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Washington Nationals: Will Tampa Bay provide a Ray of hope?

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ST. PETERSBURG, FL - JUNE 16: Michael Taylor #3 of the Washington Nationals crosses home plate in front of catcher Rene Rivera #44 of the Tampa Bay Rays to score off of a two-run single by Yunel Escobar #5 during the second inning of a game on June 16, 2015 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - JUNE 16: Michael Taylor #3 of the Washington Nationals crosses home plate in front of catcher Rene Rivera #44 of the Tampa Bay Rays to score off of a two-run single by Yunel Escobar #5 during the second inning of a game on June 16, 2015 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images) /
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After a big series loss to the Atlanta Braves, the Washington Nationals face the Tampa Bay Rays. Ron Juckett joins Blake on the DoDCast to preview the games.

The Washington Nationals are coming off a disappointing series against the Atlanta Braves, which they lost 3-1. But now the Tampa Bay Rays come to town, and the Nats will hope to bounce back. Joining Blake is Ron Juckett, to help look ahead to the two-game set.

On this edition of the DoDCast, they talk about:

  • Can Max Scherzer win the MVP?
  • What went right/wrong in the Braves series.
  • Could the Nationals swing a trade for any Rays players
  • Is the “Opener” concept a good or bad thing
  • Look ahead to each matchup
  • Answer your listener questions

More from District on Deck

A lot of Nats fans will be keeping a keen eye on former fan favorite Wilson Ramos in this series. He’ll be sure to receive a loud standing ovation for his tenure with the team. But also, many consider him a trade target as July rolls around.

Although he won’t be pitching this series, Chris Archer is another potential trade target. He’s suffering from a down-year but his strikeouts are still elite. Perhaps a change of scenery may be needed, and if the price is right, Mike Rizzo could pull the trigger.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock this season, you’ll notice the Rays are being unorthodox with their pitchers. They like to start with a relief pitcher, and then bring in their “starter”.

In this series, the Nats will likely see this on Wednesday for the day game. Sergio Romo is the pitcher most likely to take the bump, and pitch one inning.

Want to hear more about the Washington Nationals on our DoDCast? You can subscribe to us on iTunes or Google Play and have episodes automatically downloaded for you. You can also listen to us on our brand new home, Spreaker, here:

Next: Mason Denaburg Draft Profile

The series gets going with Max Scherzer facing off against Nathan Eovaldi on Tuesday night. Don’t expect too many runs in this one. Hopefully, the Washington Nationals can find a Ray of hope.

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