The Boston Red Sox will be without two of their most important offensive players Thursday afternoon in the rubber match of a three-game series with the Baltimore Orioles.
Second baseman Dustin Pedroia and left fielder Hanley Ramirez both left Wednesday night’s game at Fenway Park with injuries, and neither is in the starting lineup for the series finale. Pedroia suffered a hamstring injury while rounding first base on a single, and Ramirez was hit in the hand with a line drive while running the bases.
Brock Holt will play second base in place of Pedroia, and Alejandro De Aza will man left field with Ramirez out of the lineup.
That’s far from the only note on the Boston lineup, though. Catcher Blake Swihart, who suffered a foot injury last weekend in Kansas City, is back in the lineup. So, too, is outfielder Jackie Bradley, Jr., who has been recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket.
Eduardo Rodriguez will start for Boston opposite Baltimore’s Miguel Gonzalez.
Here are the lineups for both clubs.
RED SOX (32-41)
Mookie Betts, CF
Brock Holt, 2B
Xander Bogaerts, SS
David Ortiz, DH
Pablo Sandoval, 3B
Mike Napoli, 1B
Alejandro De Aza, LF
Blake Swihart, C
Jackie Bradley Jr., RF
Eduardo Rodriguez, LHP (3-1, 3.13 ERA)
ORIOLES (37-34)
Manny Machado, 3B
Chris Parmelee, 1B
Nolan Reimold, CF
Matt Wieters, 1B
Delmon Young, RF
Chris Davis, 1B
J.J. Hardy, SS
Steve Pearce, LF
Ryan Flaherty, 2B
Miguel Gonzalez, RHP (5-4, 3.33 ERA)
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
