Facing a tough young southpaw in the opener of three straight games in Baltimore, the Red Sox will feature just two left-handed hitters, designated hitter David Ortiz and right fielder J.D. Drew.
Brian Matusz, who has held lefties to a .252 average, is on the mound for the Orioles. In seven scoreless innings at Fenway Park on July 4 he gave up hits to only Bill Hall and Adrian Beltre. Ortiz and Drew were a combined 0-for-6 with five strikeouts vs. Matusz.
Including the two lefties, the Red Sox' lineup Tuesday is a collective 7-for-45 (.156) with two home runs against the Orioles' starter.
Jed Lowrie, who has never faced Matusz, will be making his first start in three games at second base. Hall is in left field for the first time since Friday.
With Josh Beckett on the mound, here is the complete Red Sox lineup:
Marco Scutaro, SS
Darnell McDonald, CF
Victor Martinez, C
David Ortiz, DH
Adrian Beltre, 3B
Mike Lowell, 1B
J.D. Drew, RF
Jed Lowrie, 2B
Bill Hall, LF
Here is how the Orioles will start:
Julio Lugo, 2B
Nick Markakis, RF
Ty Wigginton, 1B
Luke Scott, DH
Adam Jones, CF
Felix Pie, LF
Matt Wieters, C
Cesar Izturis, SS
Josh Bell, 3B
