Rays-Cubs prediction: Picks, odds on Wednesday, May 31

The Chicago Cubs (24-30) will look to complete the sweep over the Tampa Bay Rays (39-18) on Wednesday, May 31. The first two games of this series combined for just four runs, and Chicago is coming off a 2-1 victory on Tuesday night. The game will get started at 2:20 p.m. ET from Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. Tampa will send reliable righty Zach Eflin (7-1, 3.17 ERA) to the mound, while the North Siders counter with breakout ace Justin Steele (6-2, 2.77).

The Rays are -135 moneyline favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, making the Cubs +115 underdogs with the over/under set at nine.

Rays

Out: RP Pete Fairbanks (hip), RP Zack Littell (shoulder), SP Drew Rasmussen (forearm), RP Garrett Cleavinger (knee), RP Jeffrey Springs (elbow), RP Shawn Armstrong (neck), SP Shane Baz (elbow), RP Andrew Kittredge (elbow)

Cubs

Out: RP Nick Burdi (abdomen), RP Brad Boxberger (forearm), OF Cody Bellinger (knee), SP Adrian Sampson (knee), RP Ethan Roberts (elbow), RP Codi Heuer (elbow)

Zach Eflin vs. Justin Steele

Eflin will make his 10th start of the season in his first year with the Rays. He's been fantastic this season and is coming off one of his best performances of 2023, allowing one run on six hits and two walks over seven innings. Somehow, Eflin finished with zero strikeouts after striking out a combined 17 hitters in the previous two starts before then.

Steele has made 11 starts this season is putting together a breakout season, thanks largely to a fantastic April when he had a 1.49 ERA through six starts. He's been somewhat inconsistent in May, allowing five earned runs in two of his last three starts heading into Wednesday afternoon.

There's a lot to love about the two pitchers in this matchup, and they should find some success in this matchup. Both offenses have struggled to put runs across in this series, and I'll expect that to continue thanks to two starters that have been throwing the ball well through the first two months of the season.

Pick: Under 9

With this pitching matchup, it feels like it could go either way, and you're getting a higher payout if the Cubs can pull off another victory in this spot. Both offenses rank inside the top six in on-base percentage, and there's enough value on Chicago to pick it to pull off a slight upset.

Pick: Cubs

  
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