MLB matchup analysis

Rays vs Phillies Prediction, Odds and Model Pick

Sunday, September 27, 2026 at Citizens Bank Park · 2:30 PM ET

Pass

Leo decision: Pass on Rays vs Phillies

Lab Rating
5.6/10
Model lean
Phillies 51.9%
Market probability
66.5%
Model edge
-14.7%
Best moneyline
-200
Sportsbooks checked
9
Leo model
51.9%
Market
66.5%

The case for Philadelphia Phillies

Why Leo leans Philadelphia Phillies
Leo's model makes Philadelphia Phillies 51.9% to win. No single factor dominates — the starting pitcher matchup tilt the same way, enough to lean Philadelphia Phillies even though it does not clear the bar for a high-confidence pick.

The case for Tampa Bay Rays

Team strength favors Tampa Bay Rays
Before any pitcher or bullpen adjustment, Leo's own team-strength model has Tampa Bay Rays ahead (55.5% to 46.6%). The pick still comes from Philadelphia Phillies once the pitcher and bullpen terms are applied.

Why it is not official

Below the 61.0% official gate
Win probability is 51.9%. Leo does not make a game official below 61.0%, no matter how good the price is. This is a value spot, not a high-confidence winner.
Setup quality below the bar
Lab Rating is 5.6/10, under the 7.2/10 required for an official pick.
Own bullpen carries risk: 8.8/10
The Philadelphia Phillies bullpen comes in high risk. A lead after six innings is less safe than usual.

Why the setup score is what it is

Conviction: 0/10
Leo's own win probability for Philadelphia Phillies (51.9%) is close enough to a coin flip that the rating credits little or no conviction -- credit only starts above 55%.
Pitching plan: 37.33/40
Zack Wheeler rates 78 on Leo's pitcher score, judged on its own merits (50-80 is the credited range). That is a strong start on its own, and it earns most or all of the available credit here.
Offense: 18.67/50
Philadelphia Phillies's recent form does not clearly outpace Tampa Bay Rays's.

Why the price is what it is

Team strength: 46.6%
Before any pitcher or bullpen adjustment, Leo's team-strength model alone makes Philadelphia Phillies 46.6% to win. Everything below moves the price from this starting point.
Pitcher score gap: 2 points
The pitcher-score gap favors Philadelphia Phillies by 2 points. This is the biggest single mover of the price -- a large gap moves it a lot, a small gap barely moves it.
Bullpen adjustment: -0.015
The bullpen-fatigue gap between the two pens nudges the price toward Tampa Bay Rays. This moves the price less than the starting pitchers do, since a starter covers more of the game than the bullpen.
Net effect: 46.6% -> 51.9%
Team strength alone had Philadelphia Phillies at 46.6%. After the pitcher and bullpen terms, the price is 51.9% -- the same number shown as Model Lean above.
The verdict Leo passes. The combined Lab Rating did not clear the official threshold.
Read the full model output

The combined Lab Rating did not clear the official threshold.

Final result

Rays 3, Phillies 7

How the analysis held up

Philadelphia Phillies won, the side Leo's model favored.

Zack Wheeler (Philadelphia Phillies), the starter Leo's pitcher score favored, actually outpitched Nick Martinez: 6.0 IP, 1 ER (1.50 ERA) against 2.2 IP, 4 ER (13.50 ERA). The edge held up.

The Tampa Bay Rays bullpen was flagged as elevated risk pregame (High risk). In relief it actually allowed 3 earned runs over 5.1 innings (5.06 ERA) — the risk read showed up.

The Philadelphia Phillies bullpen was flagged as elevated risk pregame (High risk). In relief it actually allowed 2 earned runs over 3.0 innings (6.00 ERA) — the risk read showed up.

Game information

MatchupTampa Bay Rays at Philadelphia Phillies
DateSunday, September 27, 2026
First pitch2:30 PM ET
VenueCitizens Bank Park
Starting pitchersNick Martinez vs Zack Wheeler
WeatherGame-time forecast: 62°F, 72% precipitation chance, 9 mph wind from N.

