/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69754554/180831462.0.jpg)
The White Sox went 3-1 against Oakland in their latest home series, and it was sort of eventful. Lance Lynn hurt an ump’s feelings after tossing his belt (I still think he should have made the ejection worth it by mooning him), Chris Bassitt mercifully doesn’t appear to have any long-term damage after taking a line drive to the face, and the White Sox now have spent 91 days in first place.
This weekend is shaping up as a potential preview of the ALCS, so the White Sox need to be on top of things in order to be successful. The Rays are obnoxiously praised for doing so well by paying their players so little, and while it’s always great when small-market teams are doing well against the giants like the Yankees and the Red Sox, let’s remember that owners are loaded and can afford to pay players what they’re worth.
But I digress.
Last time …
Back in the June series was when fans last saw Tyler Glasnow, as he exited early with some elbow inflammation; he has since undergone Tommy John surgery. People jumped on his criticism of MLB for their foreign substance ban as a “He can’t pitch without sticky stuff!” instead of “Grip plays an important role in what pitchers do!” but hey, whatever gets you through the day, people.
The Rays got their fourth straight win to open the series, bolstered by homers from Austin Meadows, Brandon Lowe, and Randy Arozarena.
Dallas Keuchel was on top of it during the second game in the series, briefly looked like the Keuchel of 2015 instead of whatever is going on right now. At that point in June, both teams had the two lowest ERAs in the AL. The Rays losing Glasnow for the rest of the season and the White Sox starters starting to look gassed has had some impact there, with both teams sliding down in the AL rankings.
The finale of the series went into the 10th inning, and the White Sox managed to pull off a win (after doing pretty poorly in extras up until that point) with an RBI single from Yasmani Grandal.
How’s it going?
Tampa Bay added Nelson Cruz to their lineup at the trade deadline. The Rays are five games up on the Yankees in the AL East and have a 75-47 record, 28 games over .500. They just finished up a four-game sweep of the Orioles, outscoring Baltimore by 26 during the series to pile on to the Orioles’ 15-game losing streak.
The Rays lineup is managing 5.26 runs per game this season. They’re leading the AL in runs with 642 and second in hits at 987. They’re also patient at the plate, coming in second in the AL in walks at 455. At home the Rays are 39-22, and against Central opponents they’re 12-7. They’re also 15-5 in their last 20 games, so the White Sox are going to need to tighten up the offense and stop making stupid defensive mistakes if they expect to succeed this weekend.
Pitching matchups
Tonight is Lucas Giolito vs. Michael Wacha. Giolito is 3-3 in his last seven, lasting 42 ⅓ innings and posting a 2.98 ERA. He’s 1-0 against the Rays, having faced them four times in his career, posting a 2.03 ERA against them. Overall Giolito is having a decent season, with a 9-9 record and 3.83 ERA over 141 innings.
Wacha is 2-4 this season over 85 ⅓ innings, with a 5.91 ERA. He’s 1-2 in his last seven, going 34 innings and posting a 6.88 ERA. He’s seen the White Sox twice, going 1-0 against them and last facing off in 2018 for a no-decision. Overall he’s gone 10 innings while putting up a 6.30 ERA in those two appearances. He relies on four pitches: a 4-seam fastball, cutter, changeup, and curveball.
Saturday will see Dallas Keuchel against Luis Patino. In his last seven, Keuchel has gone 2-3 over 40 ⅓ innings with a 4.46 ERA. He’s walked 44 this season while striking out 79 and giving up 130 hits. He appears to be on track to match his 2016 season in terms of ERA and other stats — but that was the year he won the World Series, so maybe that’s a good sign.
Luis Patino is 2-3 over 45 ⅔ innings with a 4.73 ERA. He’s 1-2 in his last seven, and has never faced the White Sox as a starter debuting last August. Patino relies on five pitches: a 4-seam fastball, slider, changeup, and curveball.
Sunday for the close is going to be Reynaldo López vs. TBD. López has looked pretty good during 2021 since returning from Charlotte, and has made a few starts outside of his relief moments in the bullpen. This will be his fourth start this season. He’s 2-0 over 25 innings with a 1.08 ERA, and 2-1 in his last seven starts with a 3.58 ERA. Against the Rays, López is 1-2, posting a 6.75 ERA over 17 ⅓ innings
Why we still hate them
They’re a quality franchise wasted on a market that doesn’t show up even when they’re great.
