Chicago White Sox at Tampa Bay Rays Betting Preview
Saturday features the second of a three-game series between the Chicago White Sox (23-27) and the Tampa Bay Rays (31-21). The Rays will host this one at Tropicana Field, with the first pitch scheduled for 4:10 pm ET.
The Rays were able to take the first game of the series on Friday, 6-3. In the win, Shane McClanahan went six innings, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out eight.
Offensively, Randy Arozarena hit his sixth home run of the season while Ji-Man Choi added three runs batted in.
In the loss, Davis Martin went 5.1 innings, allowing four runs on five hits and three walks. Jose Abreu hit his seventh home run of the season, but it wasn’t enough to keep up with Tampa Bay.
The White Sox did manage 11 hits, but they also left 22 runs on base in the defeat.
The Rays are slight favorites Saturday playing at home. They are -114 to win while the White Sox moneyline sits at +104. The runline features Chicago +1.5 (-205), and the over/under for total runs is seven.
White Sox Trying To Live Up To Expectations
At 23-27 on the season, the White Sox find themselves in third place in the AL Central, six games behind the Minnesota Twins. Despite their early struggles, the White Sox are still the favorites to win the division at -105. After winning the division by 13 games last season, the White Sox are still trying to live up to the lofty expectations this season.
Trying to get Chicago back into the win column Saturday will be righty Dylan Cease. This season, Cease is 4-2 with a 3.69 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and he has struck out 76 batters in just 53.2 innings.
After giving up seven runs in three innings back on May 24, Cease bounced back in a no-decision in his last start, firing seven scoreless innings. He will try to build off of this success as he squares off with Tampa Bay.
Chicago currently ranks 27th in scoring averaging just 3.63 runs per game. Between injuries and poor performances, the White Sox have struggled to find offensive consistency thus far.
Unfortunately, they will be without one of their best hitters as Tim Anderson is on the injured list. He is currently hitting .356/.393/.503 with five home runs, 19 runs batted in, 24 run scored, and eight stolen bases.
One name to keep an eye on against the Rays’ Drew Rasmussen is Jake Burger. Albeit in just two at bats, Burger has two hits, including a home run.
Tampa Bay Trying To Keep Pace In The AL East
The best record in all of baseball belongs to the New York Yankees at 37-15. Sitting six games behind them in second place, the Tampa Bay Rays are trying to keep pace with the hopes of catching the Yankees in the division.
Luckily for Rays’ fans, they have played great at Tropicana Field, going 18-11 thus far. They have also played well as of late, winning six of their last 10.
On the mound for the Rays on Saturday will be 26-year-old righty Drew Rasmussen. In 10 games, he is 5-2 with a 3.47 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and he has 44 strikeouts in 46.2 innings pitched.
He was roughed up a bit in his last start as he took a loss against the Texas Rangers after giving up five runs in just three innings. Prior to that, though, he had won back-to-back games.
Offensively, the Rays have been led by outfielder Randy Arozarena. After his home run Friday, he is now hitting .256/.301/.421 with six home runs, 23 runs batted in, 23 runs scored, and eight stolen bases.
Collectively, the Rays have struggled against Cease in their careers. In a total of 27 at bats, Rays’ hitters have just three hits off of the righty, with Harold Ramirez having two of them.
Take The White Sox On The Moneyline
It has been a rough stretch for the White Sox as of late. Not only are they 1-6 in their last seven games, but they are 1-4 against the Rays in their last five games at Tropicana Field.
Still, the old saying is you are only as good as your next day’s starter, and the White Sox have an electric arm going in Dylan Cease. He has shown a bit more inconsistency lately, but he still has the ability to shut down an opponent.
While it would be a stretch to call this a must-win game for Chicago, they do need to find a spark amidst an injury-filled season which includes Tim Anderson, Eloy Jimenez, Lance Lynn, Joe Kelly, and others. That spark may very well be Cease.
At the very worst, there is a lot of value in taking Cease and the White Sox Saturday, so don’t hesitate to take them on the moneyline at +104.
