The Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs wrap up their three-game series on Wednesday afternoon in Chicago. The Rays continue to pace the AL East as they close in on 40 wins while the Cubs have fallen near the bottom of the standings in the mediocre NL Central Division. The pitching matchup on Wednesday will feature Rays' righty Zach Eflin (7-1, 3.24) taking on Cubs' lefty Justin Steele (6-2, 2.77). The first pitch is scheduled for 2:20 PM EST.
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The Tampa Bay Rays hit the road again after a successful weekend at home. The Rays improved to a league-best 26-6 at home after taking two of three games from the Dodgers this weekend including an 11-10 shootout on Sunday. The Rays then traveled to Chicago for a three-game series against the Cubs. On Monday night, the Rays lost 1-0 to the Cubs after being held to just one hit in the game. On Tuesday night in game two of the series, the Rays bats were quiet again in a 2-1 loss to the Cubs. The Rays had seven hits but were only able to push across a single run.
Taj Bradley, Elevated 97mph ?? pic.twitter.com/qeRmZeqI33
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 29, 2023
The Rays will hand the ball to righty Zach Eflin on Wednesday afternoon. Eflin is 7-1 in nine starts this season with an ERA of 3.17. He has allowed 48 hits in 54 innings pitched this season and has a K/9 rate of 8.7 with a WHIP of 1.02. On the road, Eflin is just 1-1 in three starts with an ERA of 5.19. He's allowed 20 hits in just 17 innings of work including five home runs. His WHIP on the road also jumps to 1.41.
Key Injuries: Closer Pete Fairbanks is out.