Tampa Bay Rays vs Atlanta Braves Prediction, Preview and Odds - 09/10/2026

Game Time: 12:15 pm ET, Thursday, September 10, 2026

Venue:  Truist Park, Atlanta, GA 

Where to Watch:  ESPN Unlimited, MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Rays -102, Braves -118; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Rays +100, Braves -120; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Rays +100, Braves -120; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Tampa Bay Rays:  86-58 (1st place, AL East)

Atlanta Braves:  85-60 (1st place, NL East)

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Tampa Bay Rays:  6-4 last 10

Atlanta Braves:  5-5 last 10

The Rays are entering this series off a loss and split their 4-game series against the Texas Rangers 2-2 in their last series. They enter this game with an 86-58 record overall and have a road record of 39-33. This is the series finale of a 3-game series with the Braves on Thursday with the 2nd game still to be played on Wednesday. The Rays won the series opener on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 6th in the MLB with a .734 OPS. Griffin Jax is their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Nick Martinez is making his start in this game on Thursday. He is 14-4 with a 3.04 ERA this season. His team won their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 3 ER, 1 HR, and 2 BB with 4 SO on 5 hits through 6.1 IP against the Texas Rangers.

The Braves are entering this series off a loss and split their 4-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies 2-2 in their last series. They enter this game with an 85-60 record overall and have a home record of 48-25. This is the 3rd game of a 3-game series with the Rays on Thursday with the 2nd game of this series still to be played on Wednesday. The Braves lost the 1st game of this series on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 14th in the MLB with a .719 OPS. Reynaldo López is their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Martín Pérez is making his start in this game on Thursday. He is 8-9 with a 3.25 ERA this season. His team lost 3 of their last 4 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 4 earned runs, 1 homer, and 4 walks with 3 strikeouts on 7 hits through 3.2 innings pitched against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The current betting odds have the Rays listed as a slight underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rays have looked great in their games this season with their 86-58 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL East with one of the best records in MLB. They have been a good road team too with their 39-33 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Braves have looked great in their games this season with their 85-60 record overall which has them right at the top of the NL East with one of the best records in MLB. They have looked great in their own ballpark too with their 48-25 home record this season. The Braves are 5-5 in their last 10 games and they haven't looked great lately while the Rays are getting hot again, now 6-4 in their last 10 games, and they are going to have the better pitching matchup here. The Rays are going with Martinez in this one and he has looked great this season. He is 14-4 with a 3.04 ERA and he has been one of their best starters all year. He did give up 3 earned runs in his last start, but that hasn't been a common theme for him this season and the team has still been having a ton of success with him lately, winning 3 games in a row now with him starting. The Braves are going with Perez in this one and he has looked good this season. he is 8-9 with a 3.25 ERA, but he has been really up and down all year and the team hasn't had a ton of success with him lately either. They have lost 3 of their last 4 games with him starting and he is coming off a start in which he gave up 4 earned runs. The Braves are also dealing with some injuries to their pitchers while the Rays have one of the best pitching staffs in the league. Look for the Rays to take advantage of this pitching matchup as they look to win the American league, currently in the lead with less than a month to go. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rays to win this game. 

Rays Braves Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Thursday, September 10, 2026 (12:15 pm ET start time) is Rays 5 Braves 2.

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Tampa Bay Rays: 78-59 (+15.7 units) on the moneyline in an inter-league game. 63-42 (+17.7 units) on the moneyline vs. an NL team with a team batting average of .255 or worse. 54-42 (+14.6 units) on the moneyline vs. a team with a good bullpen whose ERA is 3.45 or better. 26-15 UNDER when playing against a team with a winning record.

Atlanta Braves: 250-221 (-40.9 units) on the moneyline in all games. 133-102 (-17.8 units) on the moneyline in home games. 166-162 (-46.5 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 11-5 UNDER vs. an AL starting pitcher whose ERA is 3.70 or better.

Tampa Bay Rays:  T. Walls (SS) Ten Day IL - Hip. G. Cleavinger (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Forearm. M. Rodriguez (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Back. S. McClanahan (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Forearm. B. Baker (RP) Day To Day - Illness. B. Williamson (2B) Ten Day IL - Hamstring. J. Fraley (RF) Sixty Day IL - Groin. J. Heasley (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. G. Lux (LF) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. R. Pepiot (SP) Sixty Day IL - Hip. E. Uceta (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder.

Atlanta Braves:  B. Elder (SP) Day To Day - Knee. R. Suarez (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. R. Lopez (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Knee. S. Strider (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. J. Wentz (RP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. J. Jimenez (RP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. S. Schwellenbach (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“He should have a lot of confidence. He's a really good pitcher. The last three [starts] for us is probably [a] closer version to the guy he's been his entire career.” - Kevin Cash on Freddy Peralta after his team’s win against the Braves in their game on Tuesday. 

“A lot of it depends on what our team looks like and what our rotation looks like. I’m sure it’ll be drastically different three or four weeks from now.” - Walt Weiss after his team’s loss against the Rays in their game on Tuesday. 

Yandy Díaz (R) DH

Jonathan Aranda (L) 1B

Junior Caminero (R) 3B

Liam Hicks (L) C

Chandler Simpson (L) LF

Jonny DeLuca (R) CF

Victor Mesa Jr. (L) RF

Richie Palacios (L) 2B

Jorge Mateo (R) SS

Drake Baldwin (L) DH

Ronald Acuña Jr. (R) RF

Matt Olson (L) 1B

Michael Harris II (L) CF

Mauricio Dubón (R) SS

Mike Yastrzemski (L) LF

Ozzie Albies (S) 2B

Austin Riley (R) 3B

Sean Murphy (R) C

Batting Average:  Liam Hicks (.313)

Hits:  Yandy Díaz (169)

Home Runs:  Junior Caminero (39)

RBI:  Junior Caminero (93)

Stolen Bases:  Chandler Simpson (40)

Wins:  Drew Rasmussen (14)

Saves:  Bryan Baker (39)

ERA:  Ty Johnson (0.00)

Batting Average:  Jair Camargo (.500)

Hits:  Michael Harris (152)

Home Runs:  Matt Olson (37)

RBI:  Michael Harris (80)

Stolen Bases:  Ronald Acuña (20)

Wins:  Chris Sale (14)

Saves:  Raisel Iglesias (31)

ERA:  Hunter Stratton (0.00)

Managers:

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (12th season)

Atlanta Braves: Walt Weiss (1st season)