Chicago White Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/31/2026

Game Time: 7:10 pm ET, Friday, July 31, 2026

Venue:  Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL 

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  White Sox +113, Rays -136; Over/Under:  8 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  White Sox +115, Rays -135; Over/Under:  8 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  White Sox +115, Rays -135; Over/Under:  8 runs

Chicago White Sox:  57-51 (1st place, AL Central)

Tampa Bay Rays:  64-44 (1st place, AL East)

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Chicago White Sox:  5-5 last 10

Tampa Bay Rays:  8-2 last 10

The White Sox are entering this series off a win and split their 4-game series against the New York Yankees 2-2 in their last series. They enter this game with a 57-51 record overall and have a road record of 23-30. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Rays on Friday. Their offense ranks 13th in the MLB with a .725 OPS. Sean Burke was their starting pitcher on Thursday while Erick Fedde is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 5-6 with a 4.25 ERA this season. His team won their last 5 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 3 ER, 3 HR, and 1 BB with 2 SO on 5 hits through 4.1 IP against the Houston Astros.

The Rays are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Texas Rangers 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 64-44 record overall and have a home record of 40-16. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the White Sox on Friday. Their offense ranks 8th in the MLB with a .733 OPS. Shane McClanahan was their starting pitcher on Thursday while Nick Martinez is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 10-2 with a 2.45 ERA this season. His team won their last 6 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 0 earned runs, 0 homers, and 0 walks with 5 strikeouts on 4 hits through 6 innings pitched against the Cleveland Guardians.

The current betting odds have the Rays listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rays have looked great in their games this season with their 64-44 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL East with one of the best records in MLB. They have looked great in their own ballpark too with their 40-16 home record this season. Meanwhile, the White Sox have looked good in their games this season with their 57-51 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL Central. They have been a bad road team though with their 23-30 road record this year. The White Sox have been really up and down lately too, now 5-5 in their last 10 games, while the Rays are 8-2 in their last 10 games and they have been rolling. The White Sox do have a top offense in the league, but lately the Rays have had the better offense and they are going to have the better pitching matchup too. Martinez is on the mound for the Rays in this one and he has looked great this season. He is 10-2 with a 2.45 ERA and he has been their ace this year. He is coming off another great start in which he gave up no runs, something that has been a common theme for him all year, and the team has had a ton of success with him lately, winning 6 games in a row now with him starting. The White Sox are going with Fedde in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 5-6 with a 4.25 ERA and he has been really up and down all year. The team has had a ton of success with him lately, winning 5 games in a row now with him making an appearance, but he did give up 3 earned runs in his last start and that has been a common theme for him. All signs point to the Rays continuing to roll here at home where they have looked like a different team all season. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rays to win this game. 

White Sox Rays Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, July 31, 2026 (7:10 pm ET start time) is Rays 4 White Sox 1.

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Chicago White Sox: 30-58 (-9.1 units) on the moneyline against AL East opponents. 157-274 (-56.5 units) on the moneyline in all games. 68-147 (-42.2 units) on the moneyline in road games. 6-3 UNDER vs. a starting pitcher whose winning percentage is better than 70%. 

Tampa Bay Rays: 123-95 (+5.5 units) on the moneyline in home games. 120-82 (+22.1 units) on the moneyline when the money line is -100 to -150. 158-151 (+6.8 units) on the moneyline vs. good fielding teams - averaging 0.6 errors/game or less. 29-16 UNDER when the total is 8 to 8.5.

Chicago White Sox:  K. Teel (C) Ten Day IL - Ankle. T. Gilbert (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Shoulder. A. Hays (LF) Sixty Day IL - Calf. J. Leasure (RP) Sixty Day IL - Flexor. T. Murray (LF) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. P. Berroa (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. B. Baldwin (LF) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. M. Vasil (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. D. Thorpe (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. K. Bush (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Tampa Bay Rays:  C. Sulser (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Back. J. Heasley (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. G. Lux (LF) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. J. Fraley (RF) Ten Day IL - Groin. R. Pepiot (SP) Sixty Day IL - Hip. E. Uceta (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. S. Wilson (RP) Sixty Day IL - Back. M. Rodriguez (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“We're going to be ready to go tomorrow no matter what. Obviously, we like the result here.” - Will Venable after his team’s win against the Yankees in their game on Wednesday.

“Whether he's in there every day or not, he's always ready. When he gets his opportunities, he's just come up with so many big hits, big home runs here this season.” - Kevin Cash on Vilade after his team’s win against the Rangers in their game on Wednesday.

Chase Meidroth (R) 2B

Munetaka Murakami (L) 1B

Miguel Vargas (R) DH

Randal Grichuk (R) LF

Colson Montgomery (L) 3B

Everson Pereira (R) CF

Braden Montgomery (S) RF

Luisangel Acuña (R) SS

Edgar Quero (S) C

Yandy Díaz (R) DH

Jonathan Aranda (L) 1B

Junior Caminero (R) 3B

Cedric Mullins (L) CF

Jonny DeLuca (R) LF

Victor Mesa Jr. (L) RF

Ben Williamson (R) 2B

Taylor Walls (S) SS

Hunter Feduccia (L) C

Batting Average:  Sam Antonacci (.278)

Hits:  Chase Meidroth (106)

Home Runs:  Colson Montgomery (24)

RBI:  Miguel Vargas (63)

Stolen Bases:  Luisangel Acuña (15)

Wins:  Davis Martin (9)

Saves:  Seranthony Domínguez (12)

ERA:  Duncan Davitt (0.00)

Batting Average:  Yandy Díaz (.304)

Hits:  Yandy Díaz (122)

Home Runs:  Junior Caminero (29)

RBI:  Jonathan Aranda (65)

Stolen Bases:  Chandler Simpson (26)

Wins:  Nick Martinez (10)

Saves:  Bryan Baker (29)

ERA:  Michael Grove (0.00)

Managers:

Chicago White Sox: Will Venable (2nd season)

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (12th season)