With a spot in the glorious October tournament (there's only one of them, in case you didn't know) still not guaranteed, the Red Sox and manager Terry Francona appear to be putting the pedal to the metal for Monday night's series opener with the Blue Jays.
Boston's biggest bats are in the lineup, with only Mike Lowell getting a day of rest. The third baseman, who could be an offensive MVP in the postseason, has played in eight of the last nine games (though one was a pinch-hitting appearance) and 12 of the last 14 games. He's typically say more frequently, but he may have been getting more time in September in order to heat up heading into the playoffs.
Update: It was announced that Lowell received a cortisone injection on Monday and that he'll likely miss the bulk of the games this week. He could get some at-bats over the weekend.
Francona, however, keeping his third baseman's recovering hip in mind, will be pulling back the reigns on Monday. The Sox' lineup is:
1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. Victor Martinez, C
4. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
5. David Ortiz, DH
6. Jason Bay, LF
7. J.D. Drew, RF
8. Casey Kotchman, 1B
9. Alex Gonzalez
Below are some of the Red Sox' histories against Blue Jays' starter Scott Richmond:
Ellsbury: 5-for-5, 1.000 BA, three doubles, one triple, two RBIs, two walks
Bay: 1-for-5, HR, 2 RBIs
Ortiz: 2-for-6, HR, two RBIs
Martinez: 2-for-5, double
Gonzalez: 1-for-2
Pedroia: 1-for-6, RBI
