The Chicago Cubs (83-63) host the Tampa Bay Rays (72-73) on Friday for game 1 of a three-game series, with the first pitch at 2:20 p.m. ET from Wrigley Field. The favored Cubs (-180) enter the matchup after a series win over the Braves, and the underdog Rays (+152) are coming off of a series split with the White Sox. Matthew Boyd starts for Chicago while Tampa Bay will counter with Shane Baz.

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Cubs vs. Rays betting lines

• Favorite: Cubs (-180)
• Underdog: Rays (+152)
• Over/under: 7.5

Cubs betting info, hitting leaders, & pitching

Cubs betting info

• The Cubs have won 66 of the 106 games they were favored on the moneyline this season (62.3%).
• When playing as moneyline favorites with odds of -180 or shorter, Chicago has a 20-9 record (winning 69% of its games).
• The Cubs have an implied moneyline win probability of 64.3% in this game.
• In the 146 games in which bookmakers have set an over/under for Chicago, it has combined with opponents to go over the total 66 times (66-72-8).
• The Cubs have covered 45.2% of their games this season, going 66-80-0 against the spread.

Cubs hitting info

• Pete Crow-Armstrong has put up a team-high 28 home runs.
• Among all batters in MLB play, Crow-Armstrong’s home run total ranks 21st and his RBI tally ranks 22nd.
• Nico Hoerner has a club-high .294 batting average.
• Hoerner ranks 269th in home runs among hitters in MLB action and 119th in RBI.
• Hoerner takes a six-game hitting streak into this game. During his last 10 outings he is batting .317 with four doubles, a home run, three walks and three RBIs.
• Seiya Suzuki paces the Cubs with 91 runs batted in.
• Suzuki has safely hit in six straight games. During his last 10 outings he is hitting .211 with a double, six walks and four RBIs.
• Ian Happ is batting .237 with 27 doubles, 20 home runs and 79 walks.
• Happ has safely hit in two games in a row. In his last five games he is hitting .190 with a double and two walks.

Cubs pitching rankings

• The Cubs pitching staff ranks 27th in MLB with a collective 7.8 strikeouts per nine innings.
• Chicago has the ninth-ranked team ERA across all MLB pitching staffs (3.86).
• The Cubs have the second-lowest WHIP in MLB (1.191).
• Cubs pitchers combine to give up 179 total home runs at a rate of 1.2 per game (22nd-fewest in the majors).
• Chicago struck out seven Braves batters while allowing seven hits in a 3-2 win in its last game.

Rays betting info, hitting leaders, & pitching

Rays betting info

• This season, the Rays have been the underdog 70 times and won 29, or 41.4%, of those games.
• Tampa Bay is 1-5 this season when entering a game as the underdog by +152 or more on the moneyline.
• The implied probability of a win by the Rays, based on the moneyline, is 39.7%.
• Games involving Tampa Bay have gone over the total set by sportsbooks in 63 of 145 chances this season.
• In 145 games with a spread this season, the Rays are 66-79-0 ATS.

Rays hitting info

• Junior Caminero leads Tampa Bay in home runs with 42 and runs batted in with 105.
• Caminero’s home run total ranks sixth in the majors, and he is sixth in RBI.
• Caminero takes a three-game hitting streak into this game. In his last five games he is hitting .250 with two doubles, two home runs and three RBIs.
• Yandy Diaz’s batting average of .292 leads all Tampa Bay hitters this season.
• Among all MLB hitters, Diaz ranks 49th in home runs and 40th in RBI.
• Brandon Lowe has collected 119 base hits, an OBP of .311 and a slugging percentage of .479 this season.
• Chandler Simpson has collected 101 hits this season and has an OBP of .316. He’s slugging .331 on the year.

Rays pitching rankings

• The Rays average 8.9 strikeouts per nine innings as a pitching staff, sixth-most in the majors.
• Tampa Bay has the 10th-best ERA (3.87) in the majors this season.
• Rays pitchers have a 1.208 WHIP this season, third-best in the majors.
• With 187 homers allowed, the Rays rank 24th in the league at preventing long balls.
• Last time out, Tampa Bay fell to the White Sox 6-5. Its pitchers compiled 11 strikeouts and eight hits allowed.