MLB Betting Picks – Tampa Bay Rays Visit Chicago White Sox

A big reason that all of your Red Sox friends are crying like babies so early in the season is because of the Tampa Bay Rays. A ten-game road trip was supposed to slow down a young and unbelievably talented ball club, but as their baseball betting backers have found out, this team is as resilient as any playoff contender in the majors. Tampa erased the memories of a 1-4 loss against Chicago on Tuesday by blasting them 12-0 on Wednesday. The White Sox can only hope that Jake Peavy can dig them out of this hole.

Peavy was a study in the National League but, as always, the migration for a pitcher to the American League has been fraught with peril. Peavy has no decisions this season, and is averaging a 6.00 ERA. Still, Peavy is an amazing talent, and pitched 7 1/3 innings against Cleveland, giving up just four hits and two runs in a loss.

The rotation and bullpen can’t be the only direction the fingers are pointing in Chi-town. The White Sox have just a +0.1 scoring differential and they’ve been unable, or unwilling, to hold on to leads late in games.

Tampa Bay Rays (11-4) vs. Chicago White Sox (5-10)
Thursday, April 22nd — U.S. Cellular Field — 8:10pm EST
MLB Betting Lines:

James Shields – R +1.5 -210 -105 O 8.0-115 Jake Peavy – L -1.5 +175 -115 U 8.0-105

Considering how well conditioned the athletes of Tampa’s roster are trained, that could pose major problems. The Rays averaged 5.9 runs per game on the road, which ranks them third in the AL. What makes them a sterling baseball bet on the road is that they have the best defense away from home, allowing just 2.6 runs. Teams a defined by their long road trips during the regular season, and if this is any indication for the playoffs, I’d be lumping some major money on Tampa to earn the Wild Card in the AL.

James Shields gets the nod for Tampa after getting torn up against the Boston Red Sox. He allowed two home runs and nine hits which led to four of Boston’s five runs. Luckily for him, his teammates bailed him out by rallying to win 6-5 late in the game.

Where To Watch: SUN, CSN

The White Sox, however, are not the Red Sox. A 12-0 beatdown is all I need to know about how this game will unfold. Peavy will be fine for Chicago later in the season, but adjusting to the narrow play of the American League is going to take some time. Harsh lessons await Peavy when he plays Tampa Bay.

Furious Free Pick: Tampa RL and ML (UNDER)