The Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs meet for the first time since the 2017 World Series when they play Monday night at Wrigley Field.
The interleague competitors begin a three-game series at Wrigley. The Rays will not have to travel far despite being the away team, as they dropped two of three games to the Chicago White Sox in their previous series.
Check out our MLB betting picks and predictions to see if the Rays will fare better on Chicago's North Side on Monday, April 18.
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Rays vs Cubs odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Cubs opened as +130 underdogs at home. The line currently resides between +125 and +131 depending on the book. The total currently sits at 8.5 across most books, but there 8 is available at some books as well.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until kickoff and be sure to check out the full MLB odds before placing your bets.
Rays vs Cubs predictions
Picks made on 4/18/2022 at 11:30 a.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Rays vs Cubs game info
• Location: Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
• Date: Monday, April 18, 2022
• First pitch: 7:40 p.m. ET
• TV: Bally Sports Sun, Marquee Sports Network
Rays vs Cubs betting preview
Starting pitchers
Shane McClanahan (0-1, 3.00 ERA): A 24-year-old lefty, McClanahan may be the best starter in this Rays rotation. He’s pitched only nine total innings across two appearances this season but has struck out a whopping 15 batters. He’s pitched well against the Orioles and Athletics and gets a decent matchup against the Cubs. A year ago, McClanahan went 10-6 with a 3.43 ERA and a stellar 10.29 K/9 ratio.
Kyle Hendricks (0-1, 7.00 ERA): The veteran right-hander is back for his ninth season in the Cubs rotation. After an impressive 2.88 ERA in 2020, Hendricks fell off precipitously in 2021 with a career-worst 4.77 ERA. It was the first time in his career his ERA even rose above 4.00, and the peripherals (4.95 xERA, 4.61 xFIP) sounded the alarm bells. After an impressive opening performance against the Brewers (5 IP, 1 ER, 7 Ks), the veteran was rocked for six earned over only 3 2-3 innings by the lowly Pirates in his last start.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Rays: JT Chargois RP (Out), Peter Fairbanks RP (Out), Nick Anderson RP (Out).
Cubs: David Bote 3B (Out), Andrelton Simmons SS (Out), Brad Wieck RP (Out), Codi Heuer RP (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Under is 8-3-2 in the Rays’ last 13 road games. Find more MLB betting trends for Rays vs Cubs. Find more MLB betting trends for Rays vs. Cubs.
Rays vs Cubs picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Moneyline analysis
Tampa Bay accumulated an impressive 100-62 record in 2021 but has struggled to match last year’s performance in the early goings of 2022, dropping each of its last two series against the Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox, respectively.
It’s welcome news that Tampa’s defacto ace will be on the bump Monday to help right the ship, as youngster Shane McClanahan gets the nod after striking out 15 batters over his first nine innings pitched on the season.
The Cubs have overperformed expectations to begin the year, sitting with a 5-4 record after going only 71-91 in 2021. They have a +7 run differential, superior to Tampa’s dead-even mark after ten games. Chicago has been swinging the stick well, as its .811 OPS ranks first overall in MLB. The lineup has managed an impressive — and likely unsustainable — 5.08 runs per game.
The Cubs are playing well, but this is not a supremely talented roster and we believe they’ll fall back down to earth. McClanahan is a tough pitcher and this is the first time that many in the Cubs lineup will see his stuff.
Kyle Hendricks’ numbers experienced a significant drop in 2021 after many years of consistency. Was that an outlier or a sign of regression moving forward? Given the fact that the Pirates roughed up the veteran in his last start, we’re pessimistic about his outlook for 2022.
The Rays have relished the role of the favorite so far this season, as all five of their wins on the season have occurred when they’ve been favored. Tampa is an impressive 43-18 in its last 61 games as a favorite, too. Tampa has also fared well in interleague play, going 41-20 in its last 61 interleague games.
Prediction: Rays moneyline (-141 at WynnBet)
Over/Under analysis
Hendricks represents uncertainty in this handicap. His 2021 peripherals (4.95 xERA, 4.61 xFIP) were concerning for a pitcher who had been a model of consistency up until last year. He’s always been a low-strikeout, pitch-to-contact hurler, so the margins for error are slim.
While we’re not optimistic about Hendricks in 2022, but the fact remains that he’s a veteran pitcher with years of quality pitching on his resume. The Rays offense has been somewhat cold to start the year with a .697 OPS, which ranks just above the league average of .689.
McClanahan gets a lot of strikeouts and has few holes in his profile. The Cubs have overperformed as an offense and this matchup is a prime spot for them to fall back down to earth. The Under is 12-0 in McClanahan's last 12 starts versus a team with a winning record.
Both Tampa (3.19 ERA) and Chicago (3.58 ERA) have gotten solid production from their respective bullpens, so bonus runs might not be easy to come by in the later frames.
Prediction: Under 8.5 (-115 at BetMGM)
Best bet
We like the Rays in this spot but aren’t comfortable laying this amount of juice on the road.
McClanahan has pitched extremely well in the big leagues and has the makings of a bright young star for Tampa.
As mentioned, the Cubs offense has overperformed to begin the season, leading to a total of 8.5 despite a matchup against a very good young left-hander. The Rays’ bats have been cold this season, too, so we’re tempering expectations until given a reason to believe otherwise.
All signs point to the Under.
Pick: Under 8.5 (-115 at BetMGM)
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