Victor Martinez will return to the Red Sox’ starting lineup on Friday night for the first time since Monday night’s game in Tampa Bay. He will bat fifth and serve as Tim Wakefield’s battery mate.
Martinez, who has nine hits in his last 18 at-bats, took a foul ball off his left toe and missed two games before returning as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning on Thursday night. He grounded out against Royals closer Joakim Soria to end the game.
Martinez’s return is even more crucial for the Red Sox because he has caught all of Tim Wakefield’s starts this season, and Wakefield has pitched well lately. In his last outing, Wakefield pitched eight scoreless innings in a winning effort in Philadelphia.
With Martinez’s return, J.D. Drew, Adrian Beltre, and Jeremy Hermida will all slide down a spot to sixth, seventh and eight in the order, respectively.
Mike Cameron also will return to the lineup on Friday, starting in center field and batting ninth. He received the night off on Thursday as he continues to return to form following a lengthy stint on the disabled list.
Cameron’s ability to stay healthy and play center is extremely important for the Red Sox because Jacoby Ellsbury was once again placed on the disabled list on Friday. The move comes as no surprise, but it will once again force guys like Hermida, Darnell McDonald, and Bill Hall to step up in his absence.
The Red Sox have called up reliever Scott Atchison to take Ellsbury’s spot on the roster.
For the Royals, Mike Aviles will shift over to second base on Friday night as Yuniesky Betancourt returns to the lineup and plays shortstop. Betancourt has missed the last two games with concussion symptoms.
The lineups are listed below:
Red Sox
Marco Scutaro, SS
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
Victor Martinez, C
J.D. Drew, RF
Adrian Beltre, 3B
Jeremy Hermida, LF
Mike Cameron, CF
Royals
Scott Podsednik, LF
Mike Aviles, 2B
David DeJesus, RF
Billy Butler, 1B
Jose Guillen, DH
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Mitch Maier, CF
Yuniesky Betancourt, SS
Jason Kendall, C