Starting pitcher matchup

Full Pitcher Matchup Tool →
Nick MartinezRays · RHP
vs
Zack WheelerPhillies · RHP
MetricRaysPhillies
Pitching planTraditional starterTraditional starter
Expected innings5⅔5⅔
ThrowsRR
Leo pitcher score (higher is better)7478
ERA (lower is better)3.103.00
WHIP (lower is better)1.091.05
K/9 (higher is better)5.410.7
K-BB% (higher is better)11.5%22.6%
K% (higher is better)15.1%29.9%
BB% (lower is better)3.6%7.3%
BB/9 (lower is better)1.32.6
HR/9 (lower is better)1.11.2
Ground-ball rate40.0%50.0%
Fly-ball rate60.0%50.0%

Pitcher edge: Leo gives Zack Wheeler a 4-point edge over Nick Martinez, driven mainly by K/9 (10.7 vs 5.4) and K-BB% (22.6% vs 11.5%).

How to read this: the scorecards above name the starters; every number lives in this table.

Strikeout Projections Full strikeout projections →

Nick Martinez strikeouts
3.7 Leo projected Ks
No K play · +0.2K difference is below Leo's 0.7K threshold
Market 3.5K · O +100 / U -105 · 6 books
Zack Wheeler strikeouts
6.1 Leo projected Ks
No K play · +0.6K difference is below Leo's 0.7K threshold
Market 5.5K · O -146 / U +118 · 5 books

Same data source as the Pitcher Matchup Tool, where every starter on the slate is compared side by side.

Rays are 6-4 in their last 10 and averaging 4.5 runs per game over the last 15 days; Phillies are 4-6 in their last 10 and averaging 3.0 runs per game over the last 15 days. On the season Rays carry the better run differential per game (+0.53 against +0.09).

MetricRaysPhillies
Last 106-44-6
Last 10 by venue (away team on the road, home team at home)5-5 on the road4-6 at home
OPS, last 15 days0.6700.636
wOBA, last 15 days (hot/cold read)0.2990.289
Runs per game, last 15 days4.53.0
K% last 15 days (lower is better)22.3%16.8%

Last 15 days only. Hot and cold streaks for all 30 teams live on the Stats page.

30-day offense

Full offense tool →
Last 30 daysRaysPhillies
OPS0.713 (-0.015 vs szn)0.667 (-0.040 vs szn)
Runs per game4.86 (+0.319 vs szn)3.75 (-0.651 vs szn)
wOBA (model offense input)0.313 (-0.008 vs szn)0.299 (-0.013 vs szn)
K% (lower is better)19.7% (+1.0% vs szn)18.5% (-3.1% vs szn)

Over the last 30 days the Rays have been the better offense, 0.313 wOBA to 0.299.

Season profile

Full Stats page →
MetricRaysPhillies
Record98-6387-74
Run differential / game (team quality)+0.53+0.09
Runs scored / game (offense, season)4.544.40
Runs allowed / game (defense, season, lower better)4.014.31
Season OPS0.7280.704
K% season (lower is better)18.8%21.7%
OPS vs opposing hand (season)0.7510.703

Season-long team quality, not recent form. Run differential and run environment come from the season standings; splits for all 30 teams live on the Stats page, including the run environment table.

Every team on today's slate, on any two axes you pick. Rays and Phillies are highlighted.

Rays
Combined risk
8.3 High risk
Fatigue
8.7 High risk
Efficiency
5.9 Effective
Phillies
Combined risk
8.8 High risk
Fatigue
7.7 Tired
Efficiency
2.8 Struggling

Risk is what the model actually uses: fatigue blended with how well the pen has pitched. High fatigue with high efficiency is a tired pen that is still getting outs.

MetricRaysPhillies
Fatigue8.7/10, High risk7.7/10, Tired
Efficiency5.9/10, Effective2.8/10, Struggling
Combined risk8.3/10, High risk8.8/10, High risk
Relief innings, last 7 days25.323.0
Back-to-back arms96
7-day ERA2.846.65
7-day WHIP1.221.78

Fatigue measures workload. Efficiency measures recent run prevention. Combined risk is what the moneyline and totals systems use.

Run total projection

Full Totals Projections →
Leo projection
7.0
Market total
6.5
Projected away runs
4.7
Projected home runs
1.8
Over price
+110
Under price
-115
Tampa Bay Rays team total
4.7 projected
Line 2.5 · O +130 / U -115
Over research lean (+2.2)
Philadelphia Phillies team total
1.8 projected
Line 3.5 · O -109 / U -102
Under research lean (-1.7)

The model and market are close. Team totals remain research-only until their graded sample is established.

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