Preview for Wednesday, September 16, 2026. Schedule and player information can change.
Oakland Athletics at Tampa Bay Rays
Oakland's Brady Basso brings a 3.86 ERA and a 3.28 FIP across roughly 37.3 innings pitched into this start, and the underlying FIP suggests his run prevention has actually been a bit stronger than even that ERA indicates. Tampa Bay counters with Nick Martinez, who has logged a much heavier workload at approximately 166.3 innings with a 2.92 ERA and a 3.96 FIP. Martinez's ERA is the better mark of the two by the raw numbers, though Basso's FIP is lower than Martinez's FIP, making the pitching matchup a mixed one depending on which figure is weighted more heavily.
Looking at the team-wide numbers, Tampa Bay holds the edge in each category listed: a 0.320 wOBA compared to Oakland's 0.313, a 4.12 team FIP against Oakland's 4.97, and a 3.76 team ERA versus Oakland's 5.40. That's a clean sweep across offense and run prevention for the Rays at the team level, even though Basso's individual FIP has been sharper than Martinez's this season.
On the injury side, Oakland has Jamie Arnold listed as 'Out' and both Henry Baez and Leo De Vries on the 7-Day IL, while Tampa Bay shows Anderson Brito and Aaron Brooks on the 60-Day IL along with Garrett Cleavinger on the 15-Day IL. Both clubs are dealing with reported absences, but the broader team statistics clearly favor Tampa Bay, whose ERA, FIP and wOBA all outpace Oakland's figures heading into this one.
Statistical scope: MLB Stats API; 2026 regular season season-to-date; exact statistical through-date not supplied.
WP selection: Rays moneyline. Confidence: Confident.
The selection is supplied separately by WP. The comparisons above do not establish why the model made this selection.
WP home-run candidate for Athletics: Brian Serven. The selection uses roster and season-stat inputs; it does not establish a confirmed batting lineup or favourable betting odds.
WP home-run candidate for Rays: Victor Mesa Jr.. The selection uses roster and season-stat inputs; it does not establish a confirmed batting lineup or favourable betting odds.
Predictions are uncertain; no outcome is guaranteed. Check the picks page for the latest available selections.