Tampa Bay Rays vs Chicago Cubs Preview
Wednesday’s Cubs vs. Rays interleague matchup has a first pitch set for 6:50 PM ET from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL. The money line odds have the Cubs at +100 compared to the Rays at -118, and the over/under line is at 7.5 runs.
Chicago comes into the game with a record of 32-35, and they are 5th in the NL Central, while the Rays are 5th in the AL East. Javier Assad is slated to start for the Cubs, while Aaron Civale goes for the Rays. This game will be televised on MARQ.
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Tampa Bay Rays Trends and Key Stats
- 1-4 is the record of Cubs in their last five road games. They have also gone 3-2 vs. the runline.
- Conversely, the Rays have achieved a 3-2 (SU) record and 3-2 record in their last five home games.
- As the favorite, the Rays are 6-4 over their last ten games, including going 4-6 vs. the runline.
- Over their previous ten games as the underdog, the Cubs have a straight-up record of 2-8 and a 5-5 record vs. the runline.
Tampa Bay rallied for four runs in the 9th inning in the most recent game of this series, picking up a 5-2 win over the Cubs. The Rays scored one run in the 1st inning but didn’t score another run until putting up four in the top of the 9th. Heading into the game, they were favored at -136 on the money line.
Chicago wasted a good outing from Jameson Taillon, as he gave up just two hits and no earned runs in six innings of work for the Cubs. Héctor Neris took the loss.
Zach Eflin got the win for the Rays out of the bullpen, going 5 2/3 innings and giving up two earned runs. He finished the game with three strikeouts and didn’t issue a walk.
Tampa Bay Rays vs Chicago Cubs Prediction
Chicago is 32-35 overall and is 5th in the NL Central, seven games behind the Brewers. So far, they have gone just 8-15 in divisional games. The Cubs have won three straight games as the favorite, and they are 16-13 overall as the favorite this year.
At home, the Cubs have gone 18-13 compared to 14-22 on the road. Chicago lost the series opener vs. the Rays and are just 8-11-2 in series this year. Over their last ten games, the Cubs are 4-6.
When the Cubs win, they do so by an average of 2.9 runs per game, but when they lose, they lose by an average of 3.2 runs per game. Their run line record is 33-34, and they are 21-15 against the run line on the road. When they are the favorite, they are just 8-21 against the run line, but as the underdog, they are 25-13.
Chicago Cubs games have gone over the total in 30 of their 64 games this season, and their average combined run total is 8.8 runs per game. When the O/U line is set at 7.5 runs, their games have gone over the total in 8 of 16 games. The Cubs are currently on a four-game under streak.
Right-hander Javier Assad gets the start for the Cubs today as he faces the Rays on the road. He has made 13 starts this season and has a record of 4-2 with a 2.74 ERA. In his 13 appearances, Assad has turned in three quality starts and is averaging 8.87 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, Assad took the loss, giving up five earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work. Before that, he had gone three straight outings without taking the loss. Opponents are batting .220 off Assad this season.
Christopher Morel has been swinging a hot bat of late for the Cubs, going 8/26 in his last seven games with three homers and five RBIs. This has helped him take over the team lead in homers this season, while batting just .208. Cody Bellinger is also near the top of the Cubs’ home run leaderboard, as he has gone deep eight times while batting .264.
Overall, the Cubs are 17th in scoring at 4.3 runs per game. They have been a better offensive team at home, averaging 4.4 runs per contest. As a team, the Cubs are batting just .229, which is 18th in the league, and their collective slugging percentage of .373 is also below average.
The Rays are 32-35 overall and trail the Yankees by 15 games in the AL East. So far, they are just 10-17 against other teams in the AL East. Tampa Bay took the first game of this series vs. the Cubs and has an overall series record of 9-10-2 this year.
At home, the Rays are 18-22 this year compared to 14-13 on the road. So far, they have really struggled as the underdog at home, going just 4-9. As the underdog overall, the Rays are 11-16, and they are 21-19 as the favorite.
When it comes to betting the run line on the Tampa Bay Rays, it’s been a tough go of it for the majority of the season. They are just 27-40 on the run line overall, and they are even worse at home, going 12-28. However, they have been a much better bet on the road, going 15-12. They have failed to cover the run line in each of their last four games, and they have a losing record against the run line as the favorite, going 14-26. They have been a much better bet as the underdog, going 13-14 against the run line.
When the Tampa Bay Rays are at home, the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, and their games have averaged 8.7 runs per game this season. Their over/under record is 34-31, and when the line is set at 7.5 runs, their over/under record is 12-6. Overall, 68.7% of their games have had over/under lines higher than 7.5 runs.
Tampa Bay is sending Aaron Civale to the mound today vs. the Cubs, and he is looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Orioles. In that start, he took the loss, giving up four earned runs in five innings of work. Looking back at his last four starts, Civale has finished with a no-decision in three straight outings. He has a record of 2-5 this season and an ERA of 5.51. Opponents are batting .268 off Civale this season, and his WHIP is currently 1.36. For the year, he has allowed 13 homers and is averaging 9.13 strikeouts per nine innings.
So far this season, the Rays have been one of the worst offensive teams in the league, averaging just 3.9 runs per game. They have been even worse at home, averaging just 3.8 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting just .232 and have the league’s worst home run total. However, they do have a few hitters who have been swinging the bat well of late, including Yandy Diaz, who is on a five-game hitting streak and is batting .341 over his last 10 games.
Isaac Paredes has been the Rays’ top power threat this season, as his 10 homers are the best mark on the team and 12th in the league. He also leads the team with 37 RBIs and is batting .287. Yandy Diaz has been a consistent hitter for the Rays this season, batting .258 overall and has gone 14/41 in his last 10 games.
Our prediction for the Cubs vs. Rays matchup is to take the Rays on the money line at -118. We have the Rays winning this one by a score of 5-4. If you’re looking for a parlay option, you could take the over/under, and we would go with the over, as we see the game’s combined score going over 7.5 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Aaron Civale finishing with six strikeouts compared to Javier Assad with just four. Assad is projected to finish with a line of 7th worst in terms of innings pitched, while Civale is 4th best.
Tampa Bay Rays vs Chicago Cubs Betting Tips
- Take the Rays on the moneyline
- The Rays should also cover at +1.5
- Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over
Tampa Bay Rays Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Randy Arozarena | Questionable | 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 |
| Nico Hoerner | Probable | Hand |
| Ben Brown | Out | Neck |
| Caleb Kilian | Out | Teres Major |
