Scott Podsednik hitting third?
Yes, you read that right. The left fielder is hitting in the middle of the lineup for the first time in his professional life. Throughout much of the second half, Jacoby Ellsbury has hit third, a role for which he seems better-suited given the 32 home runs he hit in 2011. Nonetheless, Ellsbury leads off as the veteran Podsednik bats in that three slot.
Aside from that, it's largely business as usual for the Red Sox, who will mostly play their veterans Saturday, aside from catcher Ryan Lavarnway seeing some duty as the designated hitter. It also marks another instance in which the Sox won't have a backup catcher on the bench, but it's probably a positive to give Lavarnway as many at-bats as possible to gauge his value going into 2012.
In any case, veterans Mike Aviles, James Loney and Podsednik are in the lineup in lieu of the rookies and youngsters, so Boston is clearly looking for a bounce-back performance from Friday's debacle.
Check out the lineups for both teams below:
Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Scott Podsednik, LF
Cody Ross, RF
James Loney, 1B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Mike Aviles, SS
Ryan Lavarnway, DH
Pedro Ciriaco, 3B
Felix Doubront,
Oakland Athletics
Coco Crisp, CF
Johnny Gomes, DH
Josh Reddick, RF
Yoenis Cespedes, LF
Chris Carter, 1B
Brandon Inge, 3B
Derek Norris, C
Brandon Hicks, SS
Adam Rosales, 2B
A.J. Griffin, P
