Gavin Floyd will be on the hill for the White Sox as they try to stop their downward spiral. Floyd gave up six runs in his last start, so he’ll have to bounce back in this one. He’s probably already heard how bad the White Sox bullpen has been. Matt Thornton has blown all four of his save opportunities and the rest of the bullpen has also been terrible.
It hasn’t just been the bullpen, though, because the offense has been seriously underperforming lately. The White Sox have scored a total of two runs in the three games against Tampa in this series. Alex Rios is hitting .183 and Adam Dunn is hitting .175. The White Sox aren’t as bad as they’ve looked in recent days, but they need to get their momentum back once again.
Tampa Bay is nine of its last 10 after a horrible start. The Rays just couldn’t score a run early in the season. The offense hasn’t been great yet, but they’ve been getting timely hits. The Rays’ starting rotation has been excellent for the last ten games.
Jeff Niemann is on the mound Thursday and has a 6.32 ERA so far this year. He allowed five runs in 2 2/3 innings in his first start against the White Sox this year. Johnny Damon has missed the last three games with a finger injury and is listed as questionable for this one. Sam Fuld has been the Rays’ hitting leader so far this season.
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Chicago WhiteSox MLB Picks: After a horrible start, the Tampa Bay Rays are now 9-9 on the year. The Rays have won nine of their last ten games overall. They will look to finish a four-game sweep of the White Sox on Thursday. The WhiteSox have now lost seven straight games overall. This game will air on MLB Network at 6:40 p.m. ET on Thursday night.
The underdog is 4-0 in Niemann’s last four starts against the White Sox. Bass is 4-1 in Floyd’s last 5 starts against the Rays. Both teams have been struggling offensively, and I think the bass is the best play on this one.
Chicago White Sox (7-11) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (9-9) MLB Betting Lines
Money line: White Sox (-105) Rays (-105)
Over/Under: 8
Starting pitchers – White Sox (Floyd) vs. Rays (Niemann)
MLB Free Pick: White Sox/Rays Under 8
If you’re looking for great MLB picks, check out the baseball forums at Bang the Book.