BOSTON — The Red Sox will have to finish their series against the New York Yankees without David Ortiz.
The designated hitter is getting a night off Sunday to rest his feet after spending quite a bit of time on the basepaths in Boston’s previous three games against the Yankees. Red Sox manager John Farrell originally said Ortiz would play in all the club’s remaining games, but that depended on Big Papi’s health.
“When I talked with David after Friday night’s game, large in part because of the number of times he was on base, the extent to which he ran, with a quick turnaround on Saturday,” Farrell said before Sunday’s matchup. “We talked about the upcoming two days, (Saturday) and (Sunday). And with a late-night arrival, likely four right-handed starters in Baltimore, felt like this was the day to give him down.”
Hanley Ramirez will DH in Ortiz’s absence and bat cleanup. Travis Shaw will slide over to Ramirez’s post at first base and bat sixth, while Aaron Hill plays third and bats seventh. Chris Young also will start in left field with the left-handed CC Sabathia on the mound and bat fifth.
Boston has its own lefty starting in Drew Pomeranz. The 27-year-old was roughed up in his last outing Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway, allowing five runs and two home runs over just two innings of work. However, Pomeranz allowed only one run in each of his two starts against the Yankees this season.
Here are the Red Sox’s and Yankees’ lineups for Sunday night’s showdown.
RED SOX (84-64)
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Mookie Betts, RF
Hanley Ramirez, DH
Chris Young, LF
Travis Shaw, 1B
Aaron Hill, 3B
Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
Bryan Holaday, C
Drew Pomeranz, LHP (2-5, 4.60 ERA)
YANKEES (77-71)
Brett Gardner, LF
Ronald Torreyes, 3B
Gary Sanchez, DH
Billy Butler, 1B
Didi Gregorius, SS
Brian McCann, C
Donovan Solano, 2B
Mason Williams, CF
Rod Refsnyder, RF
CC Sabathia, LHP (8-12, 4.10 ERA)
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
