Tampa Bay Rays vs Chicago Cubs Preview
Thursday’s interleague matchup between the Cubs and Rays is set to get started at 6:50 PM ET from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL. The Cubs are the slight money line favorite, with their odds sitting at -117 compared to the Rays at -102. The over/under line is currently at 7.5 runs.
Justin Steele is starting for the Cubs, and he is facing off against Taj Bradley for the Rays. Chicago comes in with a record of 33-35, while the Rays are 32-36, putting them 5th in the AL East. The Cubs are 4th in the NL Central. This game can be seen on MARQ.
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Tampa Bay Rays Trends and Key Stats
- The Cubs are 2-3 in their five most recent road games, including a 3-2 runline record.
- On the other side, the Rays have gone 3-2 (SU) and 3-2 in their previous five home contests.
- The Cubs are 5-5 in their last ten games as the favorite and 2-8 as the underdog.
- In their last ten games, the Rays have a record of 6-4 as the favorite and 1-9 as the underdog.
Chicago rallied for three runs in the 7th inning in the most recent game of this Cubs vs. Rays series. The Cubs scored one run in the 4th inning but didn’t score another run until putting up three in the top of the 7th, picking up a 4-3 win. Heading into the game, the Cubs were at -105 on the money line.
Tampa Bay wasted a good outing from Aaron Civale, as he gave up just one run in 5 2/3 innings of work for the Rays. Garrett Cleavinger took the loss. Hector Neris got the save for the Cubs out of the bullpen as Tyson Miller got the win.
Javier Assad only went 4 2/3 innings for the Cubs but gave up just two earned runs. He finished with four strikeouts but issued two walks. On the other side, Jose Siri went 2/4 with a home run for the Rays.
Tampa Bay Rays vs Chicago Cubs Prediction
With an overall record of 33-35, the Cubs are 4th in the NL Central, and they trail the Brewers by seven games for the division lead. So far, they have really struggled against other NL Central teams, going 8-15 in divisional games. The Cubs will be on the road today vs. the Rays with an overall road record of 15-22.
Chicago has won three straight games as the favorite, and they are 16-13 when favored this year. As the underdog, the Cubs are 17-22 this season. They have an overall series record of 8-11-2 this year, and they are currently tied in their series vs. the Rays.
When the Cubs win, they win big, as their average run margin in those games is +2.9. The Cubs are 34-34 against the run line this season, and they are 22-15 vs. the run line on the road. They are 26-13 against the run line as an underdog, but just 8-21 as a favorite. The Cubs’ average run margin this season is -0.2, but they have been outscored by 0.9 runs per game on the road.
Chicago Cubs games have gone under the total in five straight contests, and the team’s over/under record for the season is 30-35. The Cubs’ games have averaged 8.8 runs per game this season, and the average over/under line for their games is 8 runs. When the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, their record is 8-8. This season, 63.2% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 7.5 runs.
Left-hander Justin Steele gets the start for the Cubs today as he faces the Rays on the road. He has made eight starts this season and has a record of 0-3 with a 3.65 ERA. Steele’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.15. In his last outing, he took the loss, giving up one earned run in seven innings of work. Before that, he had turned in back-to-back scoreless outings. Steele has made two quality starts this year and is averaging 8.73 strikeouts per nine innings. Overall, he has allowed six homers and is averaging 2.44 walks per nine innings.
For the season, the Cubs are averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 17th in the league. They have been a better offensive team at home, averaging 4.4 runs per game. As a team, the Cubs are batting just .230, which is 18th in the league, and their 67 homers is 15th in the MLB. Chicago’s team on-base percentage is .311, which is 12th in the league.
Christopher Morel has been one of the league’s top power hitters this season, as his 13 homers is 8th in the league. However, he is batting just .209 overall. Morel has gone 9/30 in his last eight games, with three homers and five RBIs. Cody Bellinger is batting .267 this season and has gone deep nine times. He is also on a four-game hitting streak.
Tampa Bay is 32-36 overall, putting them 5th in the AL East, one game behind the Blue Jays for 4th place. So far, they have gone just 10-17 against other AL East teams. The Rays are 16 games behind the Yankees for the division lead. They have gone 4-6 over their last 10 games and are currently tied with the Cubs in their series.
At home, the Rays are 18-23 this year compared to 14-13 on the road. As the underdog, Tampa Bay has dropped four straight, and they are 4-9 as the home underdog this year. Their overall series record is 9-10-2. As the favorite, the Rays are 21-20 this year.
When it comes to the run line, the Rays have been a tough team to figure out this season. They are 27-41 overall, but they have been better on the run line on the road (15-12) than at home (12-29). They have failed to cover the run line in their last four games when they have been favored, and they are just 14-27 on the run line when they are the favorite.
When the Tampa Bay Rays play at home, the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs. Their games have averaged 8.7 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 34-32. When the line is set at 7.5 runs, they have gone over 12 times and under 6 times. Overall, 69.1% of their games have had higher over/under lines than 7.5 runs, and they have gone under in their last two games.
Taj Bradley gets the start for the Rays today and will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Orioles. In that June 8th start, he took the loss, going five innings and giving up one earned run. Looking back further, Bradley has made six starts and has a record of 1-4 with an ERA of 5.17. Opponents are batting .231 off Bradley this season, and his WHIP is currently 1.18. Bradley has made four starts at home and has a record of 0-3 with a 2.43 ERA. Per nine innings, he is averaging 11.2 strikeouts compared to 2.87 walks.
Isaac Paredes has been a bright spot for the Rays this season, as he is batting .291 overall and is 11th in the league with 10 home runs. His 38 RBIs are also 14th in the league and lead the Rays. Paredes is currently on a three-game hitting streak. Yandy Diaz has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 14/43 in his last 10 games. However, he has yet to go deep during this stretch.
As a team, the Rays are 27th in the league in scoring at 3.9 runs per game. They have been even worse at home, averaging just 3.7 runs per contest. Overall, they are near the bottom of the league in home runs and have a collective batting average of .232.
Our predicted final score for this Cubs and Rays matchup is 5-4 in favor of the Cubs. We are recommending taking the Cubs on the money line, where you can get them at -117.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Justin Steele is projected to finish with six strikeouts, and we have him finishing with more strikeouts than Rays starter Taj Bradley. Bradley is projected to finish with six strikeouts.
Tampa Bay Rays vs Chicago Cubs Betting Tips
- We like the Cubs on the moneyline (-117)
- The Cubs are also our pick on the spread at -1.5
- Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over
Tampa Bay Rays Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Randy Arozarena | Probable | Hamstring |
| Wander Franco | Out | Personal |
| Drew Rasmussen | Out | Arm |
| Richard Lovelady | Out | Forearm |
| Jeffrey Springs | Out | Elbow |
| Shane McClanahan | Out | Elbow |
| Jacob Waguespack | Out | Shoulder |
Chicago Cubs Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Yency Almonte | Out | Shoulder |
| Adbert Alzolay | Out | Forearm |
| Julian Merryweather | Out | Ribs |
| Ben Brown | Out | Neck |
| Caleb Kilian | Out | Teres Major |
