Cubs vs. Rays Series Preview: Cubs Aim for Victory in St. Petersburg

Cubs Series Preview

Upcoming Series: Tampa Bay Rays

Location (Home/Away): Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL

Dates & Times:

• Game 1: Tuesday, June 11 - 5:50 PM CDT / 6:50 PM EDT
  Pitching Matchup: Jameson Taillon (RHP, 3-2, 3.47 ERA, 35 SO) vs. Zach Eflin (RHP, 3-4, 4.14 ERA, 47 SO)
  TV: Marquee Sports Network & MLB.TV
  

• Game 2: Wednesday, June 12 - 5:50 PM CDT / 6:50 PM EDT
  Pitching Matchup: Javier Assad (RHP, 4-2, 2.74 ERA, 68 SO) vs. Aaron Civale (RHP, 2-5, 5.51 ERA, 68 SO)
  TV: Marquee Sports Network & MLB.TV
  

• Game 3: Thursday, June 13 - 5:50 PM CDT / 6:50 PM EDT
  Pitching Matchup: Justin Steele (LHP, 0-3, 4.06 ERA, 43 SO) vs. Taj Bradley (RHP, 1-4, 5.17 ERA, 39 SO)
  TV: Marquee Sports Network, MLBN (out-of-market only) & MLB.TV

Series Overview:

Cubs Record: 32-34

Rays Record: 31-34

• Previous Matchups:

  • Cubs haven’t played in St. Petersburg since the 2017 season.

  • The Chicago Cubs have an 8-11 record against the Rays all-time.

  • Cubs and Rays played at Wrigley in 2023 with the Cubs winning 2 of 3.

Hitter to Watch on the Cubs: Dansby Swanson

• In June, Dansby has hit .333 with 4 doubles and an OPS of 1.079. For perspective, the league average is around .700.

Hitter to Watch on the Rays: Isaac Paredes

• He’s leading the Rays in home runs, RBI, hits, batting average, and doubles. His dominant offense is helping Tampa Bay significantly. So far, he has raked, smashing 10 home runs, all toward the left side of the field. He's also totaled 62 hits and added 13 doubles. Paredes' .298 batting average is a significant improvement from last season's .250. Isaac was signed by the Cubs as an amateur free agent in July of 2014. He was traded in the 2017 season to Detroit with Jeimer Candelario for Alex Avila and Justin Wilson. He was traded in 2022 from the Tigers to the Rays for Austin Meadows.

  

What to Watch For:

• Key Strategies:

  • Cubs Offensive Approach: 

    • Zach Eflin of the Rays has not surrendered a walk in his past 27.1 innings pitched, so the Cubs hitters need to capitalize on the strikes. He averages over 1 hit per inning pitched, so the Cubs should be able to get on base if they are aggressive at the plate.

  • Cubs Defensive Approach: 

    • Expect to see more Pete Crow Armstrong in center field. Tampa has a large outfield, and PCA loves to run, so he should have a field day in Tampa this week.

• Interesting Subplots:

  • Former Cubs arms on the Rays: Jason Adam was with the Cubs in 2020 and 2021.

Superfan Series Prediction:

• Predicted Outcome:

  • Game 1: Cubs Win 4-2. The bats wake up and Taillon pitches well enough for the Cubs to win.

  • Game 2: Cubs Win 7-2. Aaron Civale hasn’t pitched into the 6th inning since April 16th. His ERA since then is 6.95 over 44 innings, and the Rays are 1-8 when he starts. GO Cubs.

  • Game 3: Cubs Win 5-3. Taj Bradley has surrendered 8 HR in 31.1 innings. He has pitched well in Tampa, holding opposing batters to a .169 BA. BUT GO Cubs.

Superfan Notes:

• What Excites Us About This Series:

  • The Rays went 31-21 against the rest of the AL East last year en route to a 99-win season and a wild-card berth. This year, they are 10-16 against divisional foes after getting swept by the Orioles over the weekend and have slipped to the bottom of the standings.

• Concerns Going In:

  • The Cubs were six games above .500 with a share of the NL Central lead on May 8. A month later, they were three games below .500 and facing a 7.5-game deficit in the division standings. Even a pair of dramatic wins over the crosstown rival White Sox was not enough to build any sustainable momentum, losing 3 of 4 from the Reds over the past weekend.

• I love Baby Vlad!

  Cubs Have Reportedly ‘Privately Discussed’ Vladimir Guerrero Deal, Also Working Catcher Market cubsinsider.com/2024/06/10/cub…

  — Cubs Insider (@realcubsinsider)
  1:32 PM • Jun 10, 2024