Athletics (61-91) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (92-59) September 17, 2026 1:10 pm EDT The Line: Tampa Bay Rays -289 / Athletics 231; Over/Under: 7.5 (Get latest betting odds)
The Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays meet Thursday in MLB action at Tropicana Field. Here’s a Rays vs. Athletics Prediction. This article will include a Rays vs. Athletics Pick.
The Athletics are 61-91 on the year and play the Guardians and Angels next. The Athletics are batting .245 on the season, have a .317 OBP, and have a .403 slugging percentage. The Athletics’ pitching staff has a 5.39 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. Jeff McNeil leads the Athletics with 120 hits and 54 RBI, while Shea Langeliers and Henry Bolte have combined for 206 hits and 89 RBI.
Jeffrey Springs gets the ball for the Athletics, and he is 4-13 with a 5.93 ERA and 105 strikeouts this season. Springs is 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA and 14 strikeouts in his career against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Tampa Bay Rays are 92-59 on the year and play the Red Sox and Yankees next. The Tampa Bay Rays are batting .260 on the season, have a .328 OBP, and have a .407 slugging percentage. The Tampa Bay Rays’ pitching staff has a 3.75 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Yandy Diaz leads the Tampa Bay Rays with 173 hits and 81 RBI, while Chandler Simpson and Junior Caminero have combined for 328 hits and 130 RBI.
Drew Rasmussen gets the ball for the Tampa Bay Rays, and he is 14-5 with a 2.81 ERA and 160 strikeouts this season. Rasmussen is 4-0 with a 2.67 ERA and 24 strikeouts in his career against the Athletics.
As I continue to say, the A’s look like a team that’s checked out months ago. Springs doesn’t make things better with his 5.93 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. The Rays continue to win and have been ridiculously good at home. Rasmussen has a 2.81 ERA and 0.92 WHIP on the season, and the Rays have won his last 10 starts. There’s only one way to go in this spot, and that’s for me to side with the Rays and the RL for max betting value.