FORT MYERS, Fla. — Adrian Gonzalez will bat cleanup for the second time this spring when the Red Sox host the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night.
Gonzalez, who went 3-for-6 with an RBI in a minor league game on Wednesday, is 2-for-14 (.143) this spring. He will be sandwiched in a potent order by Carl Crawford in the three-hole and Kevin Youkilis batting fifth.
Jacoby Ellsbury will lead things off. He hammered his third homer of the spring Thursday at Florida and is batting .383 (18-for-47) overall.
Ellsbury is 3-for-9 with a pair of walks vs. Blue Jays left-hander Jesse Litsch, who is slated to get the start. Dustin Pedroia, batting in his customary second spot, is 5-for-13 with two doubles and a walk against the southpaw.
With Josh Beckett on the mound, here is the complete batting order for the Red Sox:
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Carl Crawford, LF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
David Ortiz, DH
J.D. Drew, RF
Jason Varitek, C
Marco Scutaro, SS
