Gamethread: White Sox at Rays

After taking two of three from Oakland, the White Sox have traveled down to Tampa Bay to face-off against the Rays in what could be a preview of the 2021 ALDS (if all goes accordingly).

The White Sox have run off with the AL Central title, barring some catastrophic event during the final 40 games of the season. The White Sox are leading by 11.5 over Cleveland, which is the best lead in MLB. The White Sox are 29-26 on the road so here’s hoping these next couple series go better than previous road series.

The Rays are currently leading the AL East with 5 games over the hated Yankees. They just swept the Orioles in a four-game series at home with scores like 9-2, 10-0, 8-4, and 7-2. At home, the Rays are 39-22 so things are definitely tipped in there favor for this series.

By the numbers, the Rays are lead in home runs by Brandon Lowe (29), in batting average by Randy Arozarena (.280), and RBIs by Austin Meadows (83). The career numbers of the Rays facing Giolito are kind of average, except for Nelson Cruz, who is unpopular among White Sox fans.

ESPN.com

Here’s how things are lining up tonight:

Tonight’s game will be broadcast on NBCSports Chicago and MLB.TV. ESPN1000 has the radio for those who like to sit in their garage and listen to the game (hi dad!). I’ll be back after the game with the recap so hopefully things go well.