Sacramento Athletics vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, 9/17/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Sacramento Athletics vs Tampa Bay Rays

Date: Thursday, September 17, 2026

Location: Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL

TV: MLB.TV

Odds/Point Spread: Sacramento (+150) Tampa Bay (-182)

The Tampa Bay Rays (91-59) will take on the Sacramento Athletics (61-90) at Tropicana Field on Thursday. The moneyline on this contest has the Athletics at +150 and the Rays are sitting at -182. The total is 9. The pitchers who are expected to start are Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen.

The Athletics have accumulated 229 two-baggers as a unit and have hit 183 baseballs out of the stadium. Sacramento owns a slugging percentage of .402 and have been called out on strikes 1,288 times, while drawing a walk on 491 occasions. As a unit, the Sacramento Athletics are knocking in 4.4 runs per outing, which puts them at 20th in the league. They have accrued 628 RBI's in addition to 1,254 base knocks for the year, while their batting average comes in at .245. They have notched a total of 657 runs scored and have an on-base percentage of .318.

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Their strikeout to walk ratio sits at 2.13 and the pitching staff holds a collective WHIP of 1.50. Athletics pitchers have conceded 226 long balls and 861 runs in total (29th in MLB). Sacramento has allowed 1,409 base hits (9.5 per 9 innings) and also 801 earned runs. The Athletics have a team ERA of 5.40 this year (29th in MLB), and their staff has struck out 1,263 hitters. Their pitching staff has walked 593 opposing players and their FIP sits at 4.90 as a team for the season.

The Athletics relievers have compiled a save rate of 56.9% and have come into the game in 151 save situations. They have accumulated 37 saves for the season and have blown 28 out of their 65 save opportunities. The bullpen pitchers have inherited 251 runners on the campaign with 37.5% of those players crossing home plate. Athletics pitchers have come into the game with opponents on base 165 times as well as having 147 appearances in high leverage situations. The Athletics have dispatched 514 relievers to the mound for the season. The bullpen have 83 holds this season (13th in MLB).

The Sacramento Athletics have 4,008 putouts over the course of the season, in addition to 1,154 assists and 71 errors. Their fielding rate is currently at .986 which is 13th in professional baseball, and have a total of 113 double plays. The Athletics have transformed 67.8% of balls hit into play into outs in their 12,024 innings on the diamond, which has them sitting at 29th in professional baseball.

Springs has taken the mound for 619 innings and has 602 K's in his pro baseball career. His ERA is 4.14 (285 earned runs allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.282. He has conceded 582 base hits (8.5 hits per nine innings) with 212 walks. Springs (38-36 career mark) sits with a FIP of 4.08 while he has faced 2,627 batters in the major leagues.

Tampa Bay has accounted for 162 home runs on the season to go along with 650 runs batted in. They have 206 doubles, while getting a free base 475 times and scoring 684 runs. The Tampa Bay Rays have an on-base percentage of .328 and a team batting average of .260 on the season. The Rays hold a team SLG% of .407 and they have an average of 4.56 runs per game (10th in the league). They have been called out on strikes on 1,041 occasions (30th in baseball) and have tallied 1,312 hits.

The Rays have a WHIP of 1.139 and are the owners of a FIP of 4.05 as a unit this year. They rank 4th in baseball as a staff in total hits given up with 1,149. The Tampa Bay pitching staff have allowed 614 runs this season and come in with a team ERA of 3.76 (559 earned runs conceded). They have earned a strikeout to walk ratio of 8.20 (1,216 strikeouts vs 376 walks). They have surrendered 186 homers and they concede 4.13 runs per 9 innings (7th in baseball).

They rank 4th in the league holding a save rate of 74.7%, and they have dispatched 478 relief pitchers onto the field this season. Their bullpen pitchers have come in 153 times in high leverage situations and also on 126 occasions with base runners. With 184 save situations, the Rays have 108 holds in addition to 19 blown saves. Tampa Bay has had bullpen pitchers take the mound in 75 save chances and they have walked away with 56 saves. Tampa Bay relief pitchers have an inherited score rate of 33.3% out of their 180 inherited runners.

The Tampa Bay Rays have gotten 94 double plays and have a fielding rate of .984 (22nd in baseball). The Rays have accrued 1,185 assists, 87 errors and have earned a total of 4,017 putouts so far this year. Out of their 12,051 innings played, the Rays have accumulated a defensive efficiency of 72.3% (1st in baseball).

So far in his MLB career, Rasmussen has surrendered 492 hits while totaling 588 punch outs in 620 innings. He has allowed 198 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.029 and having a FIP of 2.8. His K/BB ratio is 4.03 and he has faced 2,465 batters during his MLB career. Rasmussen (44-22 career record) has earned a 2.87 ERA while giving up 7.1 hits per 9 innings.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Sacramento (+150)

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