On Wednesday night, the Chicago Cubs are set to take on the Tampa Bay Rays, looking to build on their win the night prior. Their 9-2 victory over the Rays was the second most productive game of the year for the Cubs’ lineup, as they’ve been struggling to get something going for the most part this season.
Moises Ballesteros and Pete Crow-Armstrong were among the more productive players for the second match of the series, as the pair sent two balls out of the ballpark over the course of the nine innings, combining for four RBIs.
Another impressive aspect of their performance on Tuesday night was that they did it without their star left fielder, Ian Happ, who was dealing with a bruised heel. Happ has been a talisman for the Cubs despite their early-season struggles, posting a .200/.289/.550 stat line, with four home runs to his name, the most on the team.
Happ is available for finale against Tampa Bay
While including Happ would only serve to better Chicago’s lineup, it appears that they could be opting to give him the chance at an additional day’s rest, as he’ll be absent from the Cubs’ starting slate, but could come off the bench, as reported by Taylor McGregor.
Series finale!
Watch the game live on @WatchMarquee. pic.twitter.com/ZCAONvXBm6
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 8, 2026
In Happ’s spot will sit Michael Conforto, who had a multi-hit night against Tampa Bay on Tuesday, scoring a run in the process. While it is a limited data pool, Conforto’s .250 batting average is up from where he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2025 season, where he hit for .199.
First pitch between the Cubs and Rays is slated for 6:40 p.m. EST.
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