The Tampa Bay Rays (13-15) travel to face off against the Chicago White Sox (5-22) on Sunday, April 28th. This game will be played at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago and televised on NBCS. The White Sox are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Rays are looking to get back on track from a loss to the White Sox. First pitch is set for 2:10 ET.
Rays vs White Sox
It was a wild game in the most recent game of this White Sox vs Rays series. Chicago went into the matchup as +166 underdogs and squeaked out an 8-7 win. The White Sox had a huge 5th inning, scoring three runs and then adding two more in the 10th. As for the Rays, they scored two runs in the 4th and then added three in the 6th, but could only muster one more run in the 10th.
Tampa Bay actually outhit the White Sox in the game 11 to 10. Both teams had two home runs. Heading into the game, the White Sox had the edge in the series, winning two of the first three games.
Jonathan Cannon got the start for the White Sox, going five innings and giving up four earned runs. He finished the game with five strikeouts but issued two walks. Deivi Garcia got the win out of the bullpen. As for the Rays, Aaron Civale got the start and took the loss, going just 4 1/3 innings and giving up six earned runs.
Tampa Bay is on the road today vs. the White Sox, having dropped the first two games of this series. Overall, the Rays are 13-15, which has them 5th in the AL East, five games behind the Orioles for the division lead. So far, they have gone 3-4 in divisional matchups.
At home, the Rays are 8-9 this year and 5-6 on the road. As the favorite, the Rays are just 10-12 this year and 3-3 as the underdog. Tampa Bay’s overall series record is 3-3-2, and they have dropped two straight series.
The Rays have struggled to cover the run line this season, going 10-18 overall. They are 5-12 at home and 5-6 on the road. They have failed to cover the run line in their last two road games and are 6-16 as the favorite.
The Tampa Bay Rays have seen the over hit in three straight games, and their games have averaged a combined 9.2 runs per game this season. The over/under record for the Rays this season is 17-11, and their games have had an average over/under line of 9 runs. When the over/under line has been set at 8.5 runs, the over/under record for the Rays is 6-6. So far this season, 39.3% of the Rays’ games have had an over/under line set lower than 8.5 runs, while 17.9% have had a line set higher than 8.5 runs.
Zack Littell Gets The Start For The Rays
Today, Zack Littell and the Rays are on the road to take on the White Sox. Littell has started 4 games this season, and he is coming off a 6 inning outing against the Tigers where he took the loss. In that game, he gave up 6 runs and struck out 7. He has yet to pick up a win this season.
Rays Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Rays offense has been pretty average, as they are 19th in the league at 4.1 runs per game. At home, they are averaging just 3.8 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .246, which is 11th in the league, and they are also near the top of the league in terms of batting average on balls in play. However, they are near the bottom of the league in terms of their on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS.
Isaac Paredes and Amed Rosario have been two of the Rays’ top hitters this season, with Paredes leading the team with six homers and Rosario batting .323. Paredes has also gone 6/24 in his last six games with a home run. Randy Arozarena and Richie Palacios are tied for 2nd on the team with three homers, but Arozarena is batting just .154 this season.
Chicago is just 5-22 this season, and they are 14 games out of the AL Central lead. The White Sox have really struggled against other AL Central teams, going just 2-15 in the division. So far, they have yet to play a game as the favorite this year.
The White Sox have dropped six straight series and are 0-7-1 overall in series matchups. At home, they are 4-9 this year compared to 1-13 on the road. So far, they have been the underdog in every game.
Chicago has been a solid bet against the run line at home this season, going 7-6. They have a run line record of 11-16 overall, with a run line record of 4-10 on the road. Their average run margin is -2.9, and they have a run line win streak of three games at home. They have been an underdog in all but one game this season.
The White Sox have gone over the total in five straight games, and their games have averaged 8.3 runs per game this season. Their over/under record is 13-13 on the season, and their games have had an average total of 8 runs. When the line has been set at 8.5 runs, their record is 3-4. They have had seven games with a higher total than 8.5 runs, which is 25.9% of their games.
Erick Fedde Gets The Start For The White Sox
Getting the start for the White Sox is Erick Fedde, who has been solid through his first two outings. He picked up a win in his first start against the Royals, going 5 2/3 innings and striking out 5. Then, he went 6 innings against the Twins, striking out 11 and only giving up 3 hits.
White Sox Offense Breakdown
Chicago’s offense has been the worst in the league this season, averaging just 2.7 runs per game. They are also near the bottom of the league in home runs, batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging. Eloy Jiménez has been one of the few bright spots in the lineup, as he is batting .222 for the season and has gone 10/33 with three homers over his last eight games. Jiménez is also on a three-game hitting streak.
Paul DeJong, Gavin Sheets, and Jiménez are all tied for the team lead with three homers. DeJong is batting just .215 this season, while Sheets is hitting .243. Sheets is also the team’s leader in RBIs, with 11. Andrew Benintendi and Luis Robert Jr. are also near the top of the home run leaderboard for the White Sox, with two homers apiece.
Rays vs White Sox Prediction
We are predicting the Rays to pick up a 5-4 road win over the White Sox. However, with the payout for a Rays win being -194, we recommend taking the over at 8.5 runs. Our predicted payout is -115.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Zack Littell finishing with five strikeouts, and Erick Fedde with five as well. However, we have Fedde giving up more earned runs than Littell, and he is also projected to go fewer innings.
Offensively, we have the Rays finishing with 10 hits compared to the White Sox with nine. The White Sox are actually predicted to finish with fewer runs than the Rays, finishing with four compared to the Rays with five.
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.
Last updated:April 28, 2024 Rays, White Sox