Athletics vs Tampa Bay Rays Picks, Prediction, Odds, and Line Movement for Thursday, September 17, 2026

The Athletics visit the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday at Tropicana Field, with the opening pitch scheduled for 1:10 PM ET and televised on MLB.TV. The Athletics are 61-90, fourth in the AL West and 15 games behind Houston, with 11 games remaining. Tampa Bay is 91-59, first in the AL East and 3.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees, with 12 games left. The Athletics have been eliminated from postseason contention, while Tampa Bay is protecting its division lead. The Rays won the most recent meeting 2-1 and have won four straight. The Athletics are 6-4 over their last 10 games. Let’s break down the matchup with our free MLB picks.

Athletics Trying to Rebound After a Close Loss

The Athletics lost 2-1 to Tampa Bay in their most recent game after winning three of four against Seattle and Toronto. The offense is batting .245 with a .318 on-base percentage and .402 slugging percentage, producing 657 runs and 183 home runs. Shea Langeliers leads the club with 23 homers while batting .266. Nick Kurtz has 21 home runs and a team-high 69 RBI, while Tyler Soderstrom has 19 homers and an .810 OPS. Zack Gelof adds 18 home runs and 14 stolen bases.

Pitching remains a major concern. The Athletics own a 5.40 ERA and 1.50 WHIP, with opponents batting .270. The staff has allowed 225 home runs and issued 593 walks. The Athletics also rank 29th on the MLB fielding table and are 32-44 on the road. Those numbers create a difficult assignment against the AL East leaders. Still, the Athletics have won three of their last five and held Toronto scoreless before limiting Tampa Bay to two runs Tuesday.

Injuries: Brooks Kriske (out), Joshua Kuroda-Grauer (out), J.T. Ginn (out), Gage Jump (out), Luis Severino (out).

Tampa Bay Rays Riding a Four-Game Winning Streak

Tampa Bay has won four consecutive games, sweeping Houston before defeating the Athletics 2-1. The Rays scored 20 runs during the Houston series, including 14 in the finale. Tampa Bay is batting .260 with a .328 on-base percentage and .407 slugging percentage. Junior Caminero has 41 home runs and 96 RBI while batting .279. Yandy Diaz is hitting .299 with 22 homers and 81 RBI, and Jonathan Aranda has contributed 21 home runs and 89 RBI.

The Rays have a 3.76 team ERA and 1.14 WHIP while holding opponents to a .229 batting average. Tampa Bay pitchers have issued only 376 walks across 1,330 innings. The Rays also rank seventh on the MLB fielding table and have an excellent 51-25 home record. Chandler Simpson adds another element to the offense with a .308 average and 41 stolen bases. Tampa Bay’s balance has helped the club build a 3.5-game advantage over New York in the AL East.

Injuries: Jonathan Heasley (out), Ben Williamson (out), Taylor Walls (out), Manuel Rodriguez (out), Edwin Uceta (out).

Pitching Matchup

Athletics - Jeffrey Springs

Jeffrey Springs is 4-13 with a 5.93 ERA and 1.45 WHIP across 135 innings. The left-hander has allowed 142 hits, 54 walks and 33 home runs while striking out 105. Springs has allowed more hits than innings pitched, and his home-run total has created additional problems. His 5.93 ERA reflects a season in which limiting runs scored has both been difficult.

Tampa Bay Rays - Drew Rasmussen

Drew Rasmussen is 14-5 with a 2.81 ERA and 0.92 WHIP through 160.1 innings. The right-hander has allowed 120 hits and only 27 walks while recording 160 strikeouts. Rasmussen has surrendered 14 home runs, less than half of Springs’ total. His ability to limit hits and walks has kept his WHIP below 1.00 while working more than 160 innings.

Athletics vs Tampa Bay Rays Game Pick

• Tampa Bay Rays

Tampa Bay is the pick behind Rasmussen’s clear statistical advantage over Springs. Rasmussen owns a 2.81 ERA and 0.92 WHIP, compared with Springs at 5.93 and 1.45. Tampa Bay also has the better team batting average, ERA, and home record. The Rays have won four straight and are 51-25 at Tropicana Field, while the Athletics are 32-44 away. Springs has surrendered 33 home runs, making Caminero and the middle of Tampa Bay’s lineup particularly dangerous in this matchup.

Athletics vs Tampa Bay Rays Over/Under Pick

• Over

Over is the play with the Athletics carrying a 5.40 team ERA and 1.50 WHIP. Springs has surrendered 33 home runs in 135 innings, while Athletics pitchers have allowed 225 overall. Tampa Bay recently scored 20 runs during its three-game sweep of Houston and has Caminero leading the lineup with 41 homers. The Athletics have also hit 183 home runs, leaving some scoring potential against Rasmussen. Tampa Bay’s matchup against Springs is the main reason for taking the over.