Chicago Cubs vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction 4/8/2026 Today’s MLB Picks

In this article, we will formulate a Cubs vs Rays Prediction for this MLB matchup on Wednesday, April 8th in the third game of this series. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this MLB matchup.

Tampa Bay Rays Preview

The Tampa Bay Rays have a 5-6 record this season and are sitting in the third place of the AL East. They have a 1-1 home record and are coming off a 2-9 home loss against the Cubs. Their previous three games were a 6-4 home win against the Cubs, a 4-1 and a 7-1 road win against the Twins.

The Rays have a .260 batting average this season, .333 OBP and .396 Slugging percentage. Tampa Bay’s pitching staff has a 4.95 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. Chandler Simpson is the team’s best hitter with a .405 batting average. Yandy Diaz leads the team in RBI with 10, and Jonathan Aranda adds a team-high 3 home runs.

Joe Boyle (R) is the projected starting pitcher for the Rays, and he has a 0-0 record, 3.18 ERA and 0.88 WHIP.

Chicago Cubs Preview

The Chicago Cubs have a 5-6 record this season and are sitting in the fifth place of the NL Central. They have a 2-3 away record and are coming off a 9-2 road win against the Rays. Their previous three games were a 4-6 road loss to the Rays, a 5-6 road loss and a 1-0 road win against the Guardians.

The Cubs have a .221 batting average this season, .311 OBP and .363 Slugging percentage. Chicago’s pitching staff has a 3.56 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. Nico Hoerner is the team’s best hitter with a .297 batting average. Ian Happ leads the team in RBI with 7, also adding a team-high 4 home runs.

Colin Rea (R) is the projected starting pitcher for the Cubs, and he has a 0-0 record, 4.26 ERA and 1.42 WHIP.

The Chicago Cubs @ Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends: April 8, 2026

• Probable Starting Pitcher: Joe Boyle      Record this season: 0-0      ERA: 3.18
• Home Record: 0-0
• Last 5 against Cubs: –

Why the Tampa Bay Rays will win

• The Cubs have lost each of their last four games as favorites following a win.
• The Rays have won four of their last five games as home underdogs against NL Central opponents following a loss.
• The underdogs have covered the run line in 12 of the Rays’ last 13 games at Tropicana Field.
• The Cubs have failed to cover the run line in seven of their last eight road games.
• The Rays have won the first inning in six of their last seven games as home underdogs.
• The Rays have led after 3 innings in each of their last eight games as home underdogs.
• The Rays have led after 5 innings in six of their last seven games against National League opponents that held a losing record.

• Probable Starting Pitcher: Colin Rea      Record this season: 0-0      ERA: 4.26
• Road Record: 0-0
• Last 5 against Rays: 1-0

Why the Chicago Cubs will win

• The Rays have lost each of their last six Wednesday games against NL Central opponents.
• The Cubs have won five of their last six road games against teams that held a losing record.
• The Rays have failed to cover the run line in each of their last eight Wednesday home games against National League opponents.
• The Cubs have covered the run line in five of their last six road games against teams that held a losing record.
• The Cubs have led after 3 innings in five of their last six night games against American League opponents.
• The Rays have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last four night games at Tropicana Field against National League opponents.

Total Runs Facts

• Seven of the Rays’ last eight games against National League opponents have gone OVER the total runs line.
• Four of the Cubs’ last five games against AL East opponents have gone OVER the total runs line.
• The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Rays’ last 11 games at Tropicana Field.
• The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Cubs’ last seven games.

Tampa Bay Rays Player Prop Facts

• Yandy Diaz has hit a home run in three of the Rays’ last four games as underdogs against NL opponents.
• Yandy Diaz has recorded at least one hit in each of his last 14 Wednesday night appearances with the Rays as underdogs.
• Yandy Diaz ranks T2nd in the league in Hits (17) this season.

Chicago Cubs Player Prop Facts

• Nico Hoerner has recorded at least one hit in each of the Cubs’ last 10 games against AL opponents that held a losing record.
• Seiya Suzuki has hit a home run in each of his last three appearances against opponents that held a losing record.
• Nico Hoerner ranks T3rd in the league in Steals (5) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Rays rank T1st in the league for strikeouts against this season (79).
• The Rays rank 27th in the league for runs allowed this season (63).
• The Cubs rank 5th in the league for hits allowed this season (74).
• The Cubs rank T6th in the league for home runs this season (12).

Cubs vs Rays Prediction

Both teams are tied 5-5 in their last 10 meetings and are 2-2 in their last 4 meetings in Tampa.

In this Cubs vs Rays Prediction, both teams are coming at a pickem price. Both teams are tied 1-1 in this series and have identical records. Tampa has a slightly better offense but the worst bullpen ERA in baseball, but Boyle looks good in his first two starts of the season. On the flip side, I don’t trust Rea on the road for the Cubs, while Boyle was excellent at home for the Rays last season, with a 2.15 home ERA. Take the Rays for the bounce-back win at home in this one.

Nikos Lagouretos's Pick: Tampa Bay Rays ML