Washington is riding a five-game losing streak heading into this series, and they continue to disappoint fans. With a struggling pitching staff and inexperienced offense, Washington has so many question marks heading into next season; however, the last stretch of the 2025 season is here. With so much young talent throughout the roster, the goal is to see as much improvement as possible heading into next year.
Tampa Bay is coming off a crucial series loss to the Cleveland Guardians as they are fighting
for the final Wild Card spot in the American League. At one point during the season, Tampa Bay looked primed to make the playoffs; however, they have fallen to 64-69 and are on the outside looking in. With a young offense and a solid pitching staff, Tampa Bay could be a fun team in the future. If they gain momentum against the Washington Nationals, they could be in a prime position to make the playoffs.
Let’s take a look at the Tampa Bay Rays’ 2025 season.
OFFENSE
Tampa Bay is full of potential young stars, and the first name on that list is All-Star third baseman Junior Caminero. He has dominated baseball this season, becoming one of the best third basemen in baseball. With nearly 40 home runs and 100 RBIs, Caminero has been the offensive anchor for Tampa Bay in 2025. However, this offense has been full of solid players; Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe, and breakout star Jonathan Aranda have been great pieces for Tampa Bay this season. As a team, they are batting .251 (8th), scored 596 runs (14th), hit 149 home runs (16th), have an on-base percentage of .314 (18th), and a slugging percentage of .401 (15th).
PITCHING
The starting rotation and the bullpen have been two completely different stories for Tampa Bay this season. Drew Rasmussen has stepped up as the new ace for Tampa Bay, leading the starting rotation with a 2.64 ERA with a sub-1.00 WHIP. Ryan Pepiot has been solid as well, but outside of that, the starting rotation has been questionable all season long. The bullpen has been stellar all season long, being led by Pete Fairbanks and newly acquired Griffin Jax. As a team, they have a 3.96 ERA (15th), allowed 177 home runs (25th), 1.21 WHIP (4th), and teams are batting .237 against them (8th).
GAME ONE – Friday, 6:45 EDT
WAS: LHP Mitchell Parker (7-14) – 26 G, 6.01 ERA, 87 SO, 1.49 WHIP, 69 ERA+
TBR: RHP Adrian Houser (7-4) – 15 G, 2.88 ERA, 62 SO, 1.29 WHIP, 146 ERA+
Parker has arguably been the most disappointing pitcher in the starting rotation for Washington. As many fans were expecting Parker to build off of 2024, Parker has regressed into one of the worst starters in baseball. Parker has allowed four or more runs in his last five starts. In his last start, he threw five innings and allowed six hits and six runs in a loss against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Adrian Houser started off the season with the Chicago White Sox, throwing in eleven games and finishing his White Sox tenure with a 2.10 ERA. After being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays at the trade deadline, Houser has been disappointing, holding a 5.32 ERA in four starts. On August 16, he threw his best start as a Ray, throwing six innings and allowing no runs on six strikeouts. However, in his last start, he threw 6.1 innings and allowed six hits and four runs in a win against the St. Louis Cardinals.
GAME TWO – Saturday, 4:05 EDT
WAS: RHP Jake Irvin (8-9) – 27 G, 5.40 ERA, 99 SO, 1.43 WHIP, 77 ERA+
TBR: RHP Ryan Pepiot (9-10) – 27 G, 3.82 ERA, 149 SO, 1.16 WHIP, 109 ERA+
Irvin is another Washington arm that has been disappointing. At times, Irvin looks like a solid back-half of the rotation arm, throwing quality starts and having solid performances. However, it is unclear if Irvin will be a long-term piece for Washington past 2025. In his last start, he threw just 2.1 innings and allowed six hits and three runs in a loss against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Pepiot became a key piece of Tampa Bay’s rotation last season, becoming a full-time starter for the first time in his MLB career. He posted a 3.60 ERA and has continued the be a reliable arm for Tampa Bay. After having a stretch where he allowed eleven runs in three starts, his last start was a much-needed bounce-back. He threw five innings and allowed one hit and no runs in a big win against the St. Louis Cardinals.
GAME THREE – Sunday, 1:35 EDT
WAS: RHP Brad Lord (4-7) – 42 G (13 GS), 3.84 ERA, 82 SO, 1.29 WHIP, 108 ERA+
TBR: LHP Ian Seymour (2-0) – 13 G (1 GS), 3.18 ERA, 34 SO, 1.02 WHIP, 132 ERA+
Lord has been an impressive rookie for Washington all season long. In his last five starts, Washington has won three of those games. At least for the rest of the season, he has found a home in the starting rotation and could be a big piece for Washington heading into next season. In his last start, Lord struggled, throwing 4.1 innings and allowing eight hits and six earned runs in an embarrassing loss against the New York Yankees.
Seymour is another rookie who has been thrust into the starting rotation, mostly due to injuries. He has been a solid reliever for Tampa Bay, and if he could continue the great play as a starter, he could find a role in the starting rotation in the future. The first start of his MLB career was on Monday, and it turned out to be the best performance of Seymour’s short MLB career. He threw five innings and allowed one hit, zero runs on eight strikeouts as the Rays won a big-time matchup against the Cleveland Guardians.
Washington’s season is over, but the development of this squad is far from over. Dylan Crews, James Wood, and CJ Abrams are the core that Washington is building around, but they have had disappointing second halves to this point. Hopefully, this young core finds its footing and continues to show Washington’s fans why they are the future of the franchise. Gore and Lord are the two building blocks in the pitching rotation, and fans are hoping the Lord can get back on track and continue to build on himself as a starter.
