Chicago Cubs vs Tampa Bay Rays Betting Pick & Prediction 6/13/24

From Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, we have the Cubs and Rays facing off in an interleague matchup. The game gets started at 6:50 PM ET, and it will be televised on MARQ.

Chicago is currently favored on the money line, with the odds sitting at -117 compared to the Rays at -102. The over/under line is 7.5 runs, and Justin Steele is starting for the Cubs, while the Rays are going with Taj Bradley. Tampa Bay is 5th in the AL East, while the Cubs are 4th in the NL Central.

CHICAGO CUBS VS TAMPA BAY RAYS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Chicago Cubs Moneyline -117

This game will be played at Tropicana Field at 6:50 ET on Thursday, June 13th.

HOW TO BET THE CUBS VS RAYS:

• We have the Cubs winning by a score of 5 to 4
• However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the Rays to cover
• As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over

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.

Offensively, the Cubs were led by Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki, as they were the only two Cubs hitters to have more than one hit. Bellinger, Suzuki, and Michael Busch each had an RBI for Chicago’s offense.

Cubs Records & Stats

Chicago is 33-35 overall and is in 4th place in the NL Central. The Cubs are seven games behind the Brewers for the division lead, and they are 8-15 in divisional matchups this year. The Cubs have won three straight games as the favorite, and they are 16-13 as the favorite overall. As the underdog, Chicago is 17-22 this year.

At home, the Cubs are 18-13 this year and 15-22 on the road. Chicago’s series record is 8-11-2 heading into today’s matchup vs. the Rays. The Cubs are 5-4 as the road favorite this season.

Chicago has been a solid run line bet on the road this season, going 22-15 against the spread. The Cubs have been an underdog in the majority of their games, and their run line record as the underdog is 26-13. The average run margin in their winning games is +2.9, while it drops to -3.2 in their losses.

When the Cubs are on the road, the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, and their games have averaged a combined 8.8 runs per game this season. The Cubs’ over/under record for the season is 30-35, and their games have had an average over/under line of 8 runs. When the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, the Cubs are 8-8 on the season. So far this season, 63.2% of their games have had higher over/under lines than 7.5 runs, and their current under streak is at 5 games.

Left-hander Justin Steele gets the start for the Cubs today as he faces the Rays on the road. Steele has made eight starts this year and has a record of 0-3 with a 3.65 ERA. Looking at his overall numbers, opponents are batting .227 this year, and he has a WHIP of 1.15. Steele has made two quality starts this year and is coming off a rough outing vs. the Reds, where he gave up three earned runs in seven innings of work. In that outing, he gave up one homer. Steele has not won a game since 2020.

Coming into today’s game, the Cubs are averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 17th in the league. At home, they have been slightly better, averaging 4.4 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .230, which is 18th in the league, and their collective slugging percentage of .373 is also below the league average. One thing they have done well is draw walks, as they are currently 5th in the league in that category.

Christopher Morel has been swinging a hot bat for the Cubs of late, going 9/30 in his last eight games with three homers and eight runs scored. For the season, he is batting just .209, but his 13 homers are 8th in the MLB. Cody Bellinger is 4th on the team with a .267 batting average and has gone deep nine times.

Rays Records & Stats

Tampa Bay is 5th in the AL East, trailing the Yankees by 16 games heading into today’s matchup vs. the Cubs. The Rays are 32-36 overall, and they are 10-17 in divisional games this year. The Rays have dropped four straight games as the underdog, and they are 11-16 as the underdog overall.

At home, the Rays are 4-9 as the underdog this year, and they are 21-20 as the favorite. Tampa Bay’s overall series record is 9-10-2 this year, and they are 4-6 over their last 10 games.

When the Rays win, they win big, with an average run margin of 2.3 runs per game. However, they are just 27-41 against the run line this season, with a negative run differential of -0.9 runs per game. They have been especially bad at home, going just 12-29 against the run line at Tropicana Field.

When the Tampa Bay Rays play 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 34-32, and when the line is set at 7.5 runs, their record is 12-6. Overall, 69.1% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 7.5 runs. Currently, they are on a two-game under streak.

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 start, which came on June 8th, he took the loss after going 5 innings and giving up one earned run. Looking back further, Bradley has allowed at least five earned runs in three of his last four starts. His record for the season is 1-4, and his ERA is 5.17. Opposing batters are hitting .231 off Bradley this season. So far, he has made one quality start and is averaging 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

Isaac Paredes has been a bright spot in the Rays lineup this season, as he is batting .291 and is 11th in the league with 10 home runs. His 38 RBIs are also good for 14th in the MLB. Yandy Diaz has been swinging a hot bat of late, as he has gone 14/43 in his last 10 games, but he has yet to hit a home run during that stretch. Overall, Diaz is batting .257 with four homers.

As a team, the Rays are averaging just 3.9 runs per game, which is 27th in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in home runs and have a team batting average of just .232. Tampa Bay’s team OPS of .658 is also one of the worst marks in the league.