Tampa Bay @ Chicago preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 23, 2009 ) Tampa Bay 0, Chi. White Sox 5

The Chicago White Sox need something good to happen - and soon. Picked by many experts to win the AL Central, the White Sox are in last place in the division with a 4-9 record. After being swept in a three-game series against the Cleveland Indians, manager Ozzie Guillen said he would spend Monday's day off at his home in Miami watching his son play high school baseball. He said he hoped he could enjoy at least one game and then joked he might not come back. Considering the way the White Sox are playing, Guillen is setting himself up for a punch line that might not be so funny. Chicago has one of the worst offenses in baseball, which has negated a steady rotation. The White Sox scored eight runs in the Cleveland series and were shut down by 26-year-old rookie Mitch Talbot, who pitched a complete game for his first major league win Friday. And even when the Sox are in a position late in the game to win, they can't hold on, which was the case Saturday against the Indians. Jake Peavy gave up Asdrubal Cabrera's game-tying home run in the eighth before the usually reliable Matt Thornton yielded hits to left-handed Grady Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo to lose the game. Assuming Guillen finds his way back to Chicago, his struggling team goes against one of the hottest clubs in baseball. Tampa Bay is coming off a four-game sweep in Fenway Park, in which the Rays outscored Boston, 15-3, in the final two games. The Rays have won seven straight, all coming on their road trip that began in Baltimore. Tampa Bay is 7-0 on the road. Manager Joe Maddon will send prize left-hander David Price to the mound. Price has won both starts this season, defeating the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles. He has struck out 14 in 14 2/3 innings while allowing only four runs and 11 hits. If Price is about to start living up to his potential that made him the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, the Rays will have yet another strong arm for their loaded rotation. As has been the case with Price, White Sox starter John Danks has pitched well in his two starts. Danks gave up one earned run in each outing and has struck out 12 in 13 innings. The left-hander has been successful against the Rays, going 4-1 with a 2.67 ERA in five starts. In addition to trying to hold down the Rays' hitters, Danks also has to deal with the knowledge he and the other starters haven't been getting support from their own offense.