The Tampa Bay Rays have been one of the hottest teams in baseball, and they showed the White Sox why during the ninth inning at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Chicago was in control with their veteran closer on the mound, only to watch a disciplined and well-rounded Rays offense score three runs to pull out the 5-3 victory. All things considered, the fact that the Sox even had a chance to walk away with the win means something went right. But there were also some big questions that came up for this group from the jump.

Let’s start there …

Should They Have Gone with An Opener?

Manager Will Venable has not shied away from using an opener this season. We have seen him do this with Grant Taylor the most, leaning on the youngster’s high-velocity work to get out of the first inning clean. This time around, he decided to go with bullpen arm Jordan Leasure, who came into the evening with eight appearances under his belt, which included four-straight scoreless outings.

Leasure needed only eight pitches to get out of the opening frame. While he didn’t record a strikeout, six of those pitches ended up touching the zone with multiple clocking in at over 96+ mph. Flying through the top of the order, Venable chose to let him come back out. And things were immediately a different story.

After Yandy Díaz made Leasure throw six pitches before grounding out, Ryan Vilade drew a walk on seven pitches. Leasure kept sailing the ball high, which was all the Sox needed to see to finally transition to their normal starter, Anthony Kay.

To Kay’s credit, he would come in and promptly retire the next two batters, but it was clear he didn’t immediately have his best stuff. This was specifically apparent in the top of the third, when Kay would allow two singles and hit Cedric Mullins to load the bases.

The good news is that he got out of the inning thanks to some magical ABS work. The bad news is that the top of the fourth wasn’t a whole lot better, as he allowed a Rays run and threw 35 pitches. The Sox decided to pull him from the game, sending Jordan Hicks out for the next inning.

So, is this an example of why going with an opener is sometimes counterintuitive? Kay has arguably been the Sox’ best arm to begin the season. Considering how comfortable he has been in his role, it just doesn’t feel particularly worth it to mess with the routine. It’s also interesting that now his two shortest outings of the season have come in games where the Sox used an opener ahead of him. Something to keep an eye on. Maybe this just doesn’t work for Kay.

Props to Edgar Quero

Edgar Quero’s start to the season has been anything but highlight-worthy. One of the team’s most consistent offensive players a year ago, he has struggled heavily to find his way on base. With that said, today he proved to be one of the most important players in the dugout.

Not only did Quero smash a ground-rule double that gave the White Sox a 2-1 lead in the sixth (his first RBI of the season), but he also drew only his fifth walk of the season. What proved even more important, however, was his eye behind the plate. The catcher pulled off three huge challenges throughout the game. The first two came on back-to-back pitches while the bases were loaded with Anthony Kay on the mound. Both balls were overturned to a strike, ultimately helping the Sox to get out of the inning unscathed.

Then, in the top of the ninth with the bases loaded for the Rays, Lucas Sims narrowly walked in a run with a full count. Quero called for the challenge on a sweeper that landed near the bottom of the zone and got it overturned for the K.

Now, would the Rays still go on to win the game? Yes, but this is incredibly encouraging to see from one of the Sox’ top catchers. Quero hasn’t necessarily been praised for his defensive efforts in the past, and he has struggled with the ABS system thus far. But we all know this is going to be a key part of the game moving forward. You want to see him only improving in this department as this goes on. Today was potentially a sign of that.

Everson Pereira Revenge Game

A former Tampa Bay Rays outfielder, Everson Pereira, had a fantastic day at the plate. He finished the day with a walk and two hits, which included the go-ahead blast in the eighth inning to put Chicago up 3-2. The home run gives him one in each of his last two outings, as he also sent a three-run bomb out of the park in the series opener against Tampa earlier this week.

Only returning from injury a couple of games back, the White Sox are surely happy to see Pereira pick up where he left off. He was one of the team’s only consistent offensive threats to begin the year, as he’s now up to seven hits and a .304 batting average.

As someone who really struggled at the plate during his previous big league stints in New York and Tampa, the Sox are likely feeling vindicated for giving him an immediate role this year. As things currently stand, he is sure looking like someone who will be a staple in the outfield the rest of the way.

Bullpen Woes Return

For the most part, the issues that plagued the White Sox bullpen over the first couple of weeks began to dissipate. The far bigger issue for the team became their inconsistent offense, which repeatedly struggled to hit for contact and get runners in scoring position. This afternoon, however, felt like deja vu.

Up 3-2 heading into the ninth inning, the Sox were able to call on one of their most experienced bullpen arms. Seranthony Dominguez was brought to Chicago to be a steady and mature hand late in games. Unfortunately, he was anything but against this Rays lineup.

Dominguez failed to find the zone on three straight pitches before finally getting a called strike on a 98.2 mph heater. It didn’t matter, though, as the next pitch was sent over the left field wall by Junior Caminero to tie the game 4-4. While Dominguez was able to strike out Cedric Mullins, he was clearly out of sync. Jonathan Aranda won a nine-pitch battle, only for Dominguez to throw a wild pitch that advanced the runners before hitting Richie Palacios to end an eight-pitch sequence.

To be sure, the Rays were showing great discipline against a pitcher who was clearly struggling. They were able to foul away a slew of pitches to keep Dominguez from working through things quickly. Still, he is supposed to be one of your most trustworthy arms in the bullpen. The fact that he couldn’t come in to get things done and now has a 7.50 ERA on the season is a problem.