Tampa Bay Rays vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/30/2023

Game Time: 8:05 pm ET, Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Venue:  Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL

Where to Watch:  MARQ

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Rays -190, Cubs +160; Over/Under:  8 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Rays -190, Cubs +160; Over/Under:  8 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Rays -190, Cubs +160; Over/Under:  8 runs

Tampa Bay Rays:  39-16 (1st place, AL East)

Chicago Cubs:  22-30 (5th place, NL Central)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Sean Murphy is on a HOT STREAK in the MLB: 51-38 (+$8.2K) start this season! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Tampa Bay Rays:  7-3 last 10

Chicago Cubs:  3-7 last 10

The Rays are entering this game off of a win in their last game and won their 3-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 39-16 record overall and have a road record of 13-10. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Cubs on Tuesday with the series opener of this series still to be played on Monday. Their offense ranks 1st in the MLB with a .848 OPS. Rookie pitcher Taj Bradley is their starting pitcher on Monday while Shane McClanahan is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 8-0 with a 1.97 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 ER, 0 HR, and 0 BB with 7 Ks on 4 hits through 7 IP against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Cubs are entering this game on a 4 game losing streak after getting swept 3-0 in their 3-game series against the Cincinnati Reds in their last series. They enter this game with a 22-30 record overall and have a home record of 13-15. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Rays on Tuesday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Monday. Their offense ranks 7th in the MLB with a .754 OPS. Marcus Stroman is their starting pitcher on Monday while Kyle Hendricks is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA this season. His team lost their only game this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 3 earned runs, 0 homers, and 2 BB with 5 strikeouts on 6 hits through 4.1 innings played against the New York Mets.

The current betting odds have the Rays listed as a big favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rays got off to a really hot start this season and they now have the best record in the MLB as they continue to win game after game whether they are favored or not. Their pitching has been great all season and they have the best offenses in the league too, and now they have their ace starting in this game with McClanahan who already has 8 wins on the season and hasn't been charged with a loss yet. He also has an ERA below 2.00 and he hasn't shown any signs of breaking down yet with the starts he has had. The Cubs are turning to Hendricks in this game for his 2nd start of the season but he wasn't that great in his 1st start of the year and now he has to face the best offenses in the league which isn't really the softest landing spot for a player who has missed a lot of time due to injury. Hendricks is not going to just find his groove in this start with the way the Rays have been hitting all year and the Cubs were so bad in their weekend series that they are going to have no confidence with their offense trying to put runs up on McClanahan here. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rays to win this game and on the runline.

Rays Cubs Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Tuesday, May 30, 2023 (8:05 pm ET start time) is Rays 7 Cubs 1.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks, best bets, and expert baseball picks today.  And if you enjoyed this Tampa Bay Rays Chicago Cubs prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily MLB projections and previews.

Tampa Bay Rays: 27-4 (+20.2 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -150 or more. 31-13 (+14.8 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 34-18 OVER in all games. 28-15 OVER as a favorite of -110 or higher. 

Chicago Cubs: 22-30 (-9.5 units) on the moneyline in all games. 20-35 (-11.6 units) on the moneyline in an inter-league game. 11-4 OVER in an inter-league game. 16-8 OVER as an underdog of +100 or higher. 

Tampa Bay Rays:  P. Fairbanks (RP) Ques Mon - Hip. Z. Littell (RP) Mid June - Shoulder. S. Armstrong (RP) Early June - Neck. D. Rasmussen (RP) Out indefinitely - Elbow. G. Cleavinger (RP) out for season - Knee. J. Springs (RP) out for season - Elbow. S. Baz (SP) out for season - Elbow. A. Kittredge (RP) Late July - Elbow.

Chicago Cubs:  N. Burdi (RP) Mid June - Appendix. C. Bellinger (CF) Early June - Knee. A. Sampson (SP) Out indefinitely - Knee. B. Boxberger (RP) Out indefinitely - Forearm. C. Heuer (RP) Early June - Elbow. E. Roberts (RP) out for season - Elbow.

“For all the offense for both sides, it was a hustle play that decided the ballgame.” - Kevin Cash after his team’s win against the Dodgers in their game on Sunday.

“It's pretty frustrating. It was an ugly weekend for us.” - Drew Smyly after their loss against the Reds in their game on Sunday.

Yandy Diaz (R) 1B

Wander Franco (S) SS

Brandon Lowe (L) 2B

Harold Ramirez (R) DH

Isaac Paredes (R) 3B

Josh Lowe (L) RF

Jose Siri (R) CF

Luke Raley (L) LF

Francisco Mejia (S) C

Steven Kwan (L) LF

Amed Rosario (R) SS

Jose Ramirez (S) DH

Josh Naylor (L) 1B

Gabriel Arias (R) 3B

Andres Gimenez (L) 2B

Myles Straw (R) CF

Will Brennan (L) RF

Cam Gallagher (R) C

Batting Average:  Yandy Diaz (.327)

Hits:  Wander Franco (63)

Home Runs:  Yandy Diaz (12)

RBI:  Randy Arozarena (39)

Stolen Bases:  Wander Franco (18)

Wins:  Shane McClanahan (8)

Saves:  Jason Adam (7)

ERA:  Chase Anderson (0.00)

Batting Average:  Mike Tauchman (.333)

Hits:  Nico Hoerner (54)

Home Runs:  Patrick Wisdom (14)

RBI:  Patrick Wisdom (28)

Stolen Bases:  Nico Hoerner (12)

Wins:  Justin Steele (6)

Saves:  Brad Boxberger (2)

ERA:  Tucker Barnhart (0.00)

Managers:

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (9th season)

Chicago Cubs: David Ross (4th season)