— Bill Koester (@Billy_dk_89) August 19, 2021
Don't hate them, but sad that Longoria is no longer on the Rays. Also, they should have won the W.S. in 2008. Still upset about that lol
— Stephanie Stremplewski, NBC Sports (@stephstremp17) August 19, 2021
— JJ (@T0atsMaG0ats) August 20, 2021
I also hate how everyone applauds them for being cheap and finding ways to win without having to pay players.
— A.J. (@AJEarley4) August 19, 2021
He’s prettier than I’ll ever be and I hate it.
— Chrystal O’Keefe (@chrystal_ok) August 19, 2021
Oh man, Andres Galarraga hitting one up there that first year was epic though.
— WhiteSoxTwitt3r (@SoxTwitt3r) August 20, 2021
Why? Here’s why…
— Patrick Curran (@IUB1G) August 19, 2021
1. They tried to steal the Sox in the 80s.
2. The Bucs.
3. The Lightning.
4. Joe Maddon.
5. Former Cub announcer Dewayne Staats.
6. Tom Brady.
7. Champa Bay. (I mean, really? Just because they have the Cup and the Lombardi, they still lost the World Series.)
This MF pic.twitter.com/ifiNWGYKV1
— Laura // Andrew Vaughn ROY (@lakemiwsox) August 19, 2021
If Randy Ricearoni wins ROY instead of Vaughn I will hate them for that
— Celeste Spaghetti (@C_Spaghett1) August 19, 2021
2008. And their terrible dome.
— Ryan Patrick Clarke (@rfoto) August 19, 2021
Because I can hear their ONLY Super Fan screaming in my ear anytime we lose to them pic.twitter.com/lw3YhkyV4C
— BeefLoaf (@MrDelicious13) August 19, 2021
2008 ALDS and just because Devil Rays sounds so much cooler than just Rays
— Joshua Tapper (@TapCityBaby) August 20, 2021
They took the devil outta their name. Worst move ever. pic.twitter.com/AisSOHWyRA
— The Blond Mexican ⚾️ (@chi73girl) August 19, 2021
Their mysterious ballpark that you can’t catch fly balls in. They are a small market team and still win effectively because they made great hires. Makes me sick.
— White Sox Truther (@SamR33v3s) August 19, 2021
Their mysterious ballpark that you can’t catch fly balls in. They are a small market team and still win effectively because they made great hires. Makes me sick.
— White Sox Truther (@SamR33v3s) August 19, 2021
They’re a great team and they have no fans get them to a city that will appreciate them
— Jake (@jakeswhitesocks) August 20, 2021
Their dumb post apocalyptic run down stadium complete with it rings of scaffolding in the sky that also comes complete with a roof where they choose to make the color roughly the same as a baseball for some insane reason......the tanks with the rays in them are cool though.
— Down With .OBP (@At_AtAttack) August 19, 2021
I hate the Rays because I wish the White Sox had the Rays level of scouting and player development #Jealous
— Anderson アンダーソン ロバート (@knoxgradtke) August 20, 2021
I hate the Rays because their trash stadium was built in the early '90s in the hopes of luring another city's team. Prime targets included the White Sox and Giants.
— J. Coates (@TheCoatesShow) August 19, 2021
I usually don’t mind the Rays because of how they run their system and compete with the bigger payrolls in the AL East. I liked their original colors and when they were the Devil Rays so I don’t like them because of that. And also this fucker… pic.twitter.com/rFPlxzgxta
— Richie 2 Sox (@LodiDodi17) August 19, 2021
Just like Oakland, I’m jealous of their poverty franchise being so much smarter than ours without needing massive 2016 fire sales.
— Leonard Skynard (@Leonard42) August 19, 2021
I like the Rays, per se, but I find it irritating when Tampa is good at something. It's not a region fit for humans, and success is unbecoming and encourages bad behavior. They're further tainted by Brady-proximity.
— Brian O'Neill (@oneillofchicago) August 19, 2021
They ruined the Sox's shot at winning playoff games while we had Ken Griffey Jr especially after the Blackout Game pic.twitter.com/4sceQuY4KX
— Sox-Side Pride ⚾️ #LeuryLegend Stan (@SoxSidePride420) August 19, 2021