John Lackey started the last game that the Red Sox lost, putting forth one of the worst starts of his major league career against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night. But the Sox have been rolling since, and Lackey will look to keep the team's momentum going on Saturday night.
The Sox have dominated the Orioles in the first two games of their four-game set, outscoring them 20-7. It will be particularly interesting to see whether there is any lingering bad blood a day after the two teams engaged in a bench-clearing brawl.
Lackey has had a rough season so far, but facing the O's could be an opportunity for him to get back on track. The right-hander is 10-4 with a 3.05 ERA in 17 career starts against the Orioles.
He'll be opposed by Alfredo Simon, who will be making his first start this season and only the fourth of his big league career. The 30-year-old has primarily been used as a reliever during his time in the majors.
The Sox lineup will look a bit different than it did on Friday night. The first five hitters remain in place, but the bottom of the order will have a new look.
Josh Reddick will return to the starting lineup as the team's left fielder. He started on the bench Friday night, but later entered the game and hit an RBI triple in the eighth inning.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia will be back behind the plate on Saturday, one day after being ejected despite not starting the game, and J.D. Drew will return to right field.
Marco Scutaro, who batted seventh on Friday, will bat ninth against Simon and the O's on Saturday.
Check out the lineups for both teams below.
Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
David Ortiz, DH
Josh Reddick, LF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
J.D. Drew, RF
Marco Scutaro, SS
Orioles
J.J. Hardy, SS
Nick Markakis, RF
Adam Jones, CF
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Matt Wieters, C
Derrek Lee, 1B
Mark Reynolds, 3B
Nolan Reimold, LF
Robert Andino, 2B
