Barstool Bush
Predictions

Chicago White Sox at Tampa Bay Rays

By Bush StaffUpdated 19d ago·2 min read
Chicago White SoxCWS(58-52)
Tampa Bay RaysTB(65-45)
9—1
FINAL
123456789RHE
CWS
200102004992
TB
0000000011112

Anthony Kay (7-5, 4.01 ERA) drew Griffin Jax (6-8, 3.63 ERA) for the getaway-day series decider, a 1:40 PM ET matinee at Tropicana Field pitting an AL Central leader against an AL East leader, both trying to avoid dropping a series they'd split evenly through two games.

Show fees
FINAL
Spread
ML
Total
White Sox(58-52)
LWWWL
9
Rays(65-45)
WLWWL
1
Best BetRays -152
Postgame

This one blew up immediately — Chicago scored twice in the first and never let Tampa Bay get comfortable, piling on for a 9-1 final. The bullpen edge we banked on never showed up; Tampa Bay actually out-hit Chicago 11-to-9 and still lost by 8 runs, stranding traffic while Jax and company handed out runs. Wrong pick, and not particularly close.

Pregame

Tampa Bay is the better team on paper and has been all season, and Jax's strikeout stuff has been sharper than his win-loss record indicates. The White Sox have flashed real upside this year, including Friday's win in this same ballpark, but backing the Rays at home against a team still working out its road identity is the safer side.

Chicago took the field without rookie outfielder Braden Montgomery, scratched with a skin infection on his ankle that flared up during Saturday's game. Manager Will Venable was banking on the scheduled Monday off day to get him back in the lineup Tuesday in Boston. Losing a middle-of-the-order bat before a series decider isn't nothing, but it barely registered once Chicago's lineup got going.

Chicago White Sox
Anthony Kay
(9-5)·4.01 ERA
Jul 28 vs Yankees
L
5.1IP
3ER
7K
1BB
97P
08/02 Lineup
Tampa Bay Rays
Griffin Jax
(6-9)·3.63 ERA
Jul 28 vs Rangers
L
5.2IP
1ER
10K
3BB
93P
08/02 Lineup

The bigger story walking into Sunday happened off the field: Chicago landed right-hander Luis Castillo from Seattle in a trade-deadline swap a day earlier, a clear front-office signal that this White Sox team believes it's built for more than just an AL Central title. That kind of aggression can fire up a clubhouse or add pressure to it. Sunday, it was the former.

Chicago put a 2-spot on the board in the first and never let Tampa Bay breathe, adding single runs in the 4th and 6th before blowing it open with a 4-run 9th. Jax and the Rays bullpen combined to allow 9 runs on 9 hits, while Tampa Bay actually out-hit Chicago 11-to-9 and still crossed the plate just once — a brutal day of stranding traffic that wiped out whatever the lineup had working against Kay.

Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
(58-52)
Aug 1L@ Rays0-1
Jul 31W@ Rays6-1
Jul 30Wvs Yankees2-1
Jul 29Wvs Yankees6-5
Jul 28Lvs Yankees2-3
Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
(65-45)
Aug 1Wvs White Sox1-0
Jul 31Lvs White Sox1-6
Jul 30Wvs Rangers3-2
Jul 29Wvs Rangers3-0
Jul 28Lvs Rangers1-4

Sunday's laugher flips the script on what had otherwise been a tight, low-scoring series — Saturday's 1-0 grinder and Friday's 6-1 White Sox laugher in the other direction. Chicago leaves Tropicana Field with the series win to carry into Boston. Tampa Bay gets a reminder that even the majors' best bullpen looks can get buried in one bad afternoon against a hot lineup.

Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
(11)
  • Day-To-DayBraden Montgomery (RF) — The White Sox scratched Montgomery from the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.08/02
  • 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) — Gilbert (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday, Brooke Fletcher of Chicago Sports Network reports.07/23
  • 60-Day-ILJordan Leasure (RP) — Leasure (forearm) has resumed throwing bullpen sessions, MLB.com reports.08/01
  • 60-Day-ILDrew Thorpe (SP) — Thorpe (elbow) will make his next rehab start with Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.07/31
  • 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-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
Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
(9)
  • 10-Day-ILJake Fraley (RF) — Fraley (groin) was pulled off his rehab assignment Sunday at Triple-A Durham after feeling something in the area of his hernia surgery, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.07/12
  • 15-Day-ILShane McClanahan (SP) — McClanahan was pulled from Thursday's start versus the Rangers in the fourth inning with left mid-back tightness, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.07/31
  • 15-Day-ILCole Sulser (RP) — The Rays placed Sulser on the 15-day injured list Wednesday due to lower back spasms.07/29
  • 60-Day-ILManuel Rodriguez (RP) — Rodriguez (elbow) began a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Florida Complex League on Thursday, giving up a solo home run and striking out three in one inning.07/24
  • 60-Day-ILGavin Lux (LF) — Lux (shoulder) was pulled off his rehab assignment earlier this week, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.07/17
  • 60-Day-ILSteven Wilson (RP) — Wilson (back) has been sent to the rookie-level Florida Complex League to begin a rehab assignment.07/10
  • 60-Day-ILEdwin Uceta (RP) — Rays manager Kevin Cash said Monday that Uceta has yet to resume throwing and will meet with a doctor to have his nagging right shoulder injury examined, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.07/06
  • 60-Day-ILJonathan Heasley (RP) — Heasley was returned to the major-league roster and placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right elbow stress reaction.06/08
  • 60-Day-ILRyan Pepiot (SP) — Pepiot will undergo surgery on his right hip May 13 and miss the rest of the 2026 season, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.05/08

Both clubs are jockeying for playoff positioning with two months left, and days like this — one team's power surge overwhelming the other's pitching depth — are exactly the kind that get pointed back to in October. Chicago leaves Florida validated in its deadline math; Tampa Bay has a quick turnaround to shake this one off before the schedule gets no easier.

Sources

MLBChicago White SoxTampa Bay RaysPolymarketKalshiAnthony KayGriffin Jax