Apr 7, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Chandler Simpson (14) hits an infield single in the fifth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Tropicana Field. Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

Rays' Series Finale Against Cubs: Preview, Storylines

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Rays on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Apr 8, 2026 4:00 PM ET

Coming off a bad loss on Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Rays will be back in action on Wednesday for their series finale against the Chicago Cubs. With the series tied at one game apiece, the Rays will be seeking their second straight series win.

On Tuesday, Tampa Bay was expecting to have their ace Drew Rasmussen on the mound with a chance to win the series. However, with his wife expecting their child, he was understandably scratched from the start.

This resulted in the Rays needing to use a bullpen game, and the results weren’t good. Tampa Bay ended up losing the game by a score of 9-2. While the pitching might not have done well, the Rays did see their outfielder Chandler Simpson continue his excellent play of late, going 2-for-4 in the game.

Now, they will be facing off against Chicago in the rubber game of the series on Wednesday. Here’s how to watch on Wednesday night.

Who: Chicago Cubs vs. Tampa Bay Rays

When: Wednesday, April 8th, 6:40 PM EST

Where: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL

Television: Rays.TV

Radio: WDAE 95.7 FM, WQBN/1300AM

Pitching Matchup:

Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Heading to the mound for Tampa Bay will be Joe Boyle. The right-hander has been filling in the rotation for the injured Ryan Pepiot, and the results have been pretty good so far. In his first start of the year against the St. Louis Cardinals, he went six innings and allowed just two runs.

He followed that performance up with another strong one against the Minnesota Twins. In that start, he went 5.1 innings and allowed two runs as well. With 13 strikeouts in 11.1 innings pitched, the right-hander is off to an excellent start to the campaign.

Starting opposite of Boyle will be Colin Rea for Chicago. The right-hander is a bit more of an opener than a traditional starter, and he will likely only work through the batting order one time based on his first two appearances of the year.

With the Rays sitting at 5-6 and a looming series coming up against a division rival in the New York Yankees, this game on Wednesday will be an important one to get at home. Boyle has been pitching very well, and Tampa Bay should feel confident with him on the mound. Hopefully, the offense will bounce back a bit from a quiet day on Tuesday, and the Rays will be back to the .500 mark.

This article first appeared on Tampa Bay Rays on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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