Bobby Valentine‘s first Red Sox lineup is short on surprises, and a little heavy on left-handed bats, as his club gets set to take on right-hander Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers on Thursday in the Motor City.
Designated hitter David Ortiz will do something he did just 22 times last season, when he mans the cleanup spot for Boston against the Tigers. With Ortiz penciled in for the four-hole, Kevin Youkilis slides down to the fifth spot in the order.
Another mild surprise for some may be to see right fielder Ryan Sweeney batting sixth. He does give the Sox some left-right flexibility, though.
Unsurprisingly, there aren’t many in the Boston lineup who have had much success against the reigning MVP and Cy Young winner in Verlander. However, Youkilis does have some success against the flame-throwing righty, hitting .300 (6-for-20) with a couple of home runs and three RBIs for his career. Ortiz also has a pair of home runs against Verlander.
The Sox will start a potential Cy Young winner of their own, as they send Jon Lester to the Comerica Park mound. Lester didn’t face Detroit last season, but he has struggled against the Tigers throughout his career. He enters with an 0-2 record and 5.89 ERA in three starts against Detroit. He has one career start at Comerica, a no decision on May 15, 2010 where he gave up four runs in seven innings of work.
Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera has had success against Lester in his career, entering Thursday’s game with a 5-for-10 career mark against the Boston ace.
Here’s how the Red Sox will start behind Lester.
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
David Ortiz, DH
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
Ryan Sweeney, RF
Cody Ross, LF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Mike Aviles, SS
