Chicago Cubs vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, 4/8/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Chicago Cubs vs Tampa Bay Rays

Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Location: Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL

TV: MLB.TV

Odds/Point Spread: Chicago (+172) Tampa Bay (-210)

The Tampa Bay Rays (5-5) will compete against the Chicago Cubs (4-6) at Tropicana Field on Wednesday. The odds on this game have Chicago at +172 and Tampa Bay opens at -210. The over/under is set at 8. The starting pitchers are Colin Rea and Joe Boyle.

Chicago owns a slugging percentage of .331 and have been called out on strikes 90 times, while drawing a walk on 44 occasions. They have earned 39 RBI's as well as 63 hits so far this season, while their team batting average is .199. The Cubs have recorded 12 doubles as a team and have hit 10 balls out of the park. They have accumulated 41 runs while holding a team on-base percentage of .297. As a team, the Chicago Cubs are notching 4.1 runs per game, which puts them at 18th in the league.

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They have accrued a K/BB ratio of 2.35 and their pitching staff holds a WHIP of 1.17. Cubs pitchers have conceded 13 home runs and 40 total runs (11th in MLB). Chicago has relinquished 68 hits (7.0 per 9 innings) and 36 earned runs. The Cubs have a team earned run average of 3.72 on the year (12th in the league), and the staff has struck out 80 hitters. They have walked 34 opposing players and their FIP sits at 4.56 as a unit on the season.

They have accumulated 2 saves over the course of the season and have missed out on 3 out of their 5 save chances. The relievers have inherited 19 base runners this year and 36.8% of those runners earned a run for their team. Cubs pitchers have stepped onto the hill with runners on base 11 times in addition to having 10 appearances in high leverage situations. The Cubs have dispatched 29 relievers to the hill over the course of the season. The relief pitchers have tallied 1 hold on the year (29th in MLB).

The Cubs have converted 74.3% of balls hit into play into outs out of 783 innings on the diamond, which has them ranked 4th in the majors. The Boston Red Sox are sitting with 261 putouts this year, in addition to 89 assists and 4 errors. Their fielding percentage is holding at .989 which puts them in 13th in baseball, and have a total of 8 double plays.

Rea (37-27 career record) is the owner of a FIP of 4.34 while he has gone up against 2,593 hitters during his time in the major leagues. He has given up 595 base knocks (8.7 hits per 9 innings) and has 183 walks. His ERA is 4.41 (300 earned runs allowed) and his career WHIP is 1.271. Rea has taken the mound for 612 innings and has totaled 501 K's so far in his career.

The Rays have a team SLG% of .412 and they score 5.10 runs per outing (6th in baseball). They have recorded 15 doubles, while getting a free base 34 times and scoring 51 runs. Tampa Bay has compiled 11 HRs for the year to go along with 47 RBIs. They have struck out on 74 instances (28th in baseball) and have a total of 95 base hits. The Tampa Bay Rays hold an OBP of .338 and a team batting average of .266 for the year.

The Rays hold a team WHIP of 1.148 with a FIP of 4.29 as a team this season. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 8.10 (79 strikeouts against 31 free passes). They are sitting at 7th in MLB as a staff in total hits allowed with 69. They have conceded 12 HR's and they allow 5.58 runs per 9 innings (26th in baseball). The Tampa Bay pitching staff have surrendered 54 runs so far this season while holding a team ERA of 4.65 (45 earned runs relinquished).

With 11 save situations, the Rays have earned 6 holds and also 2 blown saves. Tampa Bay has had relievers take the mound in 5 save opportunities and they have converted 3 saves. Tampa Bay relievers hold an inherited score rate of 69.2% of 13 inherited base runners. Their relief pitchers have taken the field 15 times in high leverage situations and on 9 occasions with runners on. They are currently ranked 20th in baseball holding a save percentage of 60.0%, and they have dispatched 32 relief pitchers onto the diamond for the year.

In 786 innings played, the Rays have earned a defensive efficiency of 72.9% (7th in the majors). The Tampa Bay Rays have gotten 4 double plays and have notched a fielding percentage of .963 (30th in pro baseball). The Rays have 75 assists, 13 errors and have a total of 262 putouts this season.

During his career, Boyle has given up 100 base knocks and he has 142 strikeouts in 126 innings. Boyle (6-10 career win-loss mark) has earned a 4.85 ERA while surrendering 7.1 hits per 9 innings. He has given up 68 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.394 and being the owner of a FIP of 4.8. He has a K/BB ratio of 1.87 and he has faced 558 hitters during his pro baseball career.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Chicago (+172)

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