1 : Ball 10–0
The pick
Reconstructed from what was known before the game: the ratings at that point and the closing line.
Rays 62%
Forecast Elo ratings alone
How often that comes true: MLB favorites the forecast gave 60–65% have won 61.6% of 1,194 graded games.
- Market
- TB 62%
- ML WSH +155 / TB -185
- Pre-line forecast
- TB 59%
- Elo + market-implied
- Elo ratings
- TB 57%
- Ratings vs. market
- −5.8 pts
- TB: Elo 56.5%, market 62.3%
- Fair odds
- TB -166
- WSH +166 · the forecast as odds, no margin
- Pregame projection
- WSH 3.2 – 4.3 TB
- Margin from the forecast, posted total 7.5
How the number is built
Elo inputs in rating points (higher favors that team; 25–28 Elo is about a point of spread in football and basketball), then how the pieces combine.
| Factor | WSH | TB | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team rating | 1480 | 1504 | Elo entering the game; 1500 is league average |
| Home field | — | +18 | Worth 18 Elo in MLB |
| Starting pitchers | +3 | +6 | WSH: Mitchell Parker: team allows 0.14 fewer runs than with its usual starter (≈7 weighted starts) · TB: Zach Eflin: team allows 0.31 fewer runs than with its usual starter (≈10 weighted starts) |
| Elo ratings | TB +45 Elo | TB 56.5% | |
| Market-implied ratings | TB 59.9% | Team strength as past closing lines priced it, same game context | |
| Pre-line forecast | TB 59.4% | 15% Elo, 85% market-implied (log-odds blend) | |
| Forecast | TB 62.3% | Follows the market (vig removed): in testing, adding the ratings made it less accurate | |
Tale of the tape
This season coming into the game, regular season, each number with its league rank (the longer the bar, the higher). Home and road: the host's record at home against the visitor's on the road.
| WSH | Stat | TB |
|---|---|---|
| 19th of 304.2 | Runs scored | 4.023rd of 30 |
| 14th of 304.3 | Runs allowed | 4.724th of 30 |
| 17th of 30−0.2 | Margin | −0.725th of 30 |
| 17th of 304–6 | Last 10 | 7–34th of 30 |
| 13th of 3021–23 | Road vs home | 21–2422nd of 30 |
Rating history
Each team's Elo over the last two seasons. Hover or drag to compare on any date.
Recent form
Last five results, and whether the forecast hit.
Against the line
How each team has done against the closing spread and total, coming into this game.
| This season |  WSH |  TB |
|---|---|---|
| Run line | 48–32 | 35–46 |
| Last 10 | 5–5 | 8–2 |
| Favorite | 7–6 | 16–30 |
| Underdog | 41–26 | 19–16 |
| Overs–unders | 37–42–1 | 42–39 |
| Overs–unders, last 10 | 5–5 | 5–5 |
Against each game's closing line. Books set every line knowing these records: across 3,901 past games, the team with the better record against the spread so far that season covered 51.2%, short of the 52.4% a standard −110 bet needs, and over/under streaks held 48.0% of the time. They describe the past.
Head to head
WSH 0–3 TB in their last 3 meetings; the forecast called 0 of 3.