Seattle Mariners vs. Tampa Bay Rays Picks and Prediction, Wednesday, September 3, 2025
In this Mariners at Rays prediction, the Mariners continue their playoff push as they wrap up a three-game series in Tampa against the Rays. The Rays are on the heels of the Astros for the top spot in the AL West and are in a prime position to earn a wildcard spot. The Rays are out of the playoff hunt, but can spoil the Mariners’ party. The pitching matchup on Wednesday features Mariners’ righty George Kirby (8-6, 3.94) taking on the Rays’ right-hander Adrian Houser (7-4, 2.85). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:35 PM EST. Read on for more in this Blue Jays/Reds prediction, and grab our top MLB predictions to increase your bankroll!
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Seattle deep in the playoff picture
The Seattle Mariners are on the path to their second playoff appearance in three years, with the season less than a month from completion. The Mariners dropped two of three games to the Guardians in Cleveland before this series to kick off this road trip. On Monday night, the Mariners were run over by the Rays in a 10-2 one-sided defeat. Starter Luis Castillo allowed six hits and five runs in just four innings of work to take the loss. Castillo is now 8-8 on the season.
*This article was written before the completion of Tuesday night’s Mariners/Rays game.
The Mariners are closing in on the Astros for the division lead with the season nearing a close. They need to pick up wins against teams like the Rays to keep pace. They’ll turn to righty George Kirby in the series finale on Wednesday. Kirby is 8-6 in 18 games, including 10 quality starts. He has allowed 93 hits in 102.2 innings of work and given up 12 home runs. Kirby has an ERA of 3.94 and a WHIP of 1.16. The Mariners have lost three of Kirby’s last five starts. He has a record of 4-3 on the road this season with an ERA of 4.73 in nine starts.
Key Injuries: SP Logan Evans, RF Victor Robles, 2B Ryan Bliss, RP Gregory Santos, and RP Trent Thornton are out.
Rays trying to spoil things for Mariners
The Tampa Bay Rays are out of the playoff picture for the second straight season, with just under a month to go in the season. They’ll try to avoid a losing record, just the second time in 15 years that they would have consecutive losing seasons. In the series opener against the Mariners on Monday night, the Rays won their fourth straight game, improving to 68-69 on the season. Nick Fortes and Tristan Gray each homered and combined to drive in five runs. Starter Shane Baz pitched six shutout innings, improving to 9-11 on the season with the victory.
*This article was written before the completion of Tuesday night’s Mariners/Rays game.
The Rays finished 80-82 last season and are currently on pace to finish with a losing record again this season. This is from a team that has made the playoffs eight times, including two World Series appearances, since 2008. The Rays will go with righty Adrian Houser on Wednesday. Houser has a record of 7-4 this season in 16 starts, including six quality starts. He has allowed 95 hits in 94.2 innings of work and just six home runs. He has an ERA of 2.85 and a WHIP of 1.33 this season. Houser has walked 31 batters and struck out 66. The Rays have won three of Houser’s last five starts. At home, Houser is 6-0 in six starts with an ERA of 2.08.
Key Injuries: RP Hunter Bigge, 1B Xavier Isaac, SS Taylor Walls, and CF Jonny DeLuca are out.
Rays ML (4 units)
The Rays will not go quietly into that good night and will be a thorn in the side of plenty of their opponents over the final month. Starter Houser has been dominant in Tampa this season with a perfect 6-0 mark in six starts and an ERA of just 2.08. Part of his success is the ability to keep the ball on the ground in what has been a big-time hitters' park in Tampa. Kirby hasn’t been nearly as dominant this season after returning from IL. The Mariners have lost three of Kirby’s last five starts, and his ERA on the road is close to five. Take the Rays to pick up the win to close out the series on Wednesday.
Take the Rays with the money line.
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Under (5 units)
Houser has been outstanding at home this season, as noted above. He has an ERA of 2.08 at George Steinbrenner Stadium, the temporary home of the Rays. The Rays have gone under the number in three of Houser’s last five starts. Both teams are hitting .250 or below, and this could turn into a sneaky pitchers’ duel on Wednesday.
Take the under.
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