A key battle on the MLB odds menu sees visiting Chicago duelling Tampa Bay on Thursday at Tropicana Field.

Tampa Bay hands the ball to starter Jeff Niemann in this one and he'll try to improve on his 0-2 mark on the year. Chicago counters with Gavin Floyd, who will try to quiet the fans and the Rays bats at the same time.



View Chi White Sox vs Tampa Bay Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Baseball odds makers opened the Rays as +100 moneyline underdogs in this matchup. Over under bettors saw the number open at 8.



How They Match Up:
When it comes to getting on base, the visiting White Sox rank No. 4 in the American League at 8.9 hits per game. That compares with Tampa Bay’s No. 13 ranking in that category.

Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and Tampa Bay has the American League's No. 4-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the White Sox own the American League's No. 10 mark in runs allowed.

In their last action, Chicago was a 4-1 loser on the road against the Rays. Bettors on Tampa Bay at -131 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (5) sent UNDER bettors home happy as well. Chicago didn't get the job done in their last match, falling 4-1 to Tampa Bay on Wednesday at Tropicana Field.




Chicago White Sox Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 3-7
Before playing Detroit are 3-7
After playing Tampa Bay are 4-6
After a loss are 3-7

Tampa Bay Rays Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 7-3
Before playing Toronto are 5-5
After playing Chi White Sox are 5-5
After a win are 7-3

A few White Sox at Rays trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi White Sox's last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi White Sox's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 18 of Chi White Sox's last 25 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi White Sox's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games when playing Chi White Sox
Tampa Bay is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games


Next up:
Chi White Sox at Detroit, Friday, April 22
Tampa Bay at Toronto, Friday, April 22