BOSTON — The Red Sox have a chance to win their series against the New York Yankees, and they’re putting Henry Owens on the mound to get the job done.
The 23-year-old lefty will face off against Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka in Wednesday’s contest, but Owens is plenty used to that. He faced Tanaka in his MLB debut at Yankee Stadium and has since gone up against the likes of Justin Verlander, Johnny Cueto and Matt Harvey.
“The best part about Henry is that he’s run up against a lot of No. 1 guys and has been unfazed by it,” interim manager Torey Lovullo said ahead of Wednesday’s game. “He’s been in Yankee Stadium. He’s been in big venues, big moments and still executes pitches, and we’re looking for that to continue (Wednesday).”
Owens “has really impressed me, too, with his poise, mound presence,” Lovullo added. “He stands up there like he’s been there for 10 years.”
The Red Sox’s lineup otherwise remains unchanged except for one defensive switch. Rusney Castillo will swap places with Jackie Bradley Jr. and play in left field.
Here are both teams’ lineups for Wednesday’s matchup.
RED SOX (61-71)
Mookie Betts, CF
Pablo Sandoval, 3B
Xander Bogaerts, SS
David Ortiz, DH
Travis Shaw, 1B
Rusney Castillo, LF
Brock Holt, 2B
Blake Swihart, C
Jackie Bradley Jr., RF
Henry Owens, LHP (2-1, 4.03 ERA)
YANKEES (73-58)
Brett Gardner, CF
Chris Young, LF
Alex Rodriguez, DH
Carlos Beltran, RF
Chase Headley, 3B
Greg Bird, 1B
John Ryan Murphy, C
Didi Gregorius, SS
Stephen Drew, 2B
Masahiro Tanaka, RHP (10-6, 3.62 ERA)
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
