The Chicago White Sox (72-52) and Tampa Bay Rays (76-48) play the finale of a three-game set Sunday at Tropicana Field with a 1:10 p.m. ET first pitch. Let’s analyze the lines around the White Sox vs. Rays odds with MLB picks and predictions.
White Sox RHP Reynaldo Lopez (2-0, 1.08 ERA) makes his fourth start and 12th appearance. He has a 0.72 WHIP, 9.4 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 through 25 IP.
- Allowed just 1 hit and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts across 5 scoreless innings in a win over the Oakland Athletics Tuesday.
- Has posted a 1-0 record and a stellar 0.64 ERA with just 1 earned run and 6 hits allowed across 14 innings over two starts and three relief appearances in August.
Rays RHP Chris Archer (0-1, 6.23 ERA) makes his second start and his thirrd appearance. He has allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 7 hits and 1 walk with 6 strikeouts through 4 1/3 innings.
- Will be making his first appearance since April 10 after missing considerable time due to right lateral forearm tightness.
- Allowed 3 earned runs, 1 hit and 2 walks with 6 strikeouts across 4 2/3 innings in his final minor-league rehab tune-up with Triple-A Durham against Jacksonville Tuesday.
White Sox at Rays odds, lines, picks and prediction
MLB odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 9:15 a.m. ET.
- Money line: White Sox +100 (bet $100 to win $100) | Rays -125 (bet $125 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: White Sox +1.5 (-205) | Rays -1.5 (+155)
- Over/Under: 8.5 (O: -135 | U: +110)
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Prediction
White Sox 5, Rays 2
Money line (ML)
The WHITE SOX (+100) came up short in Saturday’s middle game, but they’ll bounce back in the finale. Bettors who backed them yesterday have to have a short memory.
The Rays will struggle to make things happen against Lopez, who has been unflappable, and the long layoff might mean rust for Archer, who wasn’t terribly sharp in his final rehab outing. Facing the first-place ChiSox is a tough first game back.
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Run line/Against the spread (ATS)
Take WHITE SOX +1.5 (-205) if you want/need some insurance, although it’s a little too pricey for my tastes. I prefer them straight up against Archer, who isn’t likely to get very deep into the game.
Over/Under (O/U)
The best play on the board is UNDER 8.5 (+110) at plus-money.
The Over cashed in each of the first two games in this series with a combined total of 12 runs in each game. So, playing Under requires a leap of faith.
However, I don’t think the Rays get much off of Lopez. The concern is Archer, and his ability to throw strikes. He isn’t likely to go deep into the game after a lengthy layoff, and that’s a good thing. Tampa boasts the second-best bullpen ERA in the majors at 3.11.
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