Interleague baseball lands at Wrigley Field on Sunday, September 14, 2025, with the Tampa Bay Rays closing a three-game set against the Chicago Cubs. These teams have split the first two games of this series and both will be hunting for a win in today’s rubber match. With Shota Imanaga lined up for Chicago and Adrian Houser for Tampa Bay, we could be in for a pitcher’s duel. Here, I break down this contest and make my Rays vs Cubs prediction.
Our Rays vs Cubs Pick
- Pick: Cubs moneyline
- Confidence: 4/5
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Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Tampa Bay Rays vs Chicago Cubs
- Date & Time: Sunday, September 14, 2025, 2:20 p.m. ET
- Starting Pitchers: Adrian Houser vs Shota Imanaga
- Stadium: Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
- Broadcast: Marquee Sports Network, FanDuel Sports Sun
Key Storylines
- Form guide: Chicago had stacked 3 straight wins before losing to the struggling Rays on Saturday.
- Chicago is at the top of the National League Wild Card standings going into this contest and they will look to move a step closer to locking up a playoff berth with a win here.
- The Rays are seven games back of the final Wild Card spot in the American League. They are running short on time to come back and qualify for the playoffs.
Pitching matchup
Shota Imanaga enters with a 9-7 record, 3.21 ERA, and an elite 0.93 WHIP across 129.0 innings. The lefty’s command profile remains outstanding, supported by a strikeout-to-walk rate of 4.39. His fastball and splitter usage profile suit daytime conditions at Wrigley, where weak contact plays in front of a defense that has converted balls in play efficiently.
Adrian Houser comes in at 8-4 with a 3.11 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. He leans on sinkers and early-count grounders. The path for Houser is keeping the ball down against contact-oriented Cubs bats such as Nico Hoerner while limiting damage versus the power bats like Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ.
Recent team streaks
- The Cubs had a three-game winning streak snapped by the Rays on Saturday.
- Tampa ended a three-game losing streak with their victory on Saturday.
Best Player Props
| Player | Prop | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Junior Caminero | Home Run | Over 0.5 |
| Shota Imanaga | Strikeouts | Over 6.5 |
| Yandy Díaz | Total Bases | Under 1.5 |
| Seiya Suzuki | Total Bases | Over 1.5 |
| Adrian Houser | Strikeouts | Over 4.5 |
Betting Trends & H2H
- The season series between these teams is tied 1-1.
- This is the final regular-season meeting between these interleague opponents in 2025.
Rays vs Cubs Model Projection
Score Projection: Rays 3 – Cubs 5
Win Probability: Rays 43%, Cubs 57%
Final Thoughts
This game should go to Chicago. The combination of Imanaga’s precision, the Cubs’ superior day-game record, and a meaningful platoon edge against a right-handed starter gives the home side several advantages across nine innings. Given current prices and the statistical context, backing the Cubs on the moneyline is the clearest angle to take in this game from Wrigley Field.
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- Source: https://ats.io/mlb/tampa-bay-rays-vs-chicago-cubs-prediction-9-14-2025/466556/