Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford will sit for the Red Sox when they take on left-hander Ricky Romero and the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday night.
Gonzalez had started every game since July 29. Of the three games he has missed this season, two have seen Romero on the mound. Gonzalez and Crawford are a combined 3-for-23 (.130) with eight strikeouts against zero walks against Romero.
The shuffle allows Dustin Pedroia to bat third for the first time since July 6, which was also the last time Boston faced Romero. Marco Scutaro jumps up to the second spot in the lineup, looking to extend an impressive four-game hitting streak. Scutaro is batting .563 (9-for-17) with nine RBIs during the surge.
Kevin Youkilis takes Gonzalez's spot at first base. Jed Lowrie will start at third. Lowrie is 5-for-8 in his career against Romero. The top six hitters in the Boston batting order are 41-for-96 (.427) vs. the lefty.
Here is the Red Sox lineup, followed by Toronto's configuration against Andrew Miller:
Red Sox
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Marco Scutaro, SS
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
Jed Lowrie, 3B
Jason Varitek, C
Josh Reddick, RF
Darnell McDonald, LF
Blue Jays
Yunel Escobar, SS
Eric Thames, LF
Jose Bautista, RF
Edwin Encarnacion, DH
Kelly Johnson, 2B
Brett Lawrie, 3B
David Cooper, 1B
J.P. Arencibia, C
Mike McCoy, CF
