Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago Cubs 5/31/23 - MLB Picks & Predictions

Last Updated: 05/30/2023 at 10:56 PM ET

An interleague battle takes place on Wednesday afternoon, when the Tampa Bay Rays and the Chicago Cubs conclude their series from Wrigley Field. The Rays (39-18) lead the majors with 101 home runs and own a three-game lead over Baltimore for first place in the AL East Division. Last night, Tampa Bay went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base during a 2-1 road loss.

Twenty-nine year old righty Zach Eflin (7-1 3.17 ERA) will head to the hill for the Rays in this contest. Tampa Bay has won Eflin’s last three starts and he has allowed eight runs over his last 20 innings of work. 

The Chicago Cubs have split their first 30 home games and are four games off the pace in the NL Central Division race. On Tuesday, Chicago OF Mike Tauchman broke a sixth inning tie with an RBI single that scored Ian Happ. 2B Nico Hoerner added a leadoff home run for the Cubs, who improved to 24-30 on the year. 

Chicago manager David Ross will give the nod to twenty-seven year old southpaw Justin Steele (6-2 2.77 ERA) on Wednesday. The Cubs have lost Steele’s previous three starts and he has given up 11 runs (10 ER) across his last 15 plus frames.

Tampa Bay closer Pete Fairbanks has been placed on the 15-day injured list with left hip inflammation. Through 57 games, Tampa Bay ranks 1st in OPS and 1st in runs scored. For the season, Chicago ranks 10th in OPS and 16th in runs scored. Take the Rays to win on the road. Final Score Prediction, Tampa Bay Rays win 6-3.

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