New York Mets vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, 8/31/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: New York Mets vs Tampa Bay Rays

Date: Monday, August 31, 2026

Location: Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL

TV: MLB.TV

Odds/Point Spread: New York (-130) Tampa Bay (+110)

The Tampa Bay Rays (80-54) are hosting the New York Mets (60-75) at Tropicana Field on Monday. The line on this matchup has the Mets at -130 and the Rays are coming in at +110. The betting total comes in at 9. The starting pitchers will be Robert Stock and Ian Seymour.

As a squad, the New York Mets are scoring 4.1 runs per outing, which has them at 24th in the league. They have 553 runs scored while holding a team on-base percentage of .305. The Mets have hit 168 two-baggers as a team and have hit 163 balls out of the stadium. They have 529 runs batted in and 1,068 base knocks this season, while their batting average is at .235. New York has a slugging percentage of .388 and have struck out 1,150 times, while being walked on 429 occasions.

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The Mets are sitting with a team earned run average of 4.10 this year (12th in baseball), and the staff has rung up 1,213 hitters. Mets pitchers have given up 148 home runs and also 607 total runs (17th in MLB). They have walked 485 opposing batters and their FIP sits at 4.05 as a team over the course of the season. New York has surrendered 1,084 hits (8.1 per 9 innings) and 548 earned runs. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 2.50 and their pitching staff holds a collective WHIP of 1.31.

Mets bullpen pitchers have entered the game with runners on 126 times as well as having 145 appearances in high leverage situations. The relief pitchers have 56 holds over the course of the season (26th in the league). The Mets bullpen have a save rate of 61.0% and have entered the game in 100 save situations. They have tallied 25 saves this season and have missed out on 16 of their 41 save chances. The bullpen pitchers have inherited 177 runners so far this season and 28.2% of those runners ended up crossing the plate. The Mets have dispatched 414 relief pitchers to the mound for the season.

The New York Mets have 3,608 putouts on the year, as well as 1,070 assists and 82 errors. Their fielding rate is at .983 which ranks 25th in MLB, and have earned 83 double plays. The Mets have turned 69.5% of baseballs in play into outs out of their 10,824 innings on the diamond, ranking them 21st in professional baseball.

Stock (2-7 career record) is the owner of a FIP of 5.40 while going up against 448 opposing batters during his time in the majors. He has allowed 108 base hits (10.2 hits per nine innings) and has 57 walks. His earned run average is 5.48 (58 earned runs allowed) and his career WHIP is 1.731. Stock has pitched in 95 innings and has racked up 98 K's in his pro baseball career.

The Rays have a team SLG% of .403 and they average 4.51 runs per game (14th in baseball). They have put up 189 two-baggers, while taking a walk 431 times and putting up 604 runs. Tampa Bay is sitting with 138 home runs so far this season to go along with 574 RBIs. They have struck out on 936 instances (30th in the league) and have totaled 1,170 base hits. The Tampa Bay Rays have earned an OBP of .329 as well as a batting average of .260 over the course of the season.

The Rays are sitting with a team WHIP of 1.145 in addition to having a FIP of 4.05 as a unit so far this year. They are sitting at 6th in baseball as a pitching staff in total hits relinquished with 1,035. The Tampa Bay pitching staff have allowed 552 runs for the season and come in with a team ERA of 3.77 (501 earned runs conceded). They have earned a K/BB ratio of 8.20 (1,091 strikeouts against 333 walks). They have allowed 169 HR's and they relinquish 4.16 runs per 9 innings (8th in baseball).

Tampa Bay relievers have an inherited score rate of 29.7% out of their 155 inherited runners. Their bullpen pitchers have come in 128 times in high leverage situations and on 108 occasions with runners on. With 172 save situations, the Rays have recorded 103 holds and also 16 blown saves. They rank 2nd in the league with a save rate of 76.8%, and they have dispatched 423 relief pitchers onto the field over the course of the season.

The Tampa Bay Rays have gotten 87 double plays and have a fielding rate of .983 (23rd in MLB). The Rays have accrued 1,058 assists, 80 errors and have a total of 3,585 putouts this season. In 10,755 innings played, the Rays are sitting with a defensive efficiency of 72.0% (3rd in MLB).

In his career, Seymour has given up 139 hits and he has 192 punch outs in 164 innings pitched. Seymour (13-8 mark in his career) has earned a 4.01 ERA while allowing 7.6 hits per nine innings. He has allowed 73 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.159 and being the owner of a FIP of 3.9. He has a K/BB ratio of 3.76 and he has gone up against 688 opposing batters during his pro baseball career.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Tampa Bay (+110)

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