Rays Still Awaiting ALDS Opponent

By JC De La Torre

The time is set. The date is set. The opponent? Not so much. The Rays know Game 1 of the ALDS will open on Thursday at the awful time of 2:35pm (come on...the Rays first ever playoff game and those fans that didn't get tickets don't even get to see it because the majority of them will be at work), but whether the game will be against the Minnesota Twins or the Chicago White Sox remains to be seen. The weekend that was supposed to decide all the playoff positioning decided nothing, as both teams matched wins and losses, leaving them separated by 1/2 game. Today, the White Sox play the pesky Detroit Tigers in a make up game. If the Sox win, they will force a one game playoff with the Twins.

I really believe that the Rays matchup better with Chicago than the Twins. Minnesota is very similar to Tampa Bay in that they have good starting pitching, an offense that hits right at the right time, and a solid bull pen. Chicago has some power, but their pitching can be had. The Rays split the season series with the Twins but won the series with White Sox, both series were competitive.

Either way, it should be a great series. Its just a shame many Rays fans will miss out on it due to the crappy start time.

Thanks alot, MLB and TBS!