In the first of a three-game series between the Tampa Bay Rays (32-29) and the Chicago White Sox (32-29) at Tropicana Field, Matt Andriese (0-1, 4.79 ERA) and John Danks (3-5, 5.17 ERA) take the mound. The game starts at 7:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Jun. 12 and will air on CSN-CHI and SunSports.
In his last start, Andriese pitched 4.0 innings, allowing one run and striking out four in a 6-1 loss to the Yankees. In his pitching opportunities against the Rays, Danks is 6-5 with a 4.01 ERA. He meets a less-than-stellar Tampa Bay offense that’s batting just .237. Jose Abreu (.283, 31 Rs, 11 HRs, 37 RBIs) has been hitting the ball well for the White Sox, going 2 for 4 Wednesday with one run, one home run, and two RBIs.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. Tampa Bay’s pitching staff can be considered for best in its league, with an AL-low 3.31 team ERA. The Rays don’t allow many hitters to get on base, ranking fourth in the league with a 1.19 WHIP.
The Chicago pitching staff has been an intimidating group this year, averaging 8.2 strikeouts per game.
The Rays will take on a left-hander (Danks) in this game and have an 11-8 record against left-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the White Sox will be the right-hander Andriese. They sport a 23-24 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – TB
Notes
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay’s last 7 games.
Tampa Bay is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games.
Tampa Bay is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games at home.
Tampa Bay is 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing Chi White Sox.
Chicago recorded at least two errors for the 11th time this season.
The White Sox are 4-2 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Rays are 2-2 in such matchups.
The White Sox are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Rays have an 11-16 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Rays are 22-5. The White Sox have a 20-3 record when outhitting opponents.
Tampa Bay and Chicago both rank near the bottom of the league in runs. Tampa Bay sits at 27th with 222 runs this season and Chicago ranks 28th with 211.
Ranking 27th, Chicago is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 137 this season. Tampa Bay ranks in the bottom half at 17th with 166.
The Rays are 23-15 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The White Sox are 16-13 when they hit at least one homer.
