The Tampa Bay Rays head into Friday night trying to end a three-game losing run, and they will do it with Griffin Jax on the mound against the Washington Nationals. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET in Tampa Bay.
That makes the game worth watching beyond the standings. The Rays are 41-30 and second in the AL East, while the Nationals arrive at 39-36 and third in the NL East. Jax is listed to start for Tampa Bay with a 1-5 record and a 3.68 ERA, while PJ Poulin is slated to start for Washington with a 3-0 record and a 3.29 ERA.
The matchup also lands in the middle of an injury list that has thinned both clubs. Jake Fraley is on the 10-day injured list with a groin injury, Jesse Scholtens is on the 15-day injured list with a wrist injury, and Manuel Rodriguez, Steven Wilson, Michael Grove, Ryan Pepiot, Gavin Lux, Jon Heasley and Edwin Uceta are all on the 60-day injured list for Tampa Bay. Washington lists Jake Irvin on the 15-day injured list, Josiah Gray, DJ Herz, Max Kranick, Ken Waldichuk and Trevor Williams on the 60-day injured list, and Cade Cavalli as day-to-day with an illness.
The shape of the night is simple, even if the roster picture is not. Tampa Bay is still near the top of its division, but it comes in carrying the sort of short skid that can make a home game feel like a reset point. The Nationals have been steadier by record, and Friday gives them a chance to press that edge against a Rays team that is trying to stop the slide before it grows into something larger.
What happens next is not complicated: the teams meet Friday at 7:10 p.m. ET, with Jax and Poulin set to turn the standings and the injuries into a live test on the field.
