J.D. Drew will make his 2011 debut and bat seventh when the Red Sox visit the Texas Rangers in the second game of the season Saturday night.
Drew was on the bench with a left-hander on the mound in Friday's opener, giving way to Mike Cameron. It is a scenario we may see plenty of going forward if Cameron produces vs. lefties.
Cameron was 0-for-3 with a walk in the 9-5 loss on Friday. With righty Colby Lewis starting for the Rangers, Drew draws the assignment.
There are a few other notable aspects of the lineup Saturday. After a day batting in the five-hole, Adrian Gonzalez is bumped up to cleanup, while Kevin Youkilis will bat fifth. Gonzalez was 2-for-4 with three RBIs in his Red Sox debut.
Also of note, although it's a rather small item, is the pairing of David Ortiz and Drew back-to-back in the lineup. The two struggled mightily vs. lefties last year so it could expose the club to some of the Rangers' southpaws out of the bullpen, but manager Terry Francona showed all spring he wasn't shy about pairing Ortiz and Drew.
Also, both of Texas' left-handed relievers, Arthur Rhodes (14 pitches) and Darren Oliver (19 pitches), worked in Friday's opener. Perhaps Rangers manager Ron Washington will want to stay away from them unless absolutely necessary.
Ortiz is 3-for-11 (.273) with two home runs and a walk vs. Lewis. The rest of the Red Sox lineup is a combined 5-for-30 (.167) with nine strikeouts.
With John Lackey on the mound for Boston, here is the complete order for Francona:
Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Carl Crawford, LF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
David Ortiz, DH
J.D. Drew, RF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Marco Scutaro, SS
Rangers
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Elvis Andrus, SS
Josh Hamilton, LF
Adrian Beltre, 3B
Michael Young, DH
Nelson Cruz, RF
Mitch Moreland, 1B
Yorvit Torrealba, C
Julio Borbon, CF
