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The Chicago White Sox take on the Tampa Bay Rays. Check out our MLB odds series for our White Sox Rays prediction and pick.
Davis Martin gets the start for the White Sox, while Shane McClanahan gets the ball for the Rays.
Davis Martin pitched five innings and gave up one run against the Royals in his big-league debut on May 17. The Rays are a far better team than the Royals, but it also needs to be said that Tampa Bay has not hit well lately. The Rays played a four-game series last weekend against the New York Yankees in which they created very few runs and got very few hits with runners in scoring position. That larger overall pattern continued in the team's next four-game series from Monday through Thursday against the Texas Rangers. The Rays could not hammer Texas pitching. They scratched out a split of the four-game set only because the starting pitching and the bullpen both held firm in tense, close wins on Wednesday and Thursday. It will be fascinating to see if the Rays, in a collective slump as a team, can bust out of it against Martin. This is part of the calculus when making a White Sox Rays prediction.
Shane McClanahan is an American League Cy Young Award contender. Nestor Cortes, Justin Verlander, Martin Perez, Alek Manoah and others are in the mix, but so is the Rays' best starting pitcher. McClanahan has electric stuff, and it regularly feels like a surprise when any opponent is able to score a run off him. McClanahan has a 2.01 ERA. He hasn't given up more than three runs in any start this season. In his last four starts, he has pitched 26 innings, given up only two runs, striking out 36 batters and walking only three. That is almost untouchable, and it speaks to how well McClanahan is throwing the baseball. He makes it easier to arrive at a White Sox Rays pick based on the current MLB odds.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the White Sox-Rays MLB odds.
MLB Odds: White Sox-Rays Odds
Chicago White Sox: +1.5 (-146)
Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+118)
Over: 7.5 (-122)
Under: 7.5 (+100)
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Why The White Sox Could Cover the Spread
The White Sox just got swept by the Blue Jays in Toronto, but the Jays are a hot-hitting team which has rediscovered its offense after slumping for most of May. The Rays are currently slumping and have not broken out of their funk. Toronto scored at least six runs in each of its three wins over the White Sox. The Jays attacked Chicago's pitching. The Rays, on the other hand, haven't scored more than five runs in any of their last eight games. They have scored more than four runs only once in their last eight games. Chicago can stay in this game and wait for a late home run in the eighth or ninth inning once McClanahan — who usually pitches six to seven innings per start — is gone.
Why The Rays Could Cover the Spread
After more than a week of struggling at the plate, the Rays are bound to bust loose at some point. Facing a young and unproven pitcher is a great time for that to happen. It certainly represents a logical moment to expect this team to break out at the plate. The pitching matchup is lopsided in favor of the Rays. This is a game they are definitely in position to win.
Final White Sox-Rays Prediction & Pick
Don't overcomplicate this one. Even if the Rays don't score a lot of runs, McClanahan will shut the door on the White Sox. Go with the Rays here.
Final White Sox-Rays Prediction & Pick: Rays -1.5
