The Tampa Bay Rays (13-13) travel to face off against the Chicago White Sox (3-22) on Friday, April 26th. This game will be played at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago and televised on APLTV. The Rays are coming off a win in their previous game, while the White Sox are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Twins. First pitch is set for 7:40 ET.

Rays vs White Sox

The Rays’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Tigers, closing out their series with a 7-5 win. After allowing one run to the Tigers in the top of the first, the Rays responded with three runs of their own. Tampa Bay went on to add another four runs in the 2nd inning.

Shawn Armstrong got the start for the Rays but only lasted one inning, giving up a run on a hit and issuing a walk. Tampa Bay’s bullpen was excellent, though, going eight innings and only giving up four more runs. Chris Devenski picked up the win out of the bullpen, and Garrett Cleavinger got the save.

Tampa Bay is looking to get above .500 today, as they come into the game with a record of 13-13. The Rays are in 5th place in the AL East, four games behind the Orioles for the division lead. So far, they have gone just 3-4 in divisional games.

The Rays have dropped two straight games, but they did pick up a win in the final game of their series vs. the Tigers. This season, the Rays have been favored in 20 of their games, and they are 10-10 in those games. As for their record as the road favorite, they are 4-2 this year. Tampa Bay’s overall series record is 3-3-2, and they lost two straight series before taking the final game of their series vs. the Tigers.

When it comes to the run line, the Rays have been a better bet on the road than at home, with a 5-4 record and a two-game win streak. They are 10-16 overall on the run line, with an average run margin of -0.9 runs per game. Tampa Bay has been favored in 20 games, going 6-14 on the run line, while they are 4-2 as underdogs.

The Tampa Bay Rays have played 26 games this season, and their combined run average is 8.8. Their over/under record is 15-11, and the average over/under line in their games is 9. When the over/under line has been set at 8 runs, the over/under record is 5-1. Overall, 16 of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, which is 61.5% of their games. Only 4 games have had over/under lines set lower than 8 runs, which is 15.4% of their games.

Zach Eflin Gets The Start For The RaysZach Eflin has been solid through his first two starts of the season, as he has yet to take a loss. He started the year with a win over the Rangers, and then in his last start, he went 6 innings and struck out 6 against the Yankees while giving up just 3 hits. Eflin has not allowed a home run yet this season.Rays Offense BreakdownAfter a slow start to the season, Amed Rosario has been red hot of late, going 15/41 in his last 10 games. This has raised his season-long batting average to .341, which is the best mark on the team. Rosario has also been getting on base at a good clip, with an OBP of .349. Isaac Paredes has been the team’s top power threat so far, as he is 5th in the league with six homers and is batting .284.As a team, the Rays are averaging 4 runs per game, which is 20th in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in walks, OBP, and OPS. Overall, they are batting .244, which is 12th in the league.The White Sox wrapped up their series vs. the Twins with a 6-3 loss on the road. Chicago was the +174 underdog going into this matchup. Things started off well for the White Sox, as they got on the board with a run in the 2nd inning but gave up the lead right away as the Twins scored in the bottom of the second.Chicago started Michael Soroka, and he took the loss, going five innings and giving up four earned runs on four hits. He also issued two walks and hit a batter. The White Sox’s offense scored their other two runs in thejson 8th but couldn’t complete the comeback.Chicago is hosting the Rays today with an overall record of 3-22, and they have lost seven straight games. The White Sox are really struggling against other AL Central teams, going 2-15 in the division. So far, they are 15 games behind the Guardians for the division lead.The White Sox have not won a game as the underdog this year, going 0-0. They are also 2-9 as the home underdog. Chicago’s series record is 0-7-1 this year, and they have lost six straight series overall.The White Sox have been a poor run line bet overall, going just 9-16, and they’ve been even worse on the road, where they are just 4-10. They’ve been a bit better at home, going 5-6, but they have lost two straight run line bets. Their average run differential is -3.4, and they’ve been outscored by an average of 3.3 runs per game at home.The White Sox have played 13 games with over/under lines greater than 8 this season, and the over has hit in 3 of their last 4 games. Their games have averaged 7.9 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 11-13 on the year.Chris Flexen Gets The Start For The White SoxChris Flexen will be making his first start of the season at home against the Rays. He has been used out of the bullpen in his first two appearances, going 2 1/3 innings and 4 innings, respectively. Flexen has struck out 8 batters in 6 1/3 innings of work.White Sox Offense BreakdownSo far, the White Sox offense has been really struggling, as they are dead last in runs per game (2.2) and have the worst team batting average in the league at just .192. Not only is their team on-base percentage of .266 the worst in the league, but they also have the worst slugging percentage and OPS in the league. Chicago’s offense has been even worse at home, averaging just 1.8 runs per game.One of the few bright spots for the White Sox has been Gavin Sheets, who is batting .246 this season and is 8th in the league with three home runs. Eloy Jimenez has also gone deep twice this season, but he is batting just .200 for the season. However, Jimenez is coming off a stretch in which he has gone 7/28 (.250) with two homers over his last seven games.
Rays vs White Sox Prediction
With the White Sox having a money line payout of +191, we see this as a great value pick. Our predicted final score is 5-4 in favor of the White Sox, meaning you could also look to take the over, as the line is sitting at 8 runs.Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Chris Flexen finishing with just four strikeouts, which is sixth worst among today’s starters. As for Zach Eflin, he is projected to finish with six strikeouts, which is right in the middle of today’s starters.All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.

Team	Opponent	CombinedRuns	OverUnder	OverUnderOutcome
Rays	Tigers	12	8.0	Over
Rays	Tigers	6	8.0	Under
Rays	Tigers	8	7.5	Over
Rays	Yankees	9	8.0	Over
Rays	Yankees	2	9.0	Under
Rays	Yankees	8	8.5	Under
Rays	Angels	3	8.5	Under
Rays	Angels	9	8.5	Over
Rays	Angels	13	8.5	Over
Rays	Angels	10	8.5	Over