The Red Sox have been taking care of business at Fenway as of late, winning five of their last six in Boston, but they will now look to take that success on the road as they begin a 10-game road trip in Houston.
The Sox will open a three-game set with the Astros on Monday, followed by four in Kansas City and three in Toronto. Shane Victorino hopes to bring his hot bat on the road, as the outfielder hit .400 (12-for-30) with three doubles, two home runs and six RBIs over the last seven games to earn American League Player of the Week honors. Victorino will hit second in the lineup and patrol right field.
Stephen Drew has also been swinging a good stick for the Sox lately, hitting safely in nine of his last 18 at-bats and tallying four RBIs and four scored over that span. The shortstop has provided some life in the bottom of the order and will hit eighth Monday behind catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
John Lackey will take the mound for the Sox in search of his eighth win of the season. Lackey has been consistently effective over the last month, going into the seventh inning in all six of his July starts. Lackey posted a 3.67 ERA over the period. If the Red Sox defeat the Astros on Monday, they will match their 2012 win total of 69 games.
Check out the lineups for both teams below.
Boston Red Sox (68-45)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jonny Gomes, LF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Stephen Drew, SS
Brandon Snyder, 3B
John Lackey, RHP
Houston Astros (36-74)
Robbie Grossman, LF
Brandon Barnes, CF
Jose Altuve, 2B
Jason Castro, C
Chris Carter, DH
Brett Wallace, 1B
Matt Dominguez, 3B
L.J. Hoes, RF
Jonathan Villar, SS
Brett Oberholtzer, LHP
