McClanahan Should Keep Cubs Offense In Slump

Cubs vs. Rays, 4:10 ET

I was able to capture a win last night on the Peacock Game of the Week, or whatever they are calling it. I actually took the over eight and the Cardinals. Perhaps fortunately, the total ended up pushing. I know some people got over 7.5 and won both plays. I'm sure others got 8.5, so a push is something I'll happily take personally and for my betting record. Today, we get a new set of series starting with a surprising number of teams going today. The Cubs are taking on the Rays in Tampa Bay. 

The Cubs are not quite stumbling out of the gate, but they aren't having a great beginning either. They are 4-5 after their first three series. They lost two of three to the Nationals, which will probably be one of the more embarrassing series losses of the season. Then they took two of three from the Angels. They lost two of three to the Guardians after a double-header split yesterday. They only scored one run in two of the three games, and they are actually the only team in the division to be under .500 at the moment. As a team, they are hitting just .206, which probably doesn't require a lot of breakdown to tell you it is not good. Sure, it is early, but you don't want to have to dig yourself out in a competitive division. Tonight, they put Jameson Taillon on the mound. He was solid in his first start, going 4.2 innings, allowing two hits and four walks, but no runs. There were a lot of reasons to be concerned about Taillon after a brutal Spring Training, but for one start he at least alleviated some concerns. Rays hitters have been decent against him, hitting 13-for-53 collectively. However, they Yandy Diaz and Cedric Mullings to go 11-for-27 against him. 

Jul 14, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA;  Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jameson Taillon (50) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The Rays are pretty much identical to the Cubs. They have a 4-5 record for the season, and lost two of the first three series as well. They lost the first two games of the season to the Cardinals. I was on the Rays in the opener and they were winning 7-1 after the completion of 5.5 innings. Then they gave up eight runs in the bottom half of the frame. They lost two of three at Milwaukee in the next series and then took two of three from the Twins in Minnesota. They only allowed one run in both of the wins to the Twins in their past two games. I have to imagine the strength of the team will be the pitching staff. Tonight, they get one of their best pitchers on the team with Shane McClanahan taking the hill. McClanahan missed all of the past two seasons. His return to the mound saw him throw 4.2 innings and allowed just two earned runs on two hits and three walks. He ended up striking out four hitters and throwing about 80 pitches. Cubs hitters don't have a ton of experience against McClanahan, but they are 3-for-22 against him with only five hitters having experience against him. 

The Cubs need to figure out their offense in a hurry. I get that the season is very young, but breaking out of a slump would be big. They are probably going to get Seyia Suzuki soon, which will help. What won't help is having to face McClanahan tonight. I'm not expecting him to get much past the sixth inning, so I'll cut down this play. I'm going to take the Rays through five at -125. I also think the under 8 is a good look. 

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