Chicago Cubs vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, 4/7/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Chicago Cubs vs Tampa Bay Rays

Date: Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Location: Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL

TV: MLB.TV

Odds/Point Spread: Chicago (+162) Tampa Bay (-196)

The Chicago Cubs (4-5) are hitting the road to Tropicana Field on Tuesday where they will compete against the Tampa Bay Rays (4-5). The line on this contest has the Cubs at +162 and the Rays are at -196. The betting total comes in at 8.5. The starting pitchers will be Javier Assad and Drew Rasmussen.

The Cubs have accounted for 10 doubles as a team and have hit 9 balls out of the park. Chicago has a slugging % of .334 and have been called out on strikes 81 times, while being walked on 40 occasions. As a unit, the Chicago Cubs are knocking in 4.1 runs/g, which is 16th in MLB. They have 35 runs batted in in addition to 59 hits for the season, while their batting average comes in at .206. They have earned 37 runs scored and hold an OBP of .304.

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The Cubs have a team earned run average of 3.53 for the season (10th in baseball), and the staff has rung up 75 batters. Cubs pitchers have relinquished 10 home runs in addition to 34 runs in total (6th in the league). Their pitching staff has walked 33 players from the other team and their FIP comes in at 4.31 as a team this season. Chicago has given up 59 base hits (6.7 per 9 innings) in addition to 31 earned runs. Their K/BB ratio is 2.27 and their pitching staff has earned a collective WHIP of 1.16.

They have recorded 2 saves this season and have blown 3 out of their 5 save opportunities. The bullpen pitchers have inherited 19 runners so far this year with 36.8% of those players ended up scoring. Cubs relief pitchers have gone to the mound with runners on base 11 times and also have had 10 appearances in high leverage situations. The Cubs have sent 27 relievers to the mound over the course of the season. The relief pitchers have tallied 1 hold so far this year (29th in the league).

The Boston Red Sox have 237 putouts at this point in the season, as well as 84 assists and 3 errors. Their fielding rate is holding steady at .991 which ranks 8th in the majors, and they have turned 7 double plays. The Cubs have turned 74.6% of balls hit into play into outs in their 711 innings on the field, which ranks them 3rd in MLB.

Assad has taken the hill for 331 innings and has tallied 271 punch outs thus far in his career. His earned run average is 3.43 (126 earned runs allowed) and his WHIP is 1.329. He has surrendered 304 base knocks (8.3 hits per 9 innings) and has 136 walks. Assad (18-12 career mark) has a FIP of 3.37 while he has gone up against 1,406 opposing hitters in the majors.

The Rays have a team slugging percentage of .391 and they tally 5.00 runs per game (8th in MLB). They have notched 13 two-baggers, while taking a walk 33 times as well as putting up 45 runs. Tampa Bay has compiled 8 home runs for the season to go along with 42 RBIs. They have been rung up on 69 occasions (28th in baseball) and have recorded 86 hits. The Tampa Bay Rays have compiled an OBP of .342 and a batting average of .265 on the season.

The Rays have a team WHIP of 1.178 in addition to having a FIP of 4.35 as a unit for the year. They have a ranking of 9th in baseball as a pitching staff in total hits relinquished with 65. The Tampa Bay pitching staff have yielded 50 runs this season while holding a team ERA of 4.72 (41 earned runs allowed). Their strikeout to walk ratio is 8.00 (70 strikeouts against 27 free passes). They have given up 11 long balls and they concede 5.76 runs per 9 innings (27th in MLB).

They are ranked 26th in the league with a save rate of 50.0%, and they have sent 28 relievers to the hill over the course of the season. Their relievers have come in 15 times in high leverage situations and also on 9 occasions with runners on. With 8 save situations, the Rays have recorded 4 holds and also 2 blown saves.

The Tampa Bay Rays have gotten 4 double plays and have earned a fielding percentage of .959 (30th in professional baseball). The Rays have racked up 71 assists, 13 errors and have earned 235 putouts for the season. In their 705 innings on the diamond, the Rays are sitting with a defensive efficiency of 71.7% (10th in professional baseball).

So far in his pro baseball career, Rasmussen has allowed 378 hits while he has tallied 438 punch outs in 470 frames. Rasmussen (30-17 career win-loss record) has earned a 2.87 ERA while surrendering 7.2 hits per nine innings. He has given up 150 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.059 and being the owner of a FIP of 2.8. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 3.65 and he has gone up against 1,880 batters so far in his pro baseball career.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Chicago (+162)

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