Chicago White Sox at Texas Rangers

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
CWS	0	1	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	4	7	2
TEX	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	5	0

Anthony Kay (6-4, 4.21 ERA) got the ball for Chicago looking to build on a rocky last time out, when he lasted just 4 innings against Toronto with 3 walks mixed into 5 strikeouts. Tyler Alexander (1-1, 2.86 ERA) started for Texas, and his last look was stranger still — a 1-inning, 16-pitch stint against Cleveland that reads more like a bullpen game than a normal turn through the rotation.

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FINAL

Spread

ML

Total

White Sox(53-47)

LWWLW

4

+1.5-217-115o8.5-106

Rangers(51-50)

WLLWL

2

-1.5+213+113u8.5+108

Best BetWhite Sox -107

Postgame

Hit — the White Sox closed it out 4-2, the first-place form outweighing home-field edge just like the bull case argued.

Pregame

Chicago's the value side here — sharp bettors piled onto the White Sox pregame, and a near-even price still undersells a club that's tied for first and has outplayed Texas for most of this series. Alexander's bizarre 1-inning last outing is the biggest swing factor for Texas; if he can't give length, that's a real edge for the visiting lineup.

Both clubs are dealing with real absences that shape how these games get played. Chicago is already without catcher Kyle Teel, who's facing 6-to-12 weeks on the shelf with a high-ankle sprain, on top of a stack of pitchers still working back from injury. Texas is missing its best player, with Corey Seager still on the 10-day IL, and lost Josh Jung for Wednesday's lineup with a calf issue — a lot of talent watching from the training room on both sides.

Anthony Kay

(8-5)·4.01 ERA

Jul 17 @ Blue Jays

ND

4.0IP

2ER

5K

3BB

83P

07/22 Lineup

Tyler Alexander

(1-2)·3.35 ERA

Jun 29 @ Guardians

ND

1.0IP

0ER

2K

0BB

16P

07/22 Lineup

None of that stopped this series from turning into a slugfest earlier in the week, which made Wednesday's tighter final an outlier as much as anything else. The betting market noticed the shift too, with the number on Chicago drifting hard before first pitch even as the bulk of the sharp action stacked up behind the White Sox.

Chicago White Sox

(53-47)

Jul 22L@ Rangers0-10

Jul 21W@ Rangers10-3

Jul 19W@ Blue Jays3-0

Jul 18L@ Blue Jays0-1

Jul 17W@ Blue Jays12-4

Texas Rangers

(51-50)

Jul 22Wvs White Sox10-0

Jul 21Lvs White Sox3-10

Jul 19L@ Braves5-8

Jul 18W@ Braves7-6

Jul 17L@ Braves1-15

Chicago's been the story of the American League all year — a club that lost 100 games three straight seasons is now tied for first in the AL Central, and manager Randal Grichuk's crew has leaned into the underdog attitude that got them there. This series was a snapshot of how uneven that run has looked lately: a 10-3 blowout win, then a 10-0 blowout loss, then a game that came down to bullpen execution instead of raw power.

Chicago White Sox

(11)

• 7-Day ILEverson Pereira (RF) — Pereira (concussion) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte on Saturday, LaMond Pope of the Chicago Tribune reports.07/18
• 10-Day-ILKyle Teel (C) — Teel is expected to miss 6-to-12 weeks due to left high-ankle sprain, MLB.com reports.07/22
• 15-Day-ILTyler Gilbert (RP) — The White Sox placed Gilbert on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a left shoulder impingement.06/10
• 60-Day-ILDrew Thorpe (SP) — Thorpe (elbow/appendectomy) struck out three and allowed one hit and no walks over two scoreless innings Saturday in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League.07/19
• 60-Day-ILAustin Hays (LF) — Hays (calf) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte on Friday, LaMond Pope of the Chicago Tribune reports.07/17
• 60-Day-ILPrelander Berroa (RP) — The White Sox announced Saturday that Berroa (elbow) will start throwing again in 1-to-2 weeks, MLB.com reports.07/07
• 60-Day-ILKy Bush (SP) — Bush (elbow) has resumed participating in long toss, MLB.com reports.07/05
• 60-Day-ILJordan Leasure (RP) — Leasure (forearm) said Friday that he will be shut down from throwing for four weeks, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.05/30
• 60-Day-ILMike Vasil (RP) — The White Sox transferred Vasil (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Tuesday.05/08
• 60-Day-ILTanner Murray (LF) — The White Sox transferred Murray (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list Monday.05/08
• 60-Day-ILBrooks Baldwin (LF) — The White Sox transferred Baldwin (elbow) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.05/08

Texas Rangers

(14)

• Day-To-DayJosh Jung (3B) — Jung (calf) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox.07/22
• 10-Day-ILKyle Higashioka (C) — Higashioka is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox.07/21
• 10-Day-ILCody Freeman (3B) — Freeman (neck) will begin a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League on Monday.07/20
• 10-Day-ILDanny Jansen (C) — Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Saturday that Jansen (forearm) is dealing with setbacks that put his return in doubt, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.07/20
• 10-Day-ILCorey Seager (SS) — Seager (back) is scheduled to hit soft toss in the batting cage Sunday in addition to fielding groundballs, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.07/19
• 15-Day-ILChris Martin (RP) — The Rangers sent Martin (shoulder) to Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday to begin a rehab assignment.07/22
• 15-Day-ILJose Corniell (SP) — The Rangers recalled Corniell from Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday.07/21
• 15-Day-ILJack Leiter (SP) — Leiter (ankle) threw a bullpen session during the All-Star break, MLB.com reports.07/18
• 60-Day-ILJalen Beeks (RP) — The Rangers transferred Beeks (forearm) to the 60-day injured list Tuesday.07/21
• 60-Day-ILCody Bradford (SP) — Bradford (elbow) allowed one hit and struck out four over two scoreless innings for Double-A Frisco on Saturday.07/19
• 60-Day-ILJordan Montgomery (SP) — Montgomery (elbow) will start Saturday for Triple-A Round Rock as he continues his rehab assignment, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.07/18
• 60-Day-ILMichael Helman (CF) — Texas transferred Helman (hand) to the 60-day injured list Friday.06/19
• 60-Day-ILRobert Garcia (RP) — The Rangers transferred Garcia (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.06/01
• 60-Day-ILCarter Baumler (RP) — Baumler (intercostal) has been shut down from his rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.05/23

Texas has stayed competitive despite the attrition, but Seager's absence is the one that stings — his been unable to find any rhythm in a season repeatedly interrupted by back and head issues, and until he's back the middle of that lineup is missing its anchor. Wednesday's game leaned on both bullpens more than either rotation, and that trend is worth watching the rest of this series.

Final score aside, the bigger picture here is a Chicago team that keeps finding ways to win series it has no business being favored in, and a Texas team trying to patch together lineups and bullpen innings around its injury list. Neither storyline resolves itself in one night in Arlington.