The Tampa Bay Rays (22-5) and Chicago White Sox (7-20) have started the seasons going in vastly different directions. The Rays have dominated at every turn, while the White Sox have struggled to find any consistency whatsoever.
Saturday will see these two square off in the third of a four-game series after the Rays won the first two 14-5 and 3-2. The White Sox will host this one at Guaranteed Rate Field, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 pm ET.
Tampa Bay is the favorite despite playing on the road. They are -130 to win, while the White Sox moneyline sits at +110. The runline features Chicago +1.5 (-154), and the over/under for total runs is nine.
Rays Look To Continue Their Sizzling Start
At 22-5, no one in Major League Baseball has gotten off to even remotely as good of a start to the season as the Rays. Having won 8 of their last 10 overall and 8 of 11 on the road, the Rays will look to continue their sizzling start on the Southside of Chicago Saturday evening.
Offensively, no team in the majors has been better than Tampa Bay. They currently rank tops in scoring, averaging 6.58 runs per game (6.90 on the road). They also lead the majors in home runs per game at 1.96.
Leading the offense is Yandy Diaz. He is hitting .319/.409/.585 with seven home runs, 16 runs batted in, and 22 runs scored.
Randy Aronzarena has also been sensational, hitting .330/.400/.540 with five home runs, 24 runs batted in, and 19 runs scored.
On the mound for the Rays Saturday will be opener Calvin Faucher. He has already appeared in seven games this season, going 0-1 with a 5.68 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, and he has 10 strikeouts in 12.2 innings of work. In his last start, he allowed one run over two innings in a loss to the Houston Astros.
Major Flaws In Chicago
Many assumed that last year’s struggles were a product of aging manager Tony La Russa. With him out and Pedro Grifol in, the struggles of the White Sox has shown that the roster construction might be the real culprit.
Not only have the White Sox not won a series yet, but they haven’t even won back-to-back games. If things weren’t bad enough, they sit in the midst of a nine-game losing streak entering play Saturday.
Trying to get the team back into the win column will be veteran righty Lance Lynn. In five starts, the 35-year-old is 0-3 with a 7.52 ERA, 1.78 WHIP, and he has 32 strikeouts in 26.1 innings. He allowed four earned runs in five innings in a loss against the Blue Jays his last time out.
Offensively, the team has been led by Jake Burger. In 54 at bats, he is hitting .259/.349/.722 with a team-high seven home runs.
Take The Rays To Win And Cover
While the White Sox will eventually snap their losing streak, this might not be the game they get it done. While the Rays will rely on a heavy bullpen day Saturday, that doesn’t give Chicago much relief as the Rays have the second-best bullpen ERA at just 2.55.
On the flip side, Lance Lynn has not looked sharp in the early parts of the season and really hasn’t shown signs of righting the ship. Being a savvy veteran, he will get it figured out, but against the league’s best offense, Saturday might not be the day that gets done.
Take Tampa Bay to win this one (-130) and don’t be shocked if they cover the -1.5 runline (+128) as well.
