Pregame notes: Think about this in Cancun

The Rays playoffs hopes aren't so much alive as yet to be declared legally dead. But they fell to 5 1/2 games out of the final Wild Card slot Thursday night, in part because they loaded the bases with no one out in the second, and had two runners in scoring position with one out in the ninth, and couldn't score in either inning of a one-run loss.

Those innings alone should provide plenty of at-bats to think about as Rays players are home watching the playoffs next month, and as they ponder the potential of back-to-back fourth place finishes, they could be considering back-to-back season series defeats to rebuilding White Sox teams as emblematic of their underperformance.

If that seems like a lot of thinking about the Rays for this website, it's because pregame media sessions didn't provide a lot of material for this update, but also because the apex of Tampa's 99-win campaign in 2023 timed up for them to smother that White Sox team, and really the whole Pedro Grifol era in its infancy. That Sox team getting so thoroughly obliterated in those matchups with a genuine playoff-caliber team, and only winning one of their seven games due to advanced levels of the Rays taking their foot off the gas, drove home that the contention window for that White Sox core had slammed shut with extreme prejudice.

The 2025 Rays are clearly flawed, but aren't anywhere close to the house of cards that the White Sox were in 2023, so such a knockout blow can't really be landed on Thursday. But the Sox would take the season series 4-2 if they can secure a victory.

⚙️⚙️⚙️

Grant Taylor wasn't placed on the injured list Thursday morning, which is good. But Will Venable said that there is no word on his prognosis because he's still being evaluated, which means that the lack of update on Taylor is just a lack of update.

Taylor was in the clubhouse on Thursday with both of his legs still working--enough to walk and put on pants at least--which is good. Pants aren't always good, but they're often necessary.

Venable said Taylor is obviously not available to pitch on Thursday, and that Fraser Ellard probably won't be available either after working in each of the first two games of this series. But otherwise he argued that their bullpen isn't as taxed as using eight pitchers Wednesday night would suggest.

"We want Shane to go deep because we really like Shane," Venable said. "And if he goes deep, we're probably in a pretty good spot."

⚙️⚙️⚙️

Rays starter Ian Seymour is a left-hander, so Venable viewed getaway day as a good opportunity for days off for Mike Tauchman, Kyle Teel and Andrew Benintendi.

"We just got through this 17-game stretch and got an off day, and then we're right back in it with nine in a row so we'll be mindful about everybody. At the same time, we like the guys that we put in there," Venable said. "We're putting our best foot forward and putting guys in that we think give us the best chance with the lefty today. Korey Lee is somebody we want to keep plugged in, did a nice job catching Shane Smith last time. Kyle's been going at it pretty hard, so nice to give him a day off."

First pitch: White Sox vs. Rays

TV: CHSN

Radio: ESPN 1000 AM, WRTO 1200 AM

Lineups: