Dustin Pedroia will once again be tending to more important matters on Friday night. The Red Sox second baseman, whose wife this week gave birth to the couple's second child, will be out of the lineup as Boston travels to Toronto for a three-game set with the Blue Jays.
One certainly can't blame Pedroia for spending this week with his family, but the void left by the All-Star's absence is one that's hard to fill. Pedroia's presence in the lineup is always important, and the second baseman has been especially hot of late.
Pedroia was 5-for-9 with two home runs and three RBIs heading into Wednesday's contest, and he continued his hot streak by collecting two hits before exiting upon hearing the news about his wife. It's unclear when Pedroia will return to the Boston lineup, but the rest of the Red Sox hitters will need to elevate their game in the meantime.
Mike Aviles will be playing second base on Friday, and while he's collected hits in three straight games, he's had a difficult September overall, batting .156 (5-for-32) with a .229 on-base percentage and no home runs. Jose Iglesias, who gets the call at shortstop, has also struggled at the plate, hitting a miniscule .083 (2-for-24) in his limited action this season.
The Red Sox and Blue Jays temperatures for Sept. 14 are below.
Red Sox
Dustin Pedroia, 104
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, 74
Ryan Kalish, 73
Jacoby Ellsbury, 72
Daniel Nava, 69
Mauro Gomez, 67
Mike Aviles, 66
James Loney, 65
Pedro Ciriaco, 62
Jose Iglesias, 60
Cody Ross, 58
Scott Podsednik, 52
Ryan Lavarnway, 49
Ivan De Jesus, 49
Blue Jays
Edwin Encarnacion, 80
Jeff Mathis, 74
Colby Rasmus, 74
Adam Lind, 73
Anthony Gose, 73
Mike McCoy, 72
Yan Gomes, 69
Omar Vizquel, 68
Yorvit Torrealba, 66
Adeiny Hechavarria, 65
Rajai Davis, 63
Kelly Johnson, 60
Yunel Escobar, 59
Moises Sierra, 57
Brett Lawrie, 55
J.P. Arencibia, 52
