A surging David Ortiz will be getting reacquainted with the No. 3 spot in the Red Sox' lineup on Wednesday night while J.D. Drew will get a rest, as the team goes for a sweep in Tampa Bay.
Manager Terry Francona said earlier in the day that Drew has been battling through some dings and dents, but he's been playing due to the other injuries in the outfield. Drew has played in 45 of 47 games thus far, putting him just one game behind Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia for most on the team. Drew's 30 RBIs do lead the team, and his defense has been reliable all season long.
The Red Sox will have to do without Drew on Wednesday, though, when they face Matt Garza. Drew is batting just .143 against the Rays' righty anyway, so the move likely wasn't too difficult for Francona to make.
Ortiz has also struggled against Garza, batting .136 against him, but he does have two homers. He's been on a tear in the month of May, batting .359 with eight home runs and 21 RBIs in 17 starts, and he drove in the only two runs of Tuesday's shutout win in Tampa.
Also of note are the absences of Jacoby Ellsbury and Victor Martinez from the lineup for the second straight day. The outfielder is dealing with pain as he still recovers from hairline fractures in his ribs while the catcher is day-to-day after taking a foul ball off his big toe on Monday night. In losing Ellsbury and Martinez, the Red Sox are without two of their top three hitters against Garza, as Ellsbury was batting .313 and Martinez .261 off the Rays' starter.
The Sox will have Adrian Beltre, however, who also slid up a spot, and his career mark of .385 against Garza could reawaken his hot streak. Prior to Tuesday's 0-for-4, Beltre had gone 12-for-22 (.545) in the previous six games.
On the other side, John Lackey will have to deal with Hank Blalock, who's fared well against the righty in the past. Blalock owns a .343 batting average with seven doubles, two home runs and 11 walks against Lackey in 77 career plate appearances. Jason Bartlett (.438 in 16 at-bats) and Carl Crawford (.412 in 34) — both of whom are in the starting lineup — have also given Lackey trouble, while John Jaso and Sean Rodriguez will be getting their first look at him.
The lineups are listed below:
Red Sox
1. Marco Scutaro, SS
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
5. Adrian Beltre, 3B
6. Jeremy Hermida, LF
7. Jason Varitek, C
8. Mike Cameron, CF
9. Darnell McDonald, RF
Rays
1. Jason Bartlett, SS
2. Carl Crawford, LF
3. Ben Zobrist, RF
4. Evan Longoria, 3B
5. John Jaso, C
6. Hank Blalock, DH
7. Carlos Pena, 1B
8. Sean Rodriguez, CF
9. Reid Brignac, 2B
