The surprising Tampa Bay Rays will look to extend their winning ways when they take on the Chicago White Sox in Game 2 of a three-game set on Tuesday night. After taking the series opener 5-1 on Monday, Tampa Bay will look to win its third straight game in this contest while Chicago will be looking to snap a three-game skid Now, let’s find out which team is offering the best value against their MLB betting odds.
Rays vs White Sox Odds, Game Preview, and Predictions
Oh that’s just not fair, @snellzilla4.#RaysUp pic.twitter.com/BW3ZpL9u7h
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) 8 de abril de 2019
- When: Tuesday April 9, 2019, 2:10 PM (EDT)
- Where: Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago, Illinois
- TV: SUN, NSCH
- Live Stream: MLB.tv
- Opening MLB Odds: Chicago +125 / Tampa Bay Rays -145 (total 8.5)
Why Bet On Tampa Bay?
Why should you consider betting on the Rays in this contest? Well, there’s the fact that Tampa Bay has had the best pitching staff in all of baseball to start the season. The Rays starters have limited the opposition to just 10 runs in 56 innings and the entire staff has compiled a major league-best 1.80 ERA through the first 11 games of the season.
“We’ve had a lot of things go our way. The defense has played well,” Tampa Bay coach Kevin Cash said after Monday’s win. “It doesn’t change year to year. It’s all about pitching and those guys have really carried a big load for us.”
Another great reason to back the Rays in this contest is the fact that veteran right-hander Charlie Morton has been phenomenal in two starts since being acquired in the offseason after winning a career-high 15 games for Houston last season. Morton has gone 1-0 with a stellar 1.64 ERA in two starts spanning 11.0 innings while striking out 14 and walking four.
On Monday, Tampa Bay jumped out to an early 2-0 lead they would never relinquish en route to a commanding 5-1 win over the White Sox that comes on the heels of their 3-0 shutout win over San Francisco on Sunday.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Runs/G: 3.55
- Hits /G: 8.09
- Walks /G: 3.09
- Strike Outs /G: 10.55
- Runs/G: 1.82
- Hits /G: 6.36
- Walks /G: 2.00
- Strike Outs /G: 9.82
Why Bet On Chicago?
Why should you consider betting on the White Sox? Because they’re playing at home – and more importantly – completely desperate. Chicago has dropped three straight and owns the worst team ERA in the majors at 6.35.
The White Sox have given up a whopping 34 runs through the first first four games of their homestand and walked eight Tampa Bay batters on Monday to lose for the third time in their last four games. For this contest, Chicago will turn to 36-year-old veteran right-hander Ervin Santana who will make his first start with the White Sox after signing as a free agent in the offseason. Santana is one win away from 150 victories for his career, though he made just five starts for Minnesota last year because of a finger injury. He recently told reporters he’s fired up to make his debut with the White Sox.
“Everything is pretty good, working the way I wanted to,” Santana said. “It’s pretty good.”
Team Statistics
Offense:- Runs/G: 4.89
- Hits /G: 8.78
- Walks /G: 3.11
- Strike Outs /G: 9.44
- Runs/G: 6.44
- Hits /G: 8.89
- Walks /G: 4.22
- Strike Outs /G: 9.11
MLB Betting Trends for Rays vs White Sox
- Tampa Bay is 7-2 both straight up and against the spread (ATS) in its last nine games this season.
- The total has gone under in eight of Tampa Bay’s first 10 games this season.
- The White Sox are 3-10 straight up in their last 13 games, dating back to last season.
- The White Sox are 2-6 ATS in their last eight home games, dating back to last season.
Expert Analysis and Prediction for Rays vs White Sox
While I’ve always liked Ervin Santana and know he can throw the rock with the best pitchers in the game when he’s on, I, nor anyone else, has any idea what we’re going to see out of the aging veteran after he missed basically all of last season. On the other hand, Tampa Bay’s Charlie Morton has been ‘lights out’ since the start of the season and so have the Rays.
Tampa bay has gone 8-2 in their last 10 games against teams from the AL Central, 12-3 in their last 15 Game 2 contests and an encouraging 37-16 in their last 53 games overall. Conversely, the White Sox have gone a dismal 5-17 in their last 22 games following a loss, 3-12 in their last 15 home games and 1-7 in their last 8 home games vs. a right-handed starter.
Pick: Tampa Bay 4 Chicago 2
