Carlos Rodon (4-4, 4.84 ERA) and Erasmo Ramirez (8-4, 3.61 ERA) are on the hill in the last of a three-game series between the Chicago White Sox (50-54) and the Tampa Bay Rays (53-54) at U.S. Cellular Field. The Rays won the last game 11-3 and Tampa Bay leads the series 2-0. Action begins at 1:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Aug. 5 and can be seen on CSCh.
Rodon pitched 3.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering eight runs, striking out four and walking four in a 13-6 defeat to the Yankees. Jose Abreu (.299, 61 Rs, 19 HRs, 64 RBIs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 3 with one run, one home run, and two RBIs. Ramirez went 6.0 innings, surrendering one, striking out six and walking two in a 7-5 defeat to the Red Sox in his most recent start. Logan Forsythe (.281, 41 Rs, 12 HRs, 47 RBIs, 7 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Rays, going 2 for 3 yesterday with one run and two RBIs.
Chicago is a slim -110 favorite at home against Tampa Bay. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at eight runs for this matchup. The White Sox have an overall money line of -635 and a record as the favorite of 25-23. Chicago has gone winless in its last 10 as the favorite. The White Sox have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 5.6 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 3.7 runs per game. The White Sox are one of the best in the MLB in terms of extra base hits with 269. Chicago’s pitching staff has been doing poorly against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, allowing an average of 6.6 runs per game, well above its season average of 4.4. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the White Sox, who rank second in the AL in strikeouts per game with 8.4.
In games where it is the underdog, Tampa Bay has a 28-30 record and an overall money line of -236. Offensively, the Rays have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 3.7 runs per game by averaging 5.1 during that stretch. Tampa Bay’s pitching staff is one of the top in the AL, with a 3.58 ERA. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Rays are the best in the AL with an average of 7.9 hits allowed per game.
The Rays have the edge in the season series, 4-0. The White Sox have a 42-43 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Ramirez takes the mound. Rodon (LHP) will be on the hill against the Rays, who have very good records against left-handed starting pitchers on the road and overall of 10-4 and 20-11, respectively.
Predictions: SU Winner – TB, O/U – Over
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chi White Sox’s last 5 games.
Chi White Sox are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chi White Sox’s last 5 games at home.
Chi White Sox are 1-8 SU in their last 9 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chi White Sox’s last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay.
Chi White Sox are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay.
Chicago earned its seventh shutout of the season in its last game. Tampa Bay has been shut out nine times this season.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the White Sox are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Rays have a 9-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
It looks like the Rays have a slight leg up on the White Sox, as the Rays have won their last two games while the White Sox have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Rays are 37-14. The White Sox have a 41-8 record when outhitting opponents.
Both falling near the bottom of the league based on total runs this season, Chicago ranks 29th with 387 runs and Tampa Bay is 28th with 388.
Ranking 29th, Chicago is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 238 this season. Tampa Bay ranks in the bottom half at 18th with 291.
When the White Sox hit at least one home run, they are 30-28, well-matched with the Rays who are 37-28 when hitting one or more homers.
