Subscribe
Follow Us
The Cubs make the trip to Tampa Bay to face the Rays! Both of these teams have been inconsistent and need a win. The Cubs just broke a losing streak, while the Rays are spiraling heading into this game. Our MLB odds series has our Cubs-Rays prediction, odds, and pick for Tuesday.
Cubs-Rays Projected Starters
Jameson Taillon vs. Zach Eflin
Jameson Taillon (3-2) with a 3.47 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP
Last Start: Pitched five innings and gave up five runs on 10 hits with one walk and six strikeouts in a Cubs win.
2024 Road Splits: (0-1) 3.52 ERA
Zach Eflin (3-4) with a 4.14 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP
Last Start: Pitched four innings and gave up two runs on three hits with zero walks and three strikeouts in a Rays win.
2024 Home Splits: (2-1) 2.84 ERA
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Cubs-Rays Odds
Chicago Cubs: +1.5 (-178)
Moneyline: +120
Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+146)
Moneyline: -142
Over: 7.5 (-105)
Under: 7.5 (-115)
How to Watch Cubs vs. Rays
Time: 6:50 pm ET
Article Continues Below
TV: Bally Sports Sun
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Cubs Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Cubs have a 32-34 record this season. They have struggled behind the plate so much and to the point where they have dipped down as one of the worst offenses in the league. In comparison, their pitching is in the top half of the league. On offense, Michael Busch, Cody Bellinger, Nico Hoerner, Ian Happ, Christopher Morel, Michael Tauchman, and Dansby Swanson make up an inconsistent and struggling offense. Shota Imanaga, Javier Assad, Ben Brown, and Jameson Taillon are standouts for a pitching staff that has had to carry them at times due to how much the offense has struggled.
The Cubs are starting Jameson Taillon on the mound where he has a 3-2 record, a 3.47 ERA, and a 1.36 WHIP. He has allowed 25 runs on 54 hits with 13 walks and 35 strikeouts through 49.1 innings. In his nine starts this season, the Cubs are 5-4. Taillon has been great for the Cubs and has needed to be great because of the offensive struggles. He is one of the better pitchers in their lineup and gets a very favorable matchup against an offense that has lacked consistency like what he has seen from the Rays.
The Cubs' offense has gone from inconsistent to struggling this season. They are 26th in team batting average at .229 after having a .254 one season ago. The offense is led by Cody Bellinger, Christopher Morel, and Mike Tauchman in most batting categories. Tauchman leads the way in batting average at .261 and in OBP at .365. Morel leads the way in home runs at 12 and in RBI at 39. Finally, Cody Bellinger then leads the way in total hits at 54. This offense does not get an easy matchup against a pitcher like Zach Eflin on the mound for the Rays.
Why The Rays Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Rays have been inconsistent out of the gate, and currently sit with a 31-34 record, and they have lost three straight heading into this matchup. The Rays are below average on offense and then are in the bottom half of the MLB in pitching. This play on both sides of the ball is why they have struggled to find consistency as a team. Isaac Paredes, Amed Rosario, Yandy Diaz, Harold Ramirez, Jose Caballero, and Randy Arozarena have been solid for the Rays offense. On the mound, Zach Eflin, Ryan Pepiot, and Zack Littell have been solid for a unit that has not been great this season. This should be an interesting matchup due to how inconsistent each team has been.
The Rays are starting Zach Eflin at pitcher where he has a 3-4 record, a 4.14 ERA, and a 1.14 WHIP. He has allowed 30 runs on 68 hits with four walks and 47 strikeouts through 63 innings. The Rays are also 6-5 in the 11 games that he has appeared in, so far this season. Zach Eflin has been one of the best pitchers for the Rays and gets a matchup against an offense that has talent, but struggled so much like the Cubs.
The offense for the Rays has been solid this season behind the plate, coming in just outside the top 10 in the MLB. They are 20th in team-batting average at .233 after finishing with a .260 last season. Isaac Paredes leads the way in most batting categories. Paredes leads the way in batting average at .288, in home runs at 10, in RBI at 37, in OBP at .373, and in total hits at 64. The Rays and their bats have been inconsistent, and it does not get any easier against Taillon for the Cubs in this game.
Final Cubs-Rays Prediction & Pick
The only thing these two teams have been good at this season is being inconsistent. The Rays need to bounce back after getting swept and with Eflin on the mound he can take advantage of a bad Cubs offense. Taillon has been very good too, but look for the Rays to win and cover at home to break their losing streak.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Cubs-Rays Prediction & Pick: Rays -1.5 (+146)
