Tampa Bay Rays vs Chicago Cubs Picks and Prediction for Saturday, September 13, 2025
Use Code WWWC On Saturday, the Tampa Bay Rays (72-72, 4th AL East) play game 2 of a three-game series on the road against the Chicago Cubs (83-63, 2nd NL Central). Tampa Bay lost to the Chicago White Sox 5-1 on Thursday. Tampa Bay has lost two straight and five of the last six. The Rays trail first in the American League East by 12 games and are 6.5 games behind the 3rd and last AL wild card. Chicago defeated the Atlanta Braves 3-2 on Wednesday. Chicago has won two straight.
The Cubs trail first place in the NL Central by 5.5 games and currently hold the first of three NL wild cards. Tampa Bay will play without nine pitchers as well as position players Stuart Fairchild, Taylor Walls, Jonathan Aranda, and Jonny DeLuca. Chicago will play without six pitchers as well as position players Miguel Amaya and Kyle Tucker. Make sure to read this in-depth Tampa Bay Rays vs Chicago Cubs prediction. From first pitch to final inning—our MLB picks for Tampa Bay Rays vs. Chicago Cubs prediction keep you covered.
This article was written before these two played on Friday.
Tampa Bay is above average at the plate and on the mound
The Tampa Bay Rays are 7th in batting average at .252, 13th in slugging percentage at .403, 14th in runs scored with 655, and 19th in on-base percentage at .313. Junior Caminero leads Tampa Bay in home runs with 42 and RBI with 106. Brandon Lowe is second in home runs with 28, and Yandy Diaz is second in RBI with 78. Tampa Bay has three players with 74 or more RBI. The Rays have hit 219 doubles, 15 triples, and 166 home runs for 400 extra base hits in 146 games.
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On the mound, Tampa Bay is 4th in WHIP at 1.21, 7th in batting average against at .236, 8th in Quality Starts with 57, and 12th in ERA at 3.88. Ryan Pepiot leads Tampa Bay in wins with 11 and ERA for starters at .359, while Shane Baz leads in strikeouts with 164. On Saturday, Tampa Bay will hand the ball to Drew Rasmussen. This season, the right-hander is 10-5 with a 2.64 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 117 strikeouts.
Chicago is well-above average at the plate and on the mound
The Chicago Cubs are 8th in runs scored with 713, 9th in slugging percentage at .425, 12th in on-base percentage at .319, and 15th in batting average at .248. Pete Crow-Armstrong leads Chicago in home runs with 28 and is second in RBI with 87, while Seiya Suzuki is second in home runs with 27 and the leader in RBI with 91. Chicago has four active players with 71 or more RBI. The Cubs have hit 239 doubles, 25 triples, and 196 home runs for 460 extra base hits in 146 games.
On the mound, Chicago is 2nd in WHIP at 1.19, 8th in Quality Starts with 57, 9th in ERA at 3.86, and 13th in batting average against at .241. Matthew Boyd leads Chicago in wins with 12, strikeouts with 145, and ERA, for starters at 2.92. On Saturday, Chicago will hand the ball to Colin Rea. This season, the right-hander is 10-6 with a 4.20 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and 104 strikeouts.
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Chicago Cubs Pick
Spread Pick for Rays vs. Cubs
- Tampa Bay Rays -1.5 (4 units)
Tampa Bay has won four of its last five games played on the road. Chicago has lost three of its last five, and the Cubs have lost three of the last four played at home. The overall stats for both teams favor the home team Chicago Cubs, but on the mound, the Rays will have an advantage as far as the starting pitchers are concerned. Tampa Bay starter Drew Rasmussen has performed well in each of his last five outings, allowing 19 hits and eight runs in 28 innings. On the season, the right-hander has a 2.64 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. Chicago starting pitcher Colin Rea has been hit hard in two of the last three outings, allowing 16 hits and 10 runs in 14.0 innings. Rea has a 4.20 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. Tampa Bay has a slightly better bullpen ERA than Chicago, as the Rays' pen has a 3.73 ERA and Chicago’s is 3.89.
Over/Under Pick for Rays vs. Cubs
- Under (5 units)
Tampa Bay starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen has a 2.64 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. The total has finished under in four of the last six games played by Tampa Bay in Chicago and in each of the last six games overall played between the two. The Cubs have had the total finish under in 4 of their last five. Tampa Bay is 9th in bullpen ERA, and Chicago is 12th.
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