Tampa Bay Rays at Washington Nationals, 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 WSH.
Game center
From the ESPN box score.
Top performers
Rays- Josh LoweBatting2-3, 2 HR, 4 RBI
- Ryan PepiotPitching5.0 IP, 0 ER, 6 K
Nationals- James WoodBatting1-3, 1 RBI
- Jake IrvinPitching6.0 IP, 4 ER, 3 K
Scoring summary
- 8Wood singled to center, García Jr. scored, Hassell III to third.4–1
- 4J. Lowe homered to center (423 feet).4–0
- 1J. Lowe homered to center (409 feet), B. Lowe scored and Caminero scored.3–0
The pick
Reconstructed from what was known before the game: the ratings at that point and the closing line.
Rays 58%
Forecast Elo ratings alone
How often that comes true: MLB favorites the forecast gave 55–60% have won 55.5% of 2,596 graded games.
- Market
- TB 58%
- ML TB -155 / WSH +130
- Pre-line forecast
- TB 57%
- Elo + market-implied
- Elo ratings
- TB 57%
- Ratings vs. market
- −1.5 pts
- TB: Elo 56.8%, market 58.3%
- Fair odds
- TB -140
- WSH +140 · the forecast as odds, no margin
- Pregame projection
- TB 4.6 – 3.9 WSH
- Margin from the forecast, posted total 8.5
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 | TB | WSH | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team rating | 1503 | 1437 | Elo entering the game; 1500 is league average |
| Home field | — | +18 | Worth 18 Elo in MLB |
| Starting pitchers | −7 | −6 | TB: Ryan Pepiot: team allows 0.35 more runs than with its usual starter (≈10 weighted starts) · WSH: Jake Irvin: team allows 0.30 more runs than with its usual starter (≈10 weighted starts) |
| Elo ratings | TB +47 Elo | TB 56.8% | |
| Market-implied ratings | TB 57.3% | Team strength as past closing lines priced it, same game context | |
| Pre-line forecast | TB 57.2% | 15% Elo, 85% market-implied (log-odds blend) | |
| Forecast | TB 58.3% | 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. Opponent Elo: how strong the teams each has played are, 1st the toughest.
| TB | Stat | WSH |
|---|---|---|
| 13th of 304.5 | Runs scored | 4.222nd of 30 |
| 11th of 304.2 | Runs allowed | 5.529th of 30 |
| 12th of 30+0.3 | Margin | −1.329th of 30 |
| 20th of 304–6 | Last 10 | 3–724th of 30 |
| 18th of 3031–36 | Road vs home | 26–4029th of 30 |
| 7th of 301503 | Opponent Elo | 15062nd of 30 |
| 17th of 301503 | Elo rating | 143728th 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 |  TB |  WSH |
|---|---|---|
| Run line | 67–67 | 65–69 |
| Last 10 | 4–6 | 4–6 |
| Favorite | 25–42 | 2–19 |
| Underdog | 42–25 | 63–50 |
| Overs–unders | 59–75 | 71–63 |
| Overs–unders, last 10 | 7–3 | 4–6 |
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
TB 6–1 WSH in their last 7 meetings; the forecast called 3 of 7.