DraftKings Sportsbook<\/a>, while Chicago sits as a +102 underdog. The game total is set at O\/U eight runs.<\/p>\nCubs vs. Rays Preview<\/p>\n
Chicago Cubs<\/p>\n
The momentum from Chicago\u2019s run to the NL Division Series hasn\u2019t carried into the early stages of 2026. The Cubs have dropped two of their first three series against less than formidable opponents, squandering their season-opening set against the Nationals at Wrigley Field before faltering in the nightcap of Sunday\u2019s doubleheader in Cleveland.<\/p>\n
It hasn\u2019t been a pitching problem. In fact, Chicago starters, particularly, have posted MLB\u2019s fourth-best ERA \u2014 2.93 across 36 innings \u2014 this season. The club on Monday hands the ball to veteran right-hander Jameson Taillon, who posted a 3.68 ERA (3.85 xERA) and 1.06 WHIP across 23 starts (129.2 IP) in 2025. In his first start of this season, he navigated an uncharacteristically high four walks over 4.2 shutout frames against the Angels.<\/p>\n
But the offense has been completely stagnant, sitting 19th in wRC+ (89) and 21st in OPS (.639). Outside of Nico Hoerner\u2019s .884 OPS and Ian Happ\u2019s four home runs, the club is still scrambling to address the Kyle Tucker-sized hole in the order. Hits will certainly come from a lineup of this caliber, but the Cubs currently need better from Alex Bregman (.602 OPS), Michael Busch (.566), and Pete Crow-Armstrong (.542).<\/p>\n
Tampa Bay Rays<\/p>\n
Eighteen months after Hurricane Milton destroyed the roof of Tropicana Field, the Rays are finally back in St. Pete. They return for the home opener, riding the momentum from Richie Palacious\u2019s 10th-inning, two-run bomb on Sunday that sealed a series victory in Minnesota.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tampa Bay\u2019s offense has gotten off to a blistering start through nine games, ranking eighth leaguewide in wRC+ (112) and OPS (.732) with the lowest strikeout rate in the AL (18.8%). Yandy Diaz has been a man on a mission, hitting .405 with a 1.137 OPS and a pair of home runs. Chandler Simpson has also swung a hot bat while the club awaits star slugger Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda settling in at the plate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s been a tale of two pitching staffs for the Rays. Their starters have been sharp as nails, posting MLB\u2019s fifth-lowest ERA (2.94) across 49 innings. The bullpen? It ranks dead-last in ERA (7.98) and BABIP (.359), while allowing a dreadful 1.84 home runs per nine innings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tabbed for Monday\u2019s start, Shane McClanahan spun 4.2 innings of two-run ball with four strikeouts against the Brewers last week \u2014 his first time on an MLB mound since 2023 after years of injuries. Tampa Bay will bank on some additional length from its multi-time All-Star lefty\u00a0 as it attempts to sort out the misfiring bullpen.<\/p>\n
Cubs vs. Rays Pick, Best Bet<\/p>\n
After 18 months of rebuilding, the vibes at Tropicana Field should be at an all-time high. The Rays bats should stay hot, while McClanahan dices up the sputtering Cubs lineup \u2014 keeping slumping lefties like Busch and Crow-Armstrong on their back feet. Baseball has a way of being poetic; count on a Tampa Bay victory in its home opener.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Best Bet: Tampa Bay Rays Moneyline (-126)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cooper Albers previews Monday\u2019s MLB matchup between the Chicago Cubs and the Tampa Bay Rays. Baseball returns to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":666862,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2377],"tags":[5,4,297,2550,68,2551,2549],"class_list":{"0":"post-666861","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tampa-bay-rays","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-mlb","10":"tag-rays","11":"tag-tampa-bay","12":"tag-tampa-bay-rays","13":"tag-tampabay","14":"tag-tampabayrays"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116359183171932521","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/666861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=666861"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/666861\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/666862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=666861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=666861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=666861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}