Marco Scutaro will start at second base for the first time in almost two years and J.D. Drew will bat eighth for the first time in nearly one as the Red Sox look to make it two straight over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.
Scutaro, who has been bothered by a sore right shoulder, was scheduled to receive an MRI earlier in the day. He last played on Saturday when the Sox dropped both ends of a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox.
The shoulder has affected Scutaro's arm strength so he will now be able to make the shorter throw from second. He last started at second base while with Toronto on Sept. 26, 2008, but has played 270 career games at second. Jed Lowrie, originally penciled into the lineup at second, moves to shortstop.
With left-hander David Price on the mound for Tampa Bay, Drew has been dropped in the order, as has David Ortiz, who will hit fifth. Drew is hitting .183 (24-for-131) against lefties this year. Ortiz is at .205 (31-for-151) with just two of his 28 home runs off southpaws.
Victor Martinez, batting third, is the one Red Sox starter with a significant degree of success against Price. He slugged two home runs against Price in Boston's 3-1 win at Tampa Bay on Aug. 27 and has five hits (three homers) in 12 at-bats against the Cy Young Award candidate in his career.
With Daisuke Matsuzaka on the mound for the Red Sox, here are the starting lineups for both teams:
Red Sox
Marco Scutaro, 2B
Darnell McDonald, CF
Victor Martinez, C
Adrian Beltre, 3B
David Ortiz, DH
Mike Lowell, 1B
Jed Lowrie, SS
J.D. Drew, RF
Bill Hall, LF
Rays
John Jaso, C
Ben Zobrist, 2B
Carl Crawford, LF
Evan Longoria, 3B
Carlos Pena, 1B
Matt Joyce, RF
Dan Johnson, DH
B.J. Upton, CF
Jason Bartlett, SS
