White Sox-Rays prediction: Picks, odds on Sunday, April 23

The Tampa Bay Rays have snatched victory in walk-off fashion for two straight days, and now they'll go for a sweep of the Chicago White Sox on Sunday afternoon at Tropicana Field. First pitch is set for 1:40 p.m. ET. Lucas Giolito (1-1, 4.29 ERA) will get the ball for Chicago, while (2-0, 3.27) returns from a back injury to start for the Rays.

Tampa is a -170 favorite on the moneyline at DraftKings Sportsbook, while the White Sox are +145 underdogs. The run total is set at 8.

White Sox-Rays picks: Sunday, April 23

White Sox

Out: Hanser Alberto (quadriceps), RP Joe Kelly (groin), SS Tim Anderson (knee), 3B Yoan Moncada (back), RP Matt Foster (forearm), RP Liam Hendriks (cancer), RP Garrett Crochet (elbow)

Rays

Out: RP Ryan Thompson (lat), SP Jeffrey Springs (elbow), OF Jose Siri (hamstring), SP Tyler Glasnow (oblique), RP Shawn Armstrong (neck), SP Shane Baz (elbow), RP Andrew Kittredge (elbow)

Lucas Giolito vs. Zach Eflin

After a disastrous outing at the Pittsburgh Pirates two weeks ago, Giolito has started to look much more like the Cy Young candidate he used to be, allowing just one run across 12 innings while striking out 14 against the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies. The righty's spotty fastball command is still getting him into a bit of trouble, but his changeup and slider are back looking like the wipeout offerings we're used to.

Eflin was off to a strong start in his Rays tenure before back tightness landed him on the injured list a couple of weeks ago. When he's on, Eflin uses great command of his sinker to avoid walks and induce plenty of grounders (53.1 percent ground ball rate so far this year), which makes him a perfect fit for a Tampa Bay team uses defensive positioning to turn balls in play into outs as well as anyone.

Chicago's leaky bullpen – currrently 28th in baseball in reliever ERA – gives me pause, but I like the under here. Giolito has been pitching very well and will be looking to help the White Sox avoid the sweep, while Tampa's offense has come back to Earth a little bit in recent days.

Pick: Under 8

Chicago should have at least one win in this series already, but I like them to grab a victory on getaway day. Eflin may have some rust to shake off after a couple weeks off, while Giolito is throwing the ball great right now. I'll take Chicago and the better odds.

Pick: White Sox

  
